Choosing a Training Methodology, an individual path...

I have chosen a direction a few years ago but my pathway is being improved/adapted everyday because the entire time new situations come into our lives, new things put us to question ourselves… the ones who think they know it all are the ones who are badly mistaken.

As you already may come to understand I am a defender of a methodology based in the tactical shape of the team, the relations between players, in a collective understanding of the game. These are the bases for my work; I try to follow this bases as my guideline.

Nevertheless, I must admit I am not obsessed about the methodological principles of Periodização Tactica, in some aspects I consider it as a great philosophy of training but I admit that diferent conceptions and other principles may, equally, turn training into a success story.

I guess I have adapted my training methodology into something that does not follow 100% the ideas from Vitor Frade and some PT methodological fans… For some of them diverging is getting myself into a different method/ different believes but, for me, its my professional and personal growing taking me into decision making based in my own perception of reality, not on other coaches achievements, but in my own path and in my own coaching ideas, philosophy, style, strengths and weaknesses! A little bit like I want my players to do…

I am not Mourinho, for example, so why should I try to be just like him? For sure trying to be someone else is a path that will take me to failure. Learn with him and analyse cause for his success, SURE I WILL!! But after ,it is important to have the necessary baggage (knowledge) to understand what can I use for myself and what I cannot. One thing I am sure about, a copy is never as good as an original.

This text I am writing it especially for youth coaches… your players (at least 99% of them) are not professional players, their life is not all about football, and they have their own motor and growing problems… impossible to compare with professional athletes…

It is based on this that I was “forced” to understand that in fact there is a I on TEAM. A team of football must have a collective understanding of game, nobody doubts that, but to achieve that the players must feel good about themselves physically, socially and not only tactically…

Collective tasks are fundamental to achieve success, but also, individual performance makes all the difference. There are, in my opinion, some aspects of youth development that are more difficult to improve when you focus work only on tactical aspects of the game. There are physical, technical and psychological capacities that are easier and more effective to be worked when they come in a decontextualized environment, sometimes separation can be an "extra-help" element into getting what we need.

“Reduce without impoverishing” is a key base for the methodology… correct, in my opinion! But maybe there is that one time when something worked away from tactical environment that you want for your team will bring you what you need from the player in a faster and more complete way.

I will give you one example, a great way to get to know the character for you players; Create a team put them inside the field don’t give them positions just let them play an anarchic game (totally against PT) you will see the “leaders” trying to organize the team, you will get the know the “trouble makers”, you will see what players are respected by other players and the opposite, who are the “orders takers" and the “receivers”… so much you can look into… I do it some times during the season to rediscover the “rankings” inside the team…

With this small text I just want to get to a simple point, DON´T TAKE FOR GREAT ALL THAT YOU READ/SEE OTHERS DOING THERE IS A PROCESS OF CHOOSING AND SELECTING WHAT FITS FOR US.

YOU CAN FOLLOW A METHODOLOGY BUT MOST IMPORTANT IS TO FOLLOW YOUR BELIEFS AND RESPECT YOUR OWN IDEAS. BECAUSE AT TH END OF THE DAY, WHATS GOOD FOR ME MAY NOT BE THE BEST FOR YOU…