AUTHORS: VALTER PINHEIRO.• Higher Institute of Educational Sciences(ISCE) / Science and Technology
FoundationARMANDO COSTA• Instituto Superior de Ciencias Educativas (ISCE)BRUNO BAPTISTA• TOCOF MethodologyPEDRO SEQUEIRA• Director of the Santarèm Polytechnic Institute Research Unit
Training young athletes is a topic that has been discussed at great lengths in literature, and yet, no clearideaofwhatthisinvolveshasbeendefined.
Thus, some doubts persist, due to a lack of concrete answers or, in many cases, the aversion to change—thatis,abreakwiththepast—exhibitedbysomeofthekeyfiguresintheathleticrealm.
This article aims to respond to some of the questions left unanswered and to spark a debate on some discussion-worthy topics.
Youth football training is an activity that is equally challenging and mystifying. Many have studied, reflected on, and trained on this topic, in search of answers to the questions that it poses.
While it is true that there is a group of individuals dedicated to the qualitative improvement of this phenomenon, who make it a more scientific pursuit, there are also many managers who do their jobs without properly reflecting on what it is that they are doing.
Youth football training may not be tackled solely as a contentless practice, the result of repeating what has already been done in the past. One of the main tennets of football training is an active, critical, and constructive attitude, which is necessary for turning this phenomenon into a true teaching—and, by default, learning—process.
Therefore, a series of concerns will be woven into this article, which we shall be so bold as to call "commandments". We shall not go so far as to consider ourselves the "masters of truth" and therefore, these are OUR commandments but never THE commandments.
Commandment 1 – “First an educator, then a manager"It is well-known that sports, and in football in general, a series of benefits arise as a result of related experiences. Therefore, there is a belief that playing sports is an excellent way to acquire moral and ethical values, as well as to support the development of health-related components. However, scientific studies have been quite clear in confirming that sports on their own are neither good nor bad. Thus, only the quality of the practice can guarantee the development of the aforementioned social competencies. In other words, if the practice is well-directed by the key adult figures, it will undoubtedly have a positive influence on the youths. Conversely, a poorly-guided experience will have rather negative effects and, in this case, it would be better that the children did not participate in athletics at all.
Therefore, we may conclude that training children cannot simply be reduced to the teaching of technical. tactical and physical qualities. In his practice, a manager must make a true commitment, thereby acknowledging that his behaviour must serve as an example to be followed by his young athletes. Thus, before serving as a football manager, he serves first as an athletic educator, regardless of his academic background. Anyone who forgets this is essentially offering up a practice that is sterile and inconsequential.It would not be an exaggeration to say that the vast majority of children who start out playing football never end up becoming professional footballers.
Nevertheless, all will become future citizens. Therefore, it is important to reflect on the teaching models that football has to offer and which continue to proliferate.Managers ought to be confident in the teaching of the most noble values, namely, exertion, effort, dedication, self-improvement, self-sacrifice, and respect for others and oneself. Thus, managers may not claim that education falls solely to parents and schools, as education is a process that involves everyone at all times.A manager, due to his position and role, is a true "creator of citizens".
Commandment 2 – “Love of football over love of winning”
Winning in youth football was never a consensual matter. For the most straight-laced, the quest for victory leads children down a digressing path, often causing them to adopt anti-sports behaviours.
Therefore, winning should be seen as something harmful. For the most competitive, winning is the only result that interests them. There is nothing more important than winning, and losing is a sign of failure.
With these contrasts in mind, we must bring these two diametrically opposing realities face to face.In truth, winning shall never be understood as an invitation for corruption. It is dishonest and highly irrational to teach children not to aim to win.
Children should be taught to shoot for self-improvement and transcendence. In a society as highly competitive as ours, it would undoubtedly be a mistake not to teach our children to win.
