What an incredible trip - I had been looking forward to it for months and it didn't disappoint. I think one of the best aspects of the trip was the flexibility and spontaneity of our day-to-day itineraries. Our schedule was constantly evolving thanks to the connections we made, and thanks to Borja. On multiple occasions one of our presenters would invite us to watch his next session, whether it was that same day or later in the week. It was great to see coaches who had presented to us strap on their boots and transform their words into actions. In that same vein, it was incredibly valuable to be able to spend time at multiple clubs with different philosophies, methods, and resources. Similarly, it was interesting to see how the training varied among different age groups - we saw everything from U8s to 1st Team sessions. It all helped me to compare and contrast styles and methods and gave me more clarity on my own coaching style and my own beliefs about the game and how it should be taught and played. We saw how different clubs have differing development models. Position-specific vs. Complete-player ? Possession games vs. Phases of play ? Unopposed repetition of technique vs. Teaching in the game ? Just at the 4 clubs we visited we were exposed to both sides of all these questions, plus plenty more. I do not think there is a 'right way' of doing things - just like how I dislike when people describe a team as one that plays the 'right way'. [What is 'good' football?] There are different ways, all of which are valid. The real question is how well you really know your way and how well you can you communicate it to your players and get them to share your vision of the game - that seems to me to be the decisive factor (along with talent). I do think that, as a coach (or director), you need to first have 100% clarity in your own mind about how the game should be taught and played. That sounds a lot simpler than it really is, you need to work at it. Soccer is a complex game until you really, truly understand it. Once it seems simple to you, you need to make it simple for your players - again not as easy as it might sound. You must be consistent and dedicated to your ideas - take the time to figure out 'your way' and then stick to it. A final highlight of the trip (in addition to the food) was the group of coaches. There was such a diverse representation of the North American soccer community - everyone from college coaches to parent coaches to club directors to educators and everything in the middle. The discussions and debates were superb and everyone who presented to us got hit with a barrage of great questions. There was so much discussion on the sideline during every session we watched together and everyone was truly passionate about the game and improving their understanding of it. I really enjoyed getting to know the rest of the group and hope to stay in touch with everyone. A few final observations about the soccer and the coaching in Spain: > The best sessions contained 5 or 6 sharp exercises done at maximum intensity, and transitioned almost seamlessly. > Most sessions were closer to 75 mins than 90 mins. > They head the ball - the coaches looked utterly bemused when we told them about the U.S. heading rules for youth players. > The players understand the game, they grow up with it and watch it. You could see this even in the youngest players, in their spacing, composure, and defending. Players in the U.S., in general, are starting out with a lower soccer IQ, making the coaches' job harder. > They don't wear shinguards at training. > There wasn't much coaching! I can hardly think of a time where a coach froze the action and painted a picture of exactly what he wanted to see or how he wanted something done. They introduced the exercise, pushed the tempo, and timed it. > The coaches did not demo. > Even Spanish coaches can struggle! > The players have to enjoy it, no matter what level Thanks for reading my blog - find me on Twitter and LinkedIn using the icons below. - Jeremy
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This was the last real day of the stay. Most of the coaches fly out tomorrow morning. I am staying for 2 extra nights at a hostel in downtown Madrid. I want to take in some of the city, possibly even stay away from football a little bit, but I doubt that will be happening. It's supposed to keep raining so I might have to find an alternative to just walking the city. This morning our guide, Borja, gave us a presentation on the methodology at the Athletic Bilbao academy. Borja used to coach in the academy and also spent some years playing in their academy. Bilbao is in the Basque region of Spain and the club is unique in that the academy and the 1st Team only take players and coaches from within the region. In the modern game, you would think that this would prove to be a huge disadvantage given that big clubs search globally for the very best talent. Bilbao limit themselves to one corner of Spain, yet they have always remained a 1st Division club. In addition to having never been relegated, they have by far the most academy products in their 1st Team every season. In the 2012/13 season, they had 19 (!) players from their academy playing for the 1st team. Numbers like that are unheard of. So how can a club with such a small pool to pick from, compete with these other teams that are playing by different rules? 1) - Have a proven player development model. The development model was nothing too different from what we had heard about at other clubs. Identify players, progressively work to develop them in a structured way, all with the end goal of getting them to the 1st Team. However, there were a few different elements about the Bilbao model. Borja emphasized that the goal of the coaches is to develop players, not teams. It matters little whether an academy team is winning or losing as long as the individuals within it are progressing. The center of everything at Bilbao is the player. Another distinguishing factor was that Bilbao does not train players to be position-specific. In training they want to 'expose' players to make them uncomfortable and force them to solve problems. They try to create the 'complete player' who can understand the game and perform in any position. They strive to create self-motivated players who will take ownership of their own development and who will 'last'. 