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!
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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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