I will
translate an interview done by Luis Ponce de Leon to a friend of mine who now
is working in Methodological Department
at F.C. Barcelona.
Interview done
by: Luis Ponce de Leon. Academic coordinator FUTEC-F.P.F.
Xavier Damunt Masip.
Department of Methodology at F.C. Barcelona.
Question:
Where do you
find the difference, between the methodological approach done at F.C. Barcelona
compared to others regarding training in collective sports?
Xavier:
I would distinguish two factors of our methodological
approach that, due to their importance, modify the traditional vision of game
and its training, taking our game to a change in Paradigm.
The first one is regarding the pedagogical exchange between the coach and the player. The
player is not a task-doer, looking to solve a task optimally shown by the
coach, but rather that the coach facilitates context of training where he/she
presumes that certain behavior will arise
and/or technical skills. The Footballer, according to their
characteristics and skills, and executing the perception-action cycle, will
have to adapt to that context. The Coach by main rule does not show patterned solutions,
but rather observes the athletes and their action, to in its case, stimulate, provoke
or not its occurrence.
In this sense, the feedback is, by definition, bi-directional,
and the coach will worry about the behavior of the action by questioning the
player. For that it is necessary to generate a context of trust where, for that
reason, the players can express themselves freely (verbally or motorically).
Question:
What is the
main contribution that Complex Theory Science brought to collective sport
training , mainly Football/soccer? How did F.C. Barcelona adapt to this theoretical
Paradigm?
Xavier:
Complexity explains us how complex systems adapt and
organize based on disturbances that they receive from their environment. It
helps us understand why players execute certain actions, because human beings
are adaptive dynamic systems.
It is because of this, that we understand behavior as
multi-factoral and not linear. It is important to understand the emerging
character of what is underneath, for the understanding of decision- making of
player, as what happens in the team, that is also a system.
So, if we understand what we mentioned, our
methodology must be non-linear, that is based on the pedagogical principles of Constraint-led
Approach.
Question:
How is the
process of generating tasks or Preferential Action Simulations , having in
consideration the emerging character, technical and tactical action that are not
programmable and non -linear that occur in competition ?
The SSP take
into account all the structures of the athlete, or does it focuses on anything in particular, based on
what it is identified as necessary?
Xavier:
The coach
must design a training context where the actions that he/she wants to optimize
will occur. The tasks will be open, this means that they will be designed in a
way that an action will not be correct, so the concept error loses strength in
its meaning. The tasks must be intense and continued, specific, with
variability and continuity, how Professor Seirul-lo has taught us, director of
Methodological Area in our Club.
Because we do
not separate the dimension in training, but rather we practice in an integrated
way, we take into account all of the structures of the human athlete, but
depending on the needs of optimization we can have preference on some
structures over the others.
Question:
How is the
model integrated in the session, in the approach of training of F.C. Barcelona,
the different professionals, coaches, physical trainers, strength trainers,
physiotherapists, etc taking into consideration the contextual focus? This, in
an average structures micro-cycle?
Xavier:
All the professionals share the same visión of
training, and each coaching staff organizes itself according to this. On a structural
way of our club, for example, the Area of Methodology and the Performance Area,
which the Physical Trainers belong to , have constant communication regarding
all the developmental teams. Also the club has a Tutorial Department consisting
of pedagogues and tutors and educators…that are in constant contact with
players, from early ages, to facilitate assistance, especially on that that is
not sport related (study, family or emotional).
Question:
Can you
identify a Philosophy of work all along the different teams, starting from kids
to the first team? Which are the pillars of this philosophy of play, that
involves all ages?
Xavier:
The phisolophy and the values come by the history and
characteristics of our Club. As you know, it is recognized worldwide by a specific
way of playing, Barça football, our way of play. One of the particularities of
our Methodological Area is to gather these feelings regarding our way of play,
its members, workers and fans, and develop this way of play, also as giving
tools and a skill set so that the coaches and teachers of our club can transmit
the philosophy and values through our idea of play, that conditions also the
way of training.
In a few words, the philosophy and values that
impregnate our game is the love for the ball, the empathetic communication
between the players, that add up to a humanistic vision of sport, that allow
the footballer to express him or herself with freedom and assertiveness, which
means that he/she enjoys and flows while he practices our game.
From this idea, the structured idea of playing that expresses this philosophy through the
pass in search of having the ball as much time as possible and, that at the
same level, the disorganization of the opponent , and the proximity between
them and the ball, for the constant mutual help and efficiency whether they are
in posession or are trying to recuperate it.
XAVIER DAMUNT
MASIP
Departamento
de metodología del FC Barcelona.
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