2) - Cultivate a culture of community, togetherness, and pride. In my opinion, Bilbao distinguished itself from the other clubs we had learned about through the importance that they give to the human element. Throughout the presentation, we heard how much the club cares about the players - on and off the pitch. Borja emphasized that the players are not machines, they are not disposable, and to cultivate the best player, you must care for the person. Bilbao focuses on knowing each individual and cultivating relationships with the players' families. The club knows about the players' family life and social life, support is provided when needed, and coaches can better understand their players as a result. The club provides a variety of activities to bring all the players in the academy together, as well as connecting them with the 1st Team players. It sounds like the club has a true community feel. I can imagine that the environment within Athletic Bilbao is very different from rival clubs that buy players from all over the world. Bilbao is a member-owned club and is the pride of the Basque region, the fans are fully invested in the players and vice versa. Many of the players are known personally by the fans, they might have gone to school together, or be their neighbor etc.. The players represent the club with such pride because 100% of them have an authentic lifelong connection to the club and region. It's much more than just kissing the badge, it is truly in their blood. It's probably as close as you can get to representing your national team week-in, week-out. That extra pride surely counts for a lot and is definitely a competitive advantage and key piece of Bilbao's continued success. In the afternoon, we attended Real Madrid vs. Valencia at the Bernabeu. Before the match we stopped back in at our favorite tapas bar, La Vicenta. They treated us to so much great food and drink, some of us were close to a food coma by game time. This was our 3rd visit to the Bernabeu, but I was still excited to see such an important La Liga match between two great teams. Real Madrid won 3-2 with a brace from Ronaldo and a wonder-goal from Valencia. Atletico surprisingly lost to bottom team Levante, so the Spanish title race is now between Real and Barca and will go down to the last game of the season. If Barcelona win they will be champions, but Real Madrid are still in with a shot.
After visiting various academies through the week to see training sessions, it was finally the weekend - that means game-time! We bussed to Atletico de Madrid's training facility in Majadahonda where a number of academy matches were scheduled for the day. Upon arrival we saw a selection of Ferraris, Audis, and other flashy cars in the parking lot. Sure enough, the first team was there for training. There was some major excitement within the group at the possibility of being able to see Simeone work with his big-name players (I am a huge Simeone fan). We were granted access to the academy turf fields but, unfortunately, could not watch the First Team training session. Tantalizingly, we could catch glimpses of the session over the fence, but not enough to actually be able to watch. I tried to spot Simeone but he didn't seem to be standing there among the large group of coaches stood to the side of the half-field game that the players were engaged in. Then I saw him, of course he wasn't on the side with the other coaches, he was in the thick of it, charging around with the back four, waving his arms and gesticulating like mad, organizing his team and driving the tempo of his session. Class! He ended the session with an incredibly animated speech - it must've been loud as we could hear him from where we were stood. As the players finished the session and walked back to the locker room, a few of our group got photos with the likes of Griezmann and Torres. Atletico de Madrid U15 Anyway, back to the real reason we were there - to catch some Academy football. The Atleti U15s were on one pitch while the U13s played on the other. One interesting thing that we have seen here is that even at the Academy level, they only use a center ref without linesmen. I'm not sure whether this is simply to save money or it is because they feel that calling offsides is not that important, but it caught us by surprise. I spent most of my time watching the U15s, who were brilliant. They played with aggression and verve. They pressed hard when they could. Despite playing at such a high tempo, they never rushed or hurried, every Atleti player was fully composed on the ball. Don't confuse 'composure' with the need to play plenty of lateral and backwards passes with no end product in mind; Atleti were always probing and always bold with the ball. They combined, they ran, they rotated positions. It was great to watch and I kept thinking to myself how much I loved the style and how I would like to coach a team to play in that fashion. Of course, this team also had some superb players. Here are a few notes I scribbled down while I was watching: - Players all understand each others' roles. When rotating positions the team does not lose any fluency in its movements. - Players are fully aware of each other, always checking each others' movements. - Players will 'bite' into a tackle whenever possible. No fake pressure, get tight and try to win the ball. - Composed but direct. - 'Unselfish runs'. So many runs were ignored. The players fully understood that many runs are useful just to move the opposition. The highlight of the game was watching some of the tactics and complementary movements that the U15s used. They were set up in a 1-4-4-2, with a flat 4 in midfield - just like the First Team. The formation was very organized defensively, when they had the ball there was a lot more flexibility to their positioning. The fact that they had the lion's share of possession against a relatively weak opposition helped give them more freedom in their movement. The most notable thing was that when either CB had the ball, the FB on his side would move inside, into a CM position, while the Winger would hold the width and come back along the sideline to receive to feet. This was fascinating and so effective. It opened a huge passing lane and allowed Atleti to play directly from the CB into the winger's feet almost every time, completely bypassing the first, and sometimes the second, line of pressure from the opposition. So simple yet it totally bamboozled the opponent's fullbacks and wide players and opened up a lot of great options to play forward. We only stayed for the first-half, but Atletico dominated and were up 2-0 after 15 minutes. It would have been very interesting to see how the opposition coach adjusted for the second-half.