However, this should not be the main focus when training children. Therefore, we must encourage athletes to seek to better themselves, all while maintaining a desire to win and explaining that football inherently presupposes three possible outcomes. Hence, the main task of the manager is to defy the potentiality of the children, constantly encouraging them to improve. All of this must be done while instructing them on how to be a humble victor and peaceful loser.
Thus, we are totally against the idea that sports are all about winning and losing.We believe a more accurate description would be "I always want to win in sports but I know that I may also lose".
Commandment 3 – “Before teaching plays, teach the essence of the game”
First and foremost, it is important to define what we mean by "plays". To our understanding, plays are nothing more than a set of stereotypical movements, repeated on end, within the context of a training, with the goal of reproducing them in a competitive match. Normally, these plays are dreamt up by the manager, who tries to turn his athletes into true programmed robots.
When we teach plays, we dissolve the decision-related potential of the children by creating scenarios we want to see reproduced on the pitch. We forget that competition is subject to unpredictability and causal circumstances. Thus, managers ought not to "program" their players without first providing them with the tools that will enable them—in each situation—to make the best possible decision. A closer look at the levels of football training reveals that for many managers, football involves remote controlling the athletes.
A great number of managers spend all of their time giving clear, precise instructions to each athlete about what he must do, how he must do it, and where. Of course, we are not trying to say that football training should be anarchical, and the manager plays a fundamental role in making improvements and corrections. However, teaching football in plies identifying paths, offering different solutions, and subsequently, allowing the athlete to be the one at all times to decide—within the competitive context—the best solution to the problems that arise.
In conclusion, managers are charged with the task of encouraging their athletes to make decisions independently, in an effort to always provide the best response to the contingencies of the context.
Commandment 4 – “Zone in on smaller situations before proceeding to full-scale play”You cannot teach children to play football by simply placing them immediately in the rather difficult situation of an 11v11. No one learning how to read begins with Shakespeare; rather they start off with books better suited for this purpose. Likewise, you cannot learn to play football by beginning with its most complex form (11v11).
Let us take the example of a book: it is more tiring to read a book of 400 pages than one of 100, since the latter has fewer pages. In football, if liken each athlete on the field to a page in a book, we can easily understand that the more players there are on the pitch, the more time it will take the athletes to do a proper reading of the game. It is important for us to perceive that for each athlete added to the game, the number of variables increases.
Therefore, when teaching football, it is essential to utilise reduced situations. This is not an inferior way to teach football, but rather, and pedagogical tool of undeniable quality. Before learning how to face 4 opponents, a child must learn how to face 1. Then, he must learn to cooperate with a teammate to attain the objective of the game. This is the progressive logic of the game of football, to slowly reveal its characteristic of cooperation and opposition.
Moreover, children who begin to experiment with football are normally limited from a motor skills perspective, and they need frequent contact with the game stimulus. Games played in reduced situations bring the children and the ball into closer contact, enabling them to gain more experience with dribbling, passing, stealing the ball, etc. We must not forget that the great source of motivation for children is the opportunity to dribble the ball.
Therefore, we believe that the best way to teach the game of football is through simplified forms that allow children to acquire the essence of a football player.
Commandment 5 – “Criticise less, correct and praise more”
We live in a society in which the word "criticism" takes on a negative connotation. Criticising is normally synonymous with depreciating, ridiculing, or devaluating someone. However, criticism can serve as a powerful pedagogical tool when used correctly. It is well-known that no one is born knowing everything and that it is through the learning process that we understand how to live alongside error. Managers must be patient to avoid the mistake of intervening and eliminating errors.
It is important to understand what kind of involvement the manager should aim for in order to provide his athletes with the best information possible.
Firstly, telling a player that he performed a certain technical movement incorrectly is to assume that the athlete does not have the ability to perceive his own mistake. In other words, athletes are normally aware of their mistakes when they make a faulty pass, shot or tackle. More than emphasizing what went wrong, the focus should be on what can be done to make improvements. Therefore, instead of saying "hey, you're shooting wrong," a manager should say "leave more space between the support leg and the ball in order to shoot better". Instead of accusing players of having made a mistake, a manager should encourage his athletes with the objective of correcting their errors.
