OUR APPROACH TO MENTORSHIP

Methodological And Pedagogical Exchange With The Player. Optimization Of The Decision-Making In Youth Football

Unpredictability constitutes the defining characteristic of the sport.

Our goal is to create a predominantly implicit, rather than explicit, process.

Our methodology is about:

  • The optimization of the Decision-Making System
  • Overcome the traditional paradigm Perception – Analysis – Decision + Execution
  • Allow for concepts such as Cognition, Emergence, Emotion, etc.
  • Handle the Implicit Variability inherent to our sport through Implicit Learning
  • Optimization of the Players’ Instinct, in order to improve Players’ Reactions in close proximity of the ball
  • This Perception-Action Cycle will promote an intrinsic interaction through Self-Organization

Contextualized and Constrained Intervention:

  • Structural modification of Tasks over the use of Verbal and Gestural Corrections and Instructions.
  • Reflection Guidelines that will help players think about their motor execution.
  • Create a predominantly Implicit, rather than Explicit, process based on task variations.
  • Implicit Learning guarantees greater retention, stress management and adaptation to change.
  • Instructions and Orders promote the connection between Intention and Action, rather than between Perception and Action.
  • A coach’s instructions may conflict with the individual possibilities of players and their Internal Logic.

At this point, we must ask: are we constraining the players to facilitate the emergence from themselves of naturalized behaviors adapted to the proposed situation? Or are we limiting these actions so that only those we deem valid based on our game model come to pass?

We must break away from linear paradigms to interpret training and the practice sessions of our young players in a different way, thus facilitating the creation, or better yet, the emergence of efficient, self-sufficient players. In short, we must work towards the emergence of autonomous players.

FOOTBALL PHILOSOPHY

Theory Systemic-Complex and Football

  • The phases and subphases can be recognized, but not separated, since they are parts of the
    same process.
  • The player is seen and considered as a functional unity (look to optimize all the aspects, not
    only focus on some).
  • Prioritize the qualitative aspects.
  • The players interact for the correct functioning of the model.
  • The context determines the value of the footballer.
  • Complementarity is determined by affinity.
  • The logic needs to challenge itself to amplify the reality.
  • The players and their possibility of interaction produce the model
Mental Load And Fatigue In Football:

Current Knowledge And Practical Applications

It seems fundamental for practitioner and coaches, to be able to recognize, quantify and control the magnitude of mental load of the training tasks that apply, and how this can affect the mental fatigue of the athletes, taking into account that fatigue represents a limiting factor in the level of technical-tactical, physical and, of course, psychological performance.

It has been proven that having greater mental fatigue directly affects decision-making during the game, worsening the effectiveness and quality, there being a higher rate of technical errors, and a generalized decrease in physical performance.

The five factors or subtypes of load that must be taken into account due to their effect on the mental or psychological load in football are: cognitive load, emotional load, affective-social load, motivational load and physical load.

‘Studies of sport which are not studies of society are studies out of context’   – Norbert Elias, sociologist

OUR FOUNDER - LUCA BRAICO

Highly motivated coach with experience gained through coaching and constantly studying and researching. Attended seminars with the best minds across multiple cultures. Shows adaptability and work ethic in every endeavour.

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OUR PROGRAMS & CAMPS

A WORD FROM

JOHAN CRUYFF

Football is a game you play with your brain. You have to be in the right place at the right moment, not too early, not too late. These are the foundations, and everything else is a matter of positioning and support. Good positional play means you don’t have to run so far, and aside from the quality of the players, it’s mostly a question of distances, then everything falls into place. It also needs to be very disciplined.

Small-sided games, whether it’s four against four, or seven against seven, will expose young children to play in an ideal environment where we’ll witness from an early stage, the emergence and the development of talent.

They will be exposed to the demands of a realistic game without even realizing it.

In this situation a player will automatically learn to keep an eye on her/his opponent and to cover for her/his teammate. Without telling them to do so, they are already learning positional play. This also applies to the goalkeeper, whose job is not only to stop the ball, but to also cover and contribute to play with her/his feet.

Simply put, it forces them to play in small spaces, one-on-one, and use simple techniques.

I’m mostly trying to explain how important it is that new talent should work on the ground rules from a young age. The sooner they master those, the more they learn later on, and, to be honest, there isn’t much point moving on if you haven’t sorted out the foundations.

Johan Cruyff – ‘My Turn’

OUR HAPPY PARENTS & PLAYERS

I have known Luca for about 4 years now while coaching my son. As a parent, what I want the most when I sign up my kid for soccer is for my kid to develop and to be happy. With Luca, you get both.

Luca has coached many players through many levels of development and can help guide parents through the maze of opportunities to find the right fit for the player's goals and aspirations. His ability to bring the competitive soccer world in the context of real life makes him stand apart from a parent's point of view. In addition, Luca has great communication skills and keeps the parents and players up to date on players’ progress.

Coach Luca is always positive, reinforcing and motivating players. He is dedicated to the game and the players he coaches. His calm helps players develop in a positive and safe environment while enhancing the players’ self-esteem. His caring character has served as an excellent role model to all of the young players on the team.

My son has developed great skills and vision of the game since playing for him and most importantly, he loves playing on his team! My son now plays at the highest level of soccer for his age group and I have to thank Luca greatly for this achievement.

 Gervais Morton PARENT

I have known Coach Luca since 2017. He has coach my academy team for the past 3 years. He is one of my favourite coaches of all time I have to admit. I learned many of my technical skills from his practices and applied them in my games. Coach Luca would always point out my mistakes and give me feedback, which was one of the many reasons why I admire and respect him.

I now play at the highest level of soccer in my region, and I am proud to say that Coach Luca has been part of my soccer career. He is dedicated and very passionate in teaching players how to make decision on the pitch for themselves. He also has an amazing talent when it comes to working with young players. He is just a fantastic coach and someone I can also call a friend.

 Alex Ocana PLAYER

As a High school Sport Coordinator, I have been working hard to establish a soccer program at school. This was a difficult task until 2 years ago, when Coach Luca joined our program as Head Coach.

Coach Luca is an extremely knowledgeable coach with a lot of talent. He stresses the importance of developing individual skills while still focusing on the importance of playing as a team. He teaches the players not only how to become independent on the field, capable of making decisions for themselves but also how to learn from their mistakes and celebrate their successes. Players truly enjoy his practice sessions and soccer camps where they can develop their skills in a positive and structured environment.

I would highly recommend to anyone who is serious about developing their skills as a competitive soccer player to attend his well-organized soccer camps or his coaching sessions.

 Raul O Villegas High School Sport Coordinator