After the games we had a free afternoon that I spent playing some 3 v 3 on the court here at Ciudad del Futbol and doing a bit of outlet shopping just up the street in Heron City. Ooof! What a massive day. Thanks to my trusty notebook, I think I have most of the important details recorded. Here goes... We started out by going back to Ciudad Real Madrid to see Real Madrid Castilla train. Castilla is Madrid's 2nd team, they are currently in 2nd place in the Segunda 'B', the 3rd tier of Spanish football, players on the team include Martin Odegaard and Enzo Zidane. The First Team was training at the same time but access to their training is nearly impossible; we could hear them in the distance but, frustratingly, not see them! The Castilla session was sharp and fast - it was easy to see the quality and talent of the players. The session was short, with the main exercise being a 3 team possession game. They ended with rehearsals of some set-pieces. We saw Enzo Zidane hit some poor free kicks at the end - not at his father's level yet! Real Madrid Castilla Dynamic Warmup in center circle (~10 mins) (VIDEO) When coach calls a number, players must quickly assemble in groups of the number, otherwise there is a small consequence. Great for building energy within the group. We have seen this used in multiple sessions here in Spain. 2 Rondos 8 v 2 (8 x 8yd grids) (~10 mins) (VIDEO) If the players get 15 consecutive passes in their grid then the 2 sets of defenders had to switch grids and stay in the middle for another round when they got to the other group. Reaction Time / Agility / Speed (~2 mins) The players were in 2 lines, facing a series of agility poles of different colors. The coach would call 2 colors and the players had to race to run around the poles of those colors. Each player went twice. Possession 8 v 8 (20 x 20yd grid) (3 mins x 3 rounds) Round 1 (VIDEO): 4 players from each team inside, 4 players from each team outside (as shown). Keep possession, when you play to an outside player you must switch with them. The outside player must combine on his way into the grid (with any teammate). Outside players cannot play to each other. Round 2: Same game. Now, 4 successful passes to the outside players is a point. Keep score. Round 3 (VIDEO): Mini goals were introduced in each corner. After a team had successfully combined with an outside player, as in the previous rounds, they were free to score in any of the 4 mini goals. Keep score. Outside players cannot simply turn unopposed and score, they must set up a teammate who is within the grid. The session ended with some corners and free kicks - the team plays tomorrow vs. Talavera de la Reina. Santiago Bernabéu Tour We drove to downtown Madrid where we did the Santiago Bernabeu stadium tour. It was interesting to get to know some more about the history of Real Madrid. The museum included photos, videos, and memorabilia from throughout the club's history (1902 - present). There was also biographical information on some of the most important figures for the club, such as Santiago Bernabeu who was the president for 35 years, and Alfredo di Stefano, who won 5 European Cups as a player for Los Blancos. The highlight was the trophies - the trophy display included the 10 European Cups/Champions Leagues and also the individual accolades that Real Madrid players had won including Ballon d'Ors, Golden Boots, and more. Everything was displayed and presented in the glittering, dramatic fashion that you would expect from Real Madrid. The stadium tour also included a visit to the locker rooms and to the benches and technical areas pitchside. Walking out of the tunnel and looking out at the pitch and up at 82,000 seats sent a shiver down my spine - the prestige and the pressure at once! After the tour we had lunch at Cafe Real which is built into the stadium and includes massive windows that look out over the beautiful pitch. Getafe Academy Next up was a visit to the Getafe Academy to see the U16 team train. In contrast to Real Madrid, the facilities at Getafe were predictably much more humble. Coaches had a half-field or less to work in, most coaches had 1 or maybe 0 assistants, and their practice time started as soon as the team before them cleared the field - giving limited time for set-up. In addition to this, the U16s had 20 players (including 3 guests from NY club BW Gottschee). For these reasons, I was excited to see how professional coaches in a Spanish Academy setting would tackle these issues given that it is what many club coaches in the U.S. (myself included) face every time we coach and is much more 'real' than the setup at 'Real'. The session moved from a passing pattern into a 4 corner possession game (10 v 10 - switch the play by connecting with teammates standing in coned-off areas in the corners of the playing area). The tempo was slow and the execution was sloppy. The players clearly were talented but they were not fully engaged or challenged. There was a big pause between exercises when the coach would go set up cones for the next activity (an issue that many of us have to creatively work around). The coach had a very limited role in the session; he explained the next exercise and then stood back and let the players play - sometimes on the sidelines he was managing equipment. In my opinion, it was a poor practice - you could see from the energy and body language of the players, and I'm not sure how much they got out of it. Even if the activities a coach plans don't come off, or the players can't execute what you had in mind, pride and professionalism should always be present in the way you work/train. The session we watched was not an anomaly, the surrounding practices seemed to be largely struggling to engage