FIFA can be a frustrating game,
whether you’re a pro hoping to win a tournament
or someone who just plays at home with friends.
Gamers of all skill levels dedicate a lot of time
to learning the ins and outs of the game each year.
It’s unforgiving, and one mistake can mean the difference
between victory and holding your head in your hands.
Players don’t have to be alone, though.
A new wave of FIFA coaching services have arrived
alongside the emergence of the Weekend League and competitive scene,
with lessons costing in the region of £30 per hour.
One such coach is Alex Bodin, also known as the FIFA Analyst,
who told B/R Football exactly how it works:
– A FIFA coach is responsible for identifying a player's mistakes,
identifying their errors and their bad habits.
They can then show them how to rectify the habits,
along with training techniques so they can implement them to improve.
And also showing the most meta methods way of scoring, defending and so on,
along with dissecting the custom tactics
and the best type of players.
That's the sort of stuff that a FIFA coach can identify.
– Bodin’s business is based on the personal experience of struggling with FIFA himself.
– Well, when I started playing FIFA
I wasn't very good. I wanted to improve, but I just didn't know how.
It started to click when I noticed these bad habits by looking back on my game play.
I spent, literally, hours upon hours analysing my own game,
which just helped me improve massively.
People started asking how I improved in such a short period of time.
And I told them exactly the reason why, and then people were saying,
'well can you do this for me?'
So then, I started using this as a platform to help the average player.
And now, we've worked our way up to the elite bracket
and up to even helping pro players as well.
— Bodin explains that it’s mainly high-level FIFA players
that use his services, but lessons can be just as valuable
for someone looking to beat their friends.
– I mainly coach FIFA Ultimate Team players.
Occasionally, you will get the one or two, you know, just people that play divisions.
However, most of the competitive drive is found over on Ultimate Team.
The majority of the casuals aren't even aware that esports is a thing and
the esports world that is out there.
I do, however, have a few people come to me and say,
'I just want to be able to beat my mate on the FIFA tournament in a couple of weeks.'
So, obviously, we can help them do that.
— The FIFA community is a vocal one.
A number of well-known coaches receive regular abuse
for trying to help players improve, and Bodin is no different.
– Well, on occasion, people will share their words.
All I ask is for everyone to have an open mind on this,
an open opinion. And if someone's hobby is playing FIFA and they would like to get better,
FIFA coaching can help them do so.
I do showcase my lessons over on YouTube and all of my other videos.
So everyone knows exactly what they are getting.
– The process itself is an involved one and doesn’t stop after a single session.
Bodin makes sure his clients have support after they’ve finished.
– Students book a session in advance and they get their
feedback throughout the session.
Lessons are also recorded so they get the video file sent over
so they can go over it as many times as they like.
And, yeah, we do stay in contact afterwards,
we have like a coaching group where they can all discuss together,
arrange friendlies, so constant improvement is always going to be there.
– Making an impact on a player’s FIFA fortunes is a huge perk of the job.
– I do have a few achievements to be proud of.
A student came to me and was only hitting four wins out of 30 in Weekend League.
So, obviously, that's disappointing for him.
He was an older FIFA player, so he wasn’t quite
up to date with what was going on in the scene.
And he didn't have a massive amount of time to do his own sort of research.
After one session, we managed to take him to 13 wins.
So a massive, massive improvement.
And then the quickest and, kind of, biggest improvement we’ve had is a Gold 1 player,
he managed to go ahead and hit Elite 1.
So Gold 1 for the viewers is 20 wins out of 30.
After one session, he then managed to get 27 wins out of 30.
Which is absolutely insane.
And the way we did that was we rectified some tactical issues that he had,
and we also took a look at his second-man press issue that he has.
– Bodin understands FIFA coaching might not be for everyone
but wants the community to be receptive to new ways of learning.
– So, remember, FIFA coaching may not be for everyone.
But I do ask you to have an open mind with it, and if you are serious
about improving, then go into a proven coach who's
got track records and it can go a long way.
If you have any questions you can contact me
@thefifaanalyst on Twitter.
Always happy to have an open discussion with you guys
on what you think of FIFA coaching.