Articles
Counterattacking: The result of indivisible football
One of the most important concepts of positional play is the idea that football is composed of fluid, continuous actions which cannot be separated.
Intentionality in Sport: LA Galaxy case study
If you are constantly questioning the intentions of your actions and words, you begin to have a greater understanding of yourself and why you do things. So why don’t we talk about intentional actions in coaching more often?
Lillo on Intentionality
Juan Manuel Lillo points out the rules clearly stipulate the objective of the game and all tactics must be based around said objectives.
Sergio Ramos: The Duck or The Rabbit?
Have you ever seen that optical illusion what looks like a rabbit to some and a duck to others? Sergio Ramos causes a similar reaction in people.
El Clasico: Tactical Teachings
"If you're a fan of football, you enjoyed the match." - Zinedine Zidane
Child Psychology 101 for Every Youth Coach
I know what you might be thinking, ‘I’m just a football coach. I don’t have the time or energy to study psychology in my free time.” Well, this article is for you.
Andres Iniesta's Farewell
Has there ever been a football player more loved by everyone than Andres Iniesta?
The Language of Football
The footballer is immersed in a chaotic situation full of visual and auditory cues which he or she must decipher and begin to recognize patterns to gradually become fluent in the language of football.
The Edge of Chaos
At this point, I had to stop Mark and jot down this insightful quote. “We train at the edge of chaos.” Poetic, simple, and wise.
Living a Coach's Dream: Interview with Antonio Barea
I sit down with Antonio Barea, professional analyst, youth club sporting director, educator, and much more. We discuss modern football, our role as coaches, and gives us his advice on how to make a living off football.
Messi: The Master of Space
Football boils down to one concept: space. Create the space, occupy the space, and exploit the space. The question is how do we achieve that?
Play the Game, Not the Rules
As coaches, we have the creative responsibility to foresee the circumstances a player will face in upcoming matches, and construct exercises which will deliver high quantities of the desired match situations.
Positional Play: Crash Course Part 4 of 4 - Generating Superiorities
These numerical, positional, and qualitative advantages are the fruit of positional play, and ultimately will be expressed collectively in matches...
Positional Play: Crash Course Part 3 of 4 – Players' Relationships
These interactions are what we must improve as coaches through the use of a holistic, all-encompassing approach which takes into account the complete structural make-up of the athlete...
Positional Play: Crash Course Part 2 of 4 - Organized Structure
Nowadays, many coaches presume that by utilizing a certain formation and fixing players to a certain position, they will have the same results as they see elsewhere. Lillo’s statement indicates otherwise...
Positional Play: Crash Course Part 1 of 4
Within the subtleties of positional play, we can divide this style into three objectives which need to be met in order to achieve success. In each of the upcoming parts of this positional play series, one of the objectives will be discussed comprehensively...
A Transitioning State of Mind
Many coaches may argue that transitions are a series of movements or tactics, however, I argue that it is something much more than that...
Quique Setién: Football's Chessmaster
Throughout the years there have been some wonderful comparisons made between football’s tactics and chess’s strategic intricacies, but in my opinion, no one defines it better than Las Palmas’ manager, Quique Setién…
Learning to learn: How football can teach us
Our failure to approach coaching sports as an educational activity leads young players to not take full advantage of the game. We have the opportunity to teach our players, not only about football but how to learn...
Positional Play in Motion
Personally, I feel positional play is the most attractive style of football which achieves winning results. The following characteristics are examples of crucial concepts in positional play...