players in the way that I think a practice should - there was a club culture issue. Despite being disappointed by the contents of the session, it really was interesting to see the contrast between the clubs that we have visited and how the culture and standards present at the training grounds seem to directly correlate with their level of success on the field. When speaking to another coach on the trip about what seemed to be another 'general' session with 3 or 4 unrelated possession-based exercises, he noted that, from what we had seen so far, the youth coaching in Spain seemed to be more geared towards identifying talent and putting it together to play on top teams rather than truly developing players. Is that true? I don't know. If so, is it wrong? I don't know - clearly it has been working for Spain and Spanish clubs. Atletico de Madrid Academy Paying no mind to the impending monsoon, we returned to the Atletico training facility for the evening. We were there to see the women's team train, but there were a number of Academy teams on the fields when we arrived and I picked up a few nice ideas. Atletico teams train with intensity and they use activities that are similar in style to how I coach my teams. The contrast to what we had seen at Getafe was strong. Having spent the morning at Real Madrid, group jokester, Kuo, was still wearing his Real gear, and made quite a scene as he entered the Atletico training center with a bright pink Real Madrid jacket on. He turned it inside out but the damage had already been done! Atletico de Madrid U15 Find the target, run off, finish (45 x 44 yds) (~12 mins) GK plays with his 2 blue defenders, who are pressed by 2 reds (in image below). Blues need to keep the ball until they can find their Target ('T') who is marked by a defender. They should preferably find him with a split pass rather than down the line. Once they have made the entry pass the 2 blues quickly support for the lay-off from the Target and then the finish, the pressing reds do not track back to defend. The blue T will step off to the sideline, the 2 blues who just attacked will now press as 2 new reds get the ball from their keeper and try to find their target 'T' who has now stepped on to the pitch along with a blue defender who will mark him. Questions? Ok good. Atletico de Madrid U12 Crossing and Finishing Phase 1: Player 1 plays to 2 who has checked back and gotten half-turned. 2 turns and then plays through-ball inside mannequin for 1's run. 1 crosses for the two strikers to finish. Phase 2: The two strikers sprint back to their original positions and receive passes to feet (yellow arrows) from CMs. Touch and hit. Phase 3: Same pattern but on other side of field. Wide players rotate roles within their area and central players rotate roles within their area (shaded box in diagram). An unexpected surprise gave us what I thought was the best session of the trip so far. CF Rayo Majadahonda, a Segunda 'B' team (same league as Real Madrid Castilla) happened to be training at the Atletico facility. The session was so crisp, wasted no time, and flew from one activity to the next with zero transition time. They covered so much in such a short period of time. Obviously, the professional players' talent helped make the session tick, but I really appreciated the design and execution of the practice from a coaching standpoint. Here is one short, fun activity they did immediately after their dynamic warm-up. CF Rayo Majadahonda (1st Team) Reaction time, dribbling, passing, defending (~4 minutes) Player B has the ball, Player A is standing 2yds behind without the ball. Player A sprints to either of the two yellow cones. As soon as Player B sees which way A is running, B dribbles to the opposite cone, turns the corner and tries to score in a mini goal. A, who has had a headstart, tries to get around his cone and continue his sprint to arrive in time to block B's shot. There was plenty of sliding and some great blocks. The players really enjoyed this. The day was absolutely jam-packed and my head is swimming with soccer ideas (as usual). Tomorrow is a bit of a lighter day, Atletico de Madrid Academy games in the morning and then some free time in the afternoon. Maybe the blog post can be a bit shorter tomorrow! Having been at the Santiago Bernabeu yesterday to see Real Madrid book their ticket to the Champions League final, we spent a full day learning about the Academy behind Europe's most successful club. The first thing that I need to emphasize is how ridiculously extravagant their facility 'Ciudad Real Madrid' is. I'll do my best with photos but they won't do it justice. The Ciudad Real Madrid is located on the outskirts of Madrid in Valdebebas and is a fitting complex for 'Los Galacticos'. Our guide, Borja, said that undoubtedly the Real Madrid complex is the nicest in the world, only rivaled by Manchester City's. The Ciudad was built 11 years ago and is the home for all the teams, from U6 to the First Team. If you look at the photos below, you will notice the tiered structure of the building. It is symbolic and psychological. Everything moves up towards the First Team, the youngest Academy players are nearest the entrance at the very bottom of the slope and as they move through the Academy they move up the hill and closer to the First Team. The First Team training pitch and facilities are at the very top of the complex, they include the '7 star' residence for the players. Obviously, the players have their own homes with their families, but on the day before a game, and whenever else they want to, they stay at the residence. We did not see the residence, but it has everything and more and would probably put MTV Cribs to shame. We walked through the Academy building