Other matters that are often forgotten by managers when communicating with their athletes are praise, encouragement, and incentives. All of the literature on the subject supports the idea that all human beings learn best when their behaviour is positively reinforced, even if that behaviour doesn't entirely match the desired one. Many managers place great importance on the final product alone, ignoring the process altogether. If a child always shoots poorly and then he starts to shoot a little better, that assessment cannot go unnoticed by the manager. Although he may still be far from where the manager would want him, the child has already taken one step toward the target performance.
It is important to note that psychological studies conducted on the topic show that one of the main reasons that children leave sports is due to the lack of positive stimuli. Therefore, managers must not miss any opportunity to praise their players' good behavior. Praise and encouragement create a positive, motivational environment that supports the learning process. Moreover, it promotes a relationship of greater trust between the manager and athlete.
Commandment 6– “Creativity over mechanics”If we were to do an in-depth analysis of the recent times in Portuguese football history, we would see that many matches end in a 0-0 draw. This outcome must force us to reflect upon the matter to search for possible answers. To our understanding, defensive organization is a moment of play that managers are paying more and more attention to these days in the search to gain the points needed to attain their objectives.
The politics of "hyper-focus on the score" hold sway over the demand of athletic performance. However, we do not believe that the problem is rooted solely in the high quality of the defensive organisational process. In truth, we have verified that in light of highly defensive models of play, only an offensive process of indisputable quality could have an impact. Nevertheless, a quality offensive process requires creative athletes who are one of a kind and able to make a difference. Thus, it is important to stress the idea of "creativity".
For some authors, creativity represents the emergence of something unique and original. The greatest resource for authors has always been their zeal. For as long as we can remember, creative works have been something considered to be unparalleled, exceptional, exclusive to certain athletes. To be creative means seeing beyond what everyone else sees, finding new paths where others see only corners, finding solutions where others see only problems. To be creative is to be special, bold, daring, at the verge of finding unforeseen and unexpected solutions.
Nevertheless, originality requires that managers exercise tolerance. The creative process lies in hands that have also made mistakes. It is difficult to develop creativity if you don't have patience for your own mistakes.
This is why managers must recognise the important role of creative players, as they may well be the future athletes of choice. We must not forget that creative athletes are the ones who are most daring and bold, constantly seeking to improve themselves.
Commandment 7 – “HEALTH above all”When we train young football players, we often spend a great deal of time focusing on their technical and tactical development while forgetting that part of training children is promoting health habits and lifestyle.
To be a manager for youth teams is to try to have a positive impact on the health of our charges. It is important to remember that according to the World Health Organisation, health is not merely the absence of illness, but rather a combination of physical, social, and mental well-being.
As far as the physical aspects are concerned, we have seen how to training process can lead to injury, be it due to lack of preparation or excessive repetition of a certain technical movement. Some managers who are seeking immediate success, promote an intensity that is ill-suited to the the morphological/functional characteristics of the children.
Therefore, the principle of multilateralism ought to be the corner stone of youth football training, whereby a close relationship with the specific principle is established. As for the mental aspects, in many circumstances,
sports are to blame for a variety of psychological problems.
Children who suffer from depression, anxiety, or a fear of making mistakes will often take part in trainings where the level of demand far exceeds their capabilities.
Training, as has been said before, must promote self-improvement but while respecting the principle of individuality. In other words, it must be recognised that every child is a unique individual who cannot be reproduced, which is why the
manager must be able to employ a variety of different approaches. A manager
cannot teach EVERYONE as if they were ONE.
Lastly, insofar as the social aspects
are concerned, we must recognise that many children try out football to satisfy
a need to belong to a group, a desire for affirmation by their peers, or for the
competition it offers.
