Charlie Daniels cannot remember whether it was a punishment or just because he was injured, but he does recall the feeling of putting on his first training session at Bournemouth. "Once it started flowing, I really started to get into it," he tells Sky Sports.
He was still a player at the time but a new path was opening. "That is where the excitement of becoming a coach really started," says Daniels, the former Cherries left-back who is now 39 years old and working as a development coach at Watford.
"I started to write down the sessions and ask questions about why this session, why now, why are we using these dimensions, little things like that, trying to get an understanding of everything around it and it just built up from there really."
The journey has even led to him belting out a number from Les Miserables as part of his UEFA Pro Licence. "We had to sing one of the songs all together. Do you know what? It was really good because it was kind of like an icebreaker for everyone," he laughs.
"It was designed to kind of express yourself and get you out of your comfort zone. And once everyone got into it and understood it, it was a really good experience and really liberating, I think, for most of the group. You start to get that connection together."
A trip to the European U21 Championship in Slovakia this summer was less left field but a highlight. Daniels was there to do scouting reports and analysis for part of his Pro Licence and got to take a look at Nick Woltemade, Newcastle's new striker.
"He is a sight to behold. He is going to be a formidable opponent for anyone. He is kind of like a No 10 in a No 9's body if you get my drift. He is a dribbler, a mover, so he is going to catch a few people out. With how he plays, he is going to excite the Newcastle crowd."
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Woltemade will be up against Bournemouth on Sky Sports this Sunday as Eddie Howe makes his latest return to the south coast. Howe was the manager when Daniels had that first taste of coaching all those years ago. His influence can hardly be overstated.
"He is the one who opened my eyes to what coaching is." But what exactly is it about Howe that has made him such a successful manager? "It was the structure of training," Daniels explains. "Every single training session was geared towards the next game."
He adds: "For instance, just say we're playing against a top-six side, I knew he was going to play five at the back. So I knew that everything was structured on defending low, stopping crosses, defending one-twos, defending in and around the box.
"Then on us in possession, a lot of counter-attack drills, a lot of quick attacks, a lot of shots maybe from distance or maybe some crosses from deep into the box." It was all tailored to the demands. "Every session had a purpose. There were no wasted days."
Lessons as a coach
Daniels has had very different experiences. "Early on in my career, it struck me that I knew exactly what we were going to do every day in training. For some people, that works really well. I wanted to be tested. I wanted to go on the pitch every day excited."
He is now taking those principles into his own coaching career. Into his fifth season at Watford, he talks of the need to "park your ego" as a coach and believes that his own philosophy has to come second to that of the club - and also the individual players.
Charlie Daniels is now part of the coaching setup at Watford
Image: Charlie Daniels is now part of the coaching setup at Watford
"Every club has those players they feel can make it into their first team so you have to make sure they are developing. So, that means you might have to play a different formation, find a different way of playing, a different build. You might overload one side.
"For example, say you have a really talented left-winger. You might want to overload the right side to switch it out to the left so that he can showcase his qualities that way. It is about those standout performers. You have to really focus on highlighting them."
Of course, nobody knows better than Daniels that there are those late bloomers too. After spending years in the lower leagues, he was approaching his 27th birthday when he made his Championship debut but went on to play 129 times in the Premier League.
Bournemouth secured the title at Charlton, where Charlie Daniels featured
Image: Charlie Daniels was a late bloomer but went on to become a Premier League player
"There are loads of late developers who just come out of nowhere," he says. "I believe I was a late developer." It makes him ideally placed to encourage those players in the development squad at Watford to be patient but admits it is not always straightforward.
"The hardest thing for them is that some people are going to go straight there. It is about trying not to get sucked into seeing what their teammate is doing and trying to follow them if that is not the path that they are on. Those are the hardest conversations.
"They look at Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha now and they think, well, when is my chance going to come? It is too late for me. It does not work like that. These could be superstars in the making. Your journey might be different but you could still get there."
Maybe that will be the way for Daniels in his coaching journey too. Being a manager is the goal. "When the time comes and if the opportunity arises, I think I am ready to step into that. Everything is a stepping stone to becoming the best manager that I can be."
And that first step was made at Bournemouth under Eddie Howe.
Watch Bournemouth vs Newcastle live on Sky Sports Premier League this Sunday; kick-off 2pm