which included locker rooms, gyms, meeting rooms, technology/video analysis rooms, a turfed warmup room, laundry and equipment desks and much more. There is a residence for the Academy players who are not from the Madrid region, it houses approximately 65 young players who travel to a private school in Madrid for classes early in the day before returning to the 'Ciudad' in the afternoon to train. Here are some quick facts we learned about the complex: - 12 pitches (6 turf, 6 grass) - All pitches are the exact dimensions of the pitch at Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Some have below-pitch heating. - Each pitch has 11 surrounding trees (symbolizing 11 players) - All flowers in the complex are Real Madrid colors - Currently, they have only used 35% of the space that the club owns - leaving ENORMOUS potential for expansion. You can see all the extra land in the 3rd photo above. Jaime Torcal, a U8 Academy coach, gave us a tour of the complex before we sat down to listen to a presentation about the Real Madrid Academy philosophy. The presentation was excellent and included fascinating insight from long-standing U17 coach Tristan Celador who has coached the likes of Juan Mata, Jese, Alvaro Morata, and more. They talked about the club identity and the desire to dominate the game. They emphasized that they are developing players with the Real Madrid style (rather than system) of play in mind - the style is not determined by the current coaches, but more by the tradition/culture/past of the club and the way that Real Madrid teams have played through history. The expectations for players and coaches was also addressed. Sacrifice, tolerance, respect, exemplary behavior, professional image etc. Within the Academy, there are 3 phases of selecting and developing players: 1) Scouting (detection, monitoring, and admission) Players are evaluated on decision making, temperament, and their relationship with the ball. They need to be strong in all areas and exceptional in 1. Up until the age of 14, Madrid can only bring in players from the Madrid region. After that age they can search throughout all of Spain, and eventually internationally using their huge network of scouts. 2) Development Probably the most interesting part of the presentation was when we got down to the old question of the importance of winning vs. development. Real Madrid Academy teams compete from the youngest age, keeping stats and league standings. The kids are playing between 50 - 90 games per season (Sept - May). There is a strong philosophy of winning but it does not affect the learning process. The way the teams are playing is the most important thing for the coaches, but the teams need to be performing well and also winning. All players play, but playing time is not equal, and substitution rules say no re-entry. A coach in our group posed a question about a growing belief among U.S. coaches that training is more important than competition. Jaime responded with "We must compete to know how we train." The game is the reference point for everything, and a team with fantastic players that does not learn how to compete will not be a good team. Brilliant! Their training sessions are designed with clear simple objectives and tasks in mind, never go longer than 90 minutes, and always end with a game. Jaime emphasized maintaining the tempo of training and not punctuating activities with unnecessary stoppages. 3) Promotion The final phase of developing players at Real Madrid is deciding whether they will move up and stay with the club for the next season. They said that on average 2 or 3 players will not make the cut each year and others will be added in their place. Clearly the Academy is doing good work as there are currently 151 Real Madrid Academy products playing in either 1st or 2nd division professional leagues worldwide. After lunch we got to watch the U17s and U18s train. Again, the sessions were more general possession and finishing exercises, rather than tactical or phases of play, but I picked up a few nice activities. Here are 2 of the best: Real Madrid U17 Possession 4 V 4 + 4 (5 minute rounds - each team is neutral once) (VIDEO) 2 teams of 4, plus 4 neutrals. Players are limited to their areas except for brief instances when they are combining. The objective is for players to switch the ball from one side to the other using the 2 neutrals in the central channel. The central players were encouraged to combine with runners like in the diagram below. If the runner was tracked or blocked then the central player could turn with the ball and play to the other side. In the example below, the blue team has possession and switches the play successfully by combining with the central player. Real Madrid U18 1 v 1 Finishing (5 minute round x2) (VIDEO) 1 v 1 in the box. Players can score on either goal. Player 'A' serves the ball to his teammate using a throw-in. His teammate must use good movement to create separation from the opponent to receive or finish 1st time. As soon as the 1st ball is dead, player B passes to his teammate who can finish on either goal. If the defensive player manages to intercept or steal the ball they may score. After each player has attacked, the next 2 players will come in and do the same. In round 2, teams switched sides and the red team got to receive the 1st ball. After watching the training sessions, we watched the first half of the U19s taking on a local team in a friendly. There were plenty of defensive mix-ups, including a few from Zidane's son, who is the goalkeeper for the U19s! Tomorrow we have another incredible day planned: Real Madrid Reserves training, Bernabeu stadium tour, Getafe U16s training, and Atletico de Madrid women's team training. Wow!