Nevertheless, this process must be led by the manager, who must not allow under any
circumstances for one child to be ridiculed by his peers. The manager must guarantee that all of these elements are an active part of the
group and that no one is left out in the cold.If training can have positive effects on the health
of children, then the entire process will be brimming with success.
Commandment 8 – “Don't exclude...include!”Youth sports are particularly inclusive, and football shouldn't be an exception. This means that all children should have the right to play football and placed into contexts that correspond to their abilities. We are not saying that all children have the right to play football in the most renowned clubs when their abilities do not correspond to the necessary level.
Nevertheless, they should not be denied access to practise football in other contexts more fitted to their qualities. One of the major problems in youth football in Portugal is the playing time granted to each child. Many managers, who are eager to succeed quickly, only give a chance to the best suited players who, because they get to play
more, will continue to widen the gap between themselves and the rest.
The reality in Portugal is such that some children spend the entire match on the bench,
without the possibility of participating. We believe that this kind of intolerable and atrocious cruelty should be condemned. All children ought to have the right to participate in competitive matches, playing for different lengths of time, according to their abilities.
No one should be denied the opportunity to participate in a competitive context, no matter how poorly they may perform. It is logical that you can only learn to do something by actually doing it. Thus, football can only be learned by actually playing it.
Commandment 9– “Parents play too”In many situations, the parents of players exhibit behaviour that disrupts the athletic development of their children. Some parents who would have wished to become highly competitive footballers, but whose dream was cut short try to live out that dream through the lives of their children.
They seem to see their children's lives as an extension of their own. This behaviour is truly damaging for their children, who feel pressured to perform. However, our athletes have parents, and naturally, we must learn to cooperate with them to achieve a common goal: the success of the players.
Therefore, it is the manager's sponsor ability to seek out connections with the parents, helping them to stay positive with regard to their children's athletic experience.
One strategy that may help bring managers and parents closer together is to hold a meeting at the beginning of the season. At this meeting, the managers must define their own objectives as well as their expectations of the parents. The parents must be informed of the behaviors and procedures that the manager believes could contribute to the success of their children.
Managers should be consistent intercommunication with the parents. In other words, there must be a certain element of coherence in their dialogue. There is nothing worse than promising something that you cannot fulfill. In that regard, the manager must explain that to the parents what they can reasonably expect from the development of their children.
Next, it is also important to guarantee relative independence to all parents. For a number of reasons, managers establish close relationships with certain parents that could be "interpreted" by the rest of the parents as a form of favoritism of certain children. Thus, managers must seek to establish equal relationships with everyone.
Commandment 10 “Managers: Part theoretical, part practical”The discussion on the validity of theory over practice and vice-versa is long-standing, and it has often been approached as a somewhat dogmatic issue. Managers who have practical experience as athletes claim to have first-hand knowledge of the challenges faced out on the pitch. Managers with an academic background maintain that their scientific study of football at the University level affords them a broader perspective on the phenomenon of training.
We believe that both positions are too extreme, because practice has shown us that both of the kinds of managers we just described can yield high results. Thus, not even having personal experience as an athlete endows a manager with all of the knowledge he will need to effectively manage a team, since there is quite a difference between playing on a team and managing one. Moreover, the scientific study of football per se is worthless if it is not supported by practical results.
This is what gives rise to well-known "practical" and "theoretical" sayings like "Those who can do; those who can't teach" or "There is nothing more practical than a good theory". Hence, we can better understand what Paulo Coelho was referring to when he said that theory is like a sword—if you do not use it you lose it. This what Pinheiro (2011) is talking about when he states that to be a good manager, it isn't enough to have been a brilliant football player or a top student at the university alone. Ultimately, managers must combine theory and practice to increase the quality of their training.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES Pinheiro, V. (2011). Os 10 mandamentos (+1) no treino de futebol com jovens [The 10 Commandments (+1) of Youth Football Training]. Colóquio de futebol jovem organizado pelo Grupo Desportivo Águias de Camarate. Sacavém.