The morning after another unforgettable day in Madrid. After breakfast we headed to Atletico de Madrid's main training complex. They actually have 4 complexes because of the massive number of academy teams they have (around 75), but we headed to Majadahonda where the First Team and Reserves train. The excitement of arriving and seeing the big Atleti emblem was boosted by the fact that just the night before we had all watched them earn a place in the Champions League Final. For the same reason, the First Team was not training - having only returned from Germany that morning. The fields were pristine and the whole facility was very impressive. We watched a full training session with the Reserves team. The players are generally from ages 19-22, and it is common for some of them to train with the First Team. One player from the Reserves made his debut in La Liga this season. The session was intense from start to finish and you could feel the Atletico passion and commitment in everything they did. Disappointingly, there didn't seem to be much of a theme running through the various activities, they seemed to be 4 or 5 unrelated exercises which has been the case with a number of practices we have seen. I am assuming that they will address more tactical and game-specific topics as they move closer to the weekend. I really want to see how one of these teams prepares in training for a specific opponent, so I am hoping that we'll get that on our various visits later in the week. Atletico de Madrid - Reserves Dynamic Warmup (~15 mins) Players standing on perimeter of center circle and coach instructing from the center. SAQ Training (4 different sets, each player went through each set once) (VIDEO 1) (VIDEO 2) Players in opposite lines started simultaneously on coach's whistle to make it a race. The coaches served difficult balls for the players to control and finish. Possession Exercise: 6 v 6 + 6 (3 x 5 minute round - each team takes one shift on the outside) 40 x 40 grid We have seen every team do this or a variation of it - 2 teams play 6 v 6 keep away in the grid, 1 team is positioned around the edges of the grid and can be used a neutral players. It is a general possession exercise and there didn't seem to be much specific coaching involved except for pushing the intensity. Crossing and Finishing. (1 round of 10 minutes, stopped for coaching, then another round of 6 minutes) (VIDEO) Up, back, and through pattern with 3 players. Player 'A' in diagram below gets in the box along with players '1' and '2'. As soon as ball is finished, 'A' sprints back to top of box and gets ball to feet to start the same pattern on the other side of the field. The coach emphasized clean, fast passes and runs in order to get into scoring position before the opponent has time to drop in and organize. 6 v 6 + 6 'Bread & Butter' Game (40 x 44yds) (3 x 5 minute rounds) 6 v 6 game plus GKs. Third team of 6 positioned around outside of pitch. Players on the outside had 1 touch. The game was done for time, they did not switch on goals. One player made a poor decision, trying to dribble in front of his goal which led to a loss of possession and a goal for the opponent. The coach made him take a lap of the pitch while his team had to play 5 v 6 until he retuned. After the session we met with Dani, Director of Scouting for Atletico, who gave us an overview of how the Academy functions. Similar to the model that is being implemented in the U.S., there is the 'high performance' academy (the top youth players who play for free) and then there are plenty more 'development academy' teams which follow a pay-to-play model. All Atletico Academy coaches must have a UEFA Pro License at a minimum. We heard about the 3 stages of player development: Initial Phase (U6 - U11), Development/Teaching Phase (U12 - U15), High Performance Phase (U16 - U19). Each phase has specific objectives that must be met in order for the players to move on. To end the day, we attended the small event of the Champions League semifinal - Real Madrid vs. Manchester City. We got into the city early to absorb the atmosphere and were again treated to some incredible tapas at a local bar - La Vicenta. Fully fed, we arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu to watch the match. The atmosphere was incredible with 81,000 screaming/chanting/whistling/smoking fans in one of the world's most famous cathedrals of football. Real Madrid won 1-0 to seal a place in the final where they will face city rivals Atletico de Madrid. What a time to be here in Madrid - right now the world of football is revolving around this city! The day began with breakfast followed by our traditional 4 v 4 game on the small astroturf soccer court at the facility here. The speed of play is shooting through the roof as we get used to the size and it's a great way to sweat out all the breakfast jamon. During the morning there were also sightings of Vicente del Bosque and Roberto Carlos at our hotel. I'll be pestering for a photo if we see them again tomorrow. Next, we went to watch the Spain Women's Futsal Team training in the Futsal facility here. It was great to see the sort of training they do in a space like that - I know that many coaches in U.S., myself included, are forced to train large numbers of players in very tight indoor areas during the winter. There were creative technical stations followed by a possession game and then a small-sided game that focused on rehearsing their set-pieces. There was some great goalkeeper training involving repetitions of diving technique by having to keep a balloon in the air. Spain Women's Futsal - Possession game with rotational movement (20m x 20m) 3 v 3 + 1 with targets on sides. As the team in possession connects with the target on one side, the target on the opposite side must rotate into the grid while an interior players moves out. Alvaro, the Fitness Coach for the Atletico de Madrid Women's Team and also a boys' coach in the U10 Academy, came to speak with us about his role at the club. He spoke a little bit about the culture and philosophy at Atletico - emphasizing that soccer is more than technique and tactics but is also intricately linked with human qualities such as - pride, passion, and emotion. When speaking about the Atletico de Madrid 'Game Model' he noted that the purpose of having a unifying game model is so that players, when faced with a problem, will go about solving it in the same way. As the fitness coach for the Women's Team, he is responsible for the periodization of the training program and works on the scale of the whole season, broken down into mesocycles and then broken down week by week. Because the Women's Team has limited resources, Alvaro had devised his own subjective system to monitor workload and the physical condition of the players - I thought that this kind of system would be very useful for coaches working without Heart-Rate Monitors and GPS Trackers. Basically, he would ask each player how fresh/fatigued she felt on a scale of 1-to-10 prior to each day's session. Those daily numbers were recorded and looked at carefully against the intensity of duration of each exercise in training. I haven't done it justice here, but Alvaro's documentation of each player's workload was very impressive. Finally, we asked him about how the youth player development is structured at Atletico. On the boys' side, they have over 300 teams, starting as young as U5. The players play 7 v 7 or 8 v 8 until the age of 13 which is when they transition to playing 11 v 11. The non-soccer highlight of the day came when we were taken for lunch at El Rincon del Abuelo Moi - a local horse club down a dirt road on the outskirts of Madrid. We were treated to an authentic Spanish experience - the table was continually stocked with jamon, bread, rice dishes, stew paella, beer, wine and then dessert. The food kept coming and we kept eating. In a food coma, we got back on the bus to go to Rayo Vallecano's beautiful training complex that contained approximately 6 full-size pitches, some turf and some grass. A number of teams were training, including the first team, so it was difficult to focus in on one session for fear of missing something special in another one. I mostly watched the U16s and the 1st team - which was very impressive. Rayo Vallecano First Team Warm-up: Passing Pattern - 8 minutes (VIDEO) Every player (~20) got plenty of touches and was almost always moving. I enjoyed the variety of the exercise as the players were exposed to passing, receiving, give-&-gos, moving to create 3rd line passes, opening up, dribbling, and agility. Pass and move - 5 minutes Possession: 3 circle game with GKs (VIDEO) 10 v 10 possession, teams must connect with GKs in 3 circles. They played three 4 minute rounds with 3 mins rest and moved the circles each time (putting them on opposite wings as well as centrally). The game was played at maximum intensity. 11 v 11 Game in shortened field - three 4 minute games.
After the session we returned to our hotel to watch the crazy Atletico match and then capped the evening with the traditional 4 v 4 game under the lights on the astroturf. Tomorrow we are going to see Atletico Academy teams train in the morning before going to the Santiago Bernabeu for Real Madrid vs. Manchester City - I am not guaranteeing any blog posts tomorrow! Our first full day here was packed from beginning to end and did not disappoint. A jamon-filled breakfast was followed by a nice surprise. The Spain U17 National Team was training outside at our facility so we went to watch the session. It turned out that it was the team's final session before departing for the UEFA U17 European Championships in Azerbaijan. Some of the group also went to watch the Spanish Women's National Futsal Team training. Spain U17 National Team Session (17 players 3 GKs): 10 minutes: Dynamic warm-up with the fitness coach Randomly, the coach would call a number and the players had to assemble in groups of that many as fast as possible. If your group had too many or too few then the group had to do push-ups. 10 minutes: Speed, agility, and stability (VIDEO) 3 stations, players worked at each station for approximately 3 minutes. 7 minutes: Rondo 7 v 2 (in 8' x 8' box) Players tried to get 20 consecutive passes. 7 minutes: Big Rondo in the center circle (VIDEO) 3 players in the center, players on the outside must play 1 touch, players in the middle must clear the ball outside the circle if they win the ball. The player who gives the ball away plus the player to his Left and his Right go in the middle as the 3 new defenders. ~15 minutes: Pattern play with crossing & finishing (VIDEO) They played 4 different patterns, each including a big diagonal ball and then a cross from either the fullback or the winger. One small detail that we all enjoyed was the extra balls placed on the endline (see picture). That way, if the long-ball was wayward, or the player missed his touch (see video), there was still a ball to cross and finish immediately without messing up the timing of the runs. ~20 minutes: Conditioned game (10 v 10) (VIDEO) 2/3 field with halfway line marked by cones. Red GK starts with ball. Red team has 6 players in defensive half (GK, back 4, & holding mid). Blue team has 4 pressing players. Must build out, once reds have crossed the halfway line, 2 players from their defensive half can join the attack to make it a 6 v 6 to goal. Fullbacks were encouraged to join the attack, occasionally the holding mid. The exercise works the same in both directions. ~20 minutes: Game in 2/3 of field (9 v 9) with set-pieces mixed in (VIDEO) Everything in the session was short and sharp and moved quickly from one activity to the next. After the Spain session we hopped on the bus to Madrid where we walked around and saw some of the sights including: Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, and Palacio Real de Madrid. The weather was perfect and Madrid is a beautiful city. We grabbed some lunch (a chorizo bocadillo and brava) and then took the bus to Getafe to see the first team train. The session was pretty relaxed, Getafe won an important match 2-0 the day before so the subs did a recovery session with some Rondos, passing patterns and some unopposed crossing and finishing. The team trained in their stadium so it was in a great venue. After returning to the hotel, we listened to a lecture from the Getafe Academy U16 coach, Wilson Arias, who spoke to us about the Tactical Offensive Principles that Getafe considers in its training. The coaches had plenty of questions for Wilson and we are going to watch him train his team tomorrow. He even offered to tailor his session to any topic that we requested. Finally, we ended the day by watching the Mighty Blues comes back to stuff Spurs and hand Leicester the Premier League title. What a goal from Hazard! Tomorrow we are going to see Rayo Vallecano train and speak to one of the coaches from Atletico de Madrid. Yesterday (Saturday) I flew from Newark to Madrid - arriving Sunday morning. By total coincidence, my friend and fellow coach Marc-Andre happened to be on the same flight - although he had already flown from Toronto. We bumped into each other in the airport and caught up.
Upon arriving in Madrid, we waited in arrivals for a couple hours while the rest of the group convened and then we met up with our tour guide, Borja. Borja is in his 20's and had a youth career at Athletic Bilbao (among other clubs) before moving into coaching as a result of sustaining a serious injury. He now coaches one of the young academy teams for Athletic Bilbao. Once everyone was accounted for, we were bussed to about 40 minutes outside Madrid to Heron City where the Spanish Football Federation's training base 'Ciudad del Futbol' is located. The modern looking hotel is surrounded by 2 perfect grass fields, 2 turf fields, and a number of buildings that house things like the gym, pool, offices, a futsal court, and physiotherapy rooms. The whole thing is fenced off with a guarded gate you have to go through to get in - making it feel very exclusive. On the inside, the hotel is pretty swanky and the walls are covered with photos of famous players and coaches, signed Spain jerseys from famous matches, and more. Currently here are the Women's National Futsal Team and the U20 Men's Team. Unfortunately, we missed the U20's training session today, but we hope to catch one in the coming days. We are going to watch the Women's Futsal team train tomorrow morning. Upon arrival at the facility, we immediately walked about a half-mile for lunch in Heron City at a traditional Spanish place. Nobody in the group speaks much Spanish so we are pretty reliant on Borja for most of our communication. I am rooming with Olivier for the duration of the trip. He is a young coach from Montreal who has just picked up a job with the Montreal Impact, so we have plenty to talk about. Our room is awesome and bigger than most of the others, I like to think that it's the Xavi & Iniesta suite. The hotel provided us with a buffet style dinner. After dinner was the highlight of the day, 8 of us from the group changed and walked up the hill to a mini soccer/futsal/basketball court where we played 4 v 4 for about an hour under the lights at 10 p.m. There are snow-capped mountains on the horizon, which I definitely wasn't expecting, and the whole area is pretty scenic. Tomorrow, the busy schedule really gets started, we will be watching the Getafe 1st team training as well as attending a seminar given by one of the Getafe coaches. We'll also get a chance to explore downtown Madrid a bit! The excitement is building as I get ready to leave for Madrid on this once in a lifetime coaching experience. I have never kept a blog on any of my travels before but have decided that doing so will be a great way to (1) share this experience with others and (2) organize and digest my thoughts, ideas, and reflections during 10 days of learning and sponging off some great coaches. I doubt I will have much free time, but am going to try my best to post everyday. So - what exactly does this trip entail? I will be traveling to Madrid, Spain with a group of 15 coaches to watch and learn from coaches and players at some of the top clubs in the world and to see how they go about their work. The trip has been organized by the Masters in Coaching Program at Ohio University - I am not enrolled in the program but I believe that all the other coaches in the group are. My friend and former teammate (and then coach) at McGill University, Marc-Andre Maillet kindly invited me along a few months ago. I jumped at the chance. For 10 days, we will be based at the National Training Center for the Spanish Football Federation (Sefutbol) - staying in the Hotel Sefutbol (pictured below). This is where the players selected for the Spanish National Teams (Men's, Women's, and Youth) come to live and train while on international duty. During our stay we will be observing Academy and 1st Team training sessions at Real Madrid, Getafe, Atletico de Madrid, and Rayo Vallecano. We will also have Q & A sessions with a few of the coaches. We will be attending a La Liga match (Atletico de Madrid vs. Rayo Vallecano), watching some Academy games, and doing sightseeing in Madrid including a stadium tour at the Santiago Bernabeu. Some members of the group, including myself, have been lucky enough to secure tickets for the UEFA Champions League Semifinal 2nd Leg - Real Madrid vs. Manchester City which sits nicely poised at 0-0 after yesterday's 1st leg. I have never been to a Champions League match before, and to attend one at the home of the most successful club in world football will be something truly special - bordering on religious for me! I'm really looking forward to being fully immersed in this soccer environment and surrounded by other coaches of varying backgrounds. Despite my obsession with the game, I have not spent much time around professional teams and I am sure that a lot of what I see will be new to me. I am probably most looking forward to seeing the training sessions. Of course, I'll be eagerly jotting down any new exercises that I see, but I am more interested in the 'big picture' ideas that I will bring home. What is the general format of a training session? How much does it vary Academy vs. First Team? What is the teaching style and methodology and how do the players respond to it? Can't wait! |
Jeremy HurdleSoccer coach from Philadelphia traveling to Madrid for 10 days with a group of 15 coaches to experience the coaching and soccer culture at some of Spain's finest clubs.
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