TRAINING, TECHNIQUE AND TACTICS
FUTSAL PETER STURGESS
LON DON • OX F O R D • N E W YO R K • N E W D E L H I • SY DN EY
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Bloomsbury Sport An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square London WC1B 3DP UK
1385 Broadway New York NY 10018 USA
www.bloomsbury.com BLOOMSBURY and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc This electronic edition published in 2017 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Published in 2017 Peter Sturgess Š 2017 Photos by JP Bowen Diagrams by Mark Silver Photos on pages 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 15, 21, 22, 54, 55, 82, 113, 114, 116, 120 Š Getty Images Peter Sturgess has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the author. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN:
Print: 9781472929945 ePDF: 9781472929952 ePub: 9781472929969
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CONTENTS
Introduction
1
Chapter 1
So what is Futsal?
3
Chapter 2
Coaching young players
11
Chapter 3
Creating the right environment
21
Chapter 4
Technique, physical literacy and decision making
43
Chapter 5
The Futsal coaching session
51
Chapter 6
One of the secrets of Futsal – the importance of the ‘building blocks’
79
Chapter 7
Developing your ‘game plan’
113
Chapter 8
Developing your attacking game plan
123
Chapter 9
Developing your defensive game plan
157
Chapter 10 What next?
185
Index
187
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many people I would like to thank for their support in my writing of this book. Some of them will never really know the value of their contribution such as the many young players I have coached along the way or the fellow International managers and coaches whose brains I have picked along the way, particularly; Mico Martic, Jorge Braz, Keith Tozer and my good friends Luis Fernando Paes de Barros, Manuel Aranda Carmona and Paco Chamorro. The times I spent as England Head Coach were hugely influential and I would like to thank all of the people I worked closely with during that time; in particular Tony Elliott and Mike Skubala for those late night and early morning tactical discussions. There is also a group of people who have been hugely influential and supportive during the whole time I have been writing this book and they are my family. They have encouraged and supported me during the times I felt I had not enough hours in the day or days in the week. They were always there providing an anchor and a safe haven for me. My wife, Ruth, who I know believes that behind every man is a strong, beautiful woman and who am I to contradict? And finally, I would like to dedicate this book to my late father-in-law, Jim, who knew I was writing it but sadly passed away before its completion, but he did love to come and watch the England Futsal team and I know he would be very proud of me.
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INTRODUCTION
T
he game of Futsal is one of the fastest-growing sports in England. Once it has been watched, played or coached, the appeal it has for supporters, players and coaches is clear to see: it’s an exciting, quickpaced game of technique, skill, tactics and physical endeavour that captures the imagination of all who come into contact with it. Players test their skills, decision making abilities and physical conditioning under the most intense pressure because Futsal is played on a small, fast-paced court that compromises the important elements of time and space allowed by traditional field football. Coaches also face a multitude of tactical decisions as the state of the game changes minute by minute. It is for these reasons (and many more that will become clear as you read each chapter) that
Futsal has taken such a firm grip of our football culture and is now here to stay, grow and develop. In reading this book you have taken an important step in your own development as a Futsal coach. Each chapter will help you understand not only what to do but also how to do it. Coaching is about much more than this session or that practice; it is about understanding and developing both your knowledge of Futsal AND of teaching, learning and playerdevelopment, and the information given here should help you develop an effective coaching methodology as well as providing challenging and enjoyable coaching sessions. The book starts off with a focus on the development of young players who might be engaging with Futsal, and sport in general, for the first time. The later chapters subsequently 1
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INTRODUCTION
become more Futsal-specific so that your knowledge of the game becomes deeper and more extensive. This will give you the confidence to embrace Futsal, with its many benefits in relation to player-development, and help you to provide a vibrant, exciting
environment in which your players can play and evolve. I have no doubt that Futsal is a real ‘game changer’ and you have taken the first steps towards further establishing the game and changing young-player development forever. Enjoy the book.
England Futsal squad playing Sweden at the iconic Copperbox venue in London
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1
T
he game of Futsal has its origins in South America, where from the 1930s two different versions of small-sided football were being played in the football-mad cities of Montevideo in Uruguay and São Paolo in Brazil. The name Futsal comes from the Portuguese futebol de salão (roughly translated as ‘room football’) and the game under the governance of FIFA and UEFA has, from humble beginnings, become one of the fastestgrowing global sports, with FIFA World Cups and UEFA Futsal Euro competitions occurring alternately on a two-year cycle. The game is played on a hard, fast surface, of which there are many types – from the polished concrete of southern Europe and the traditional sprung floor seen in many gymnasiams to the portable tiled floors used to stage major World and European
SO WHAT IS FUTSAL? finals. For international games the court measures exactly 40 x 20m (66 x 132ft) although sometimes its size is more approximate, falling within minimum and maximum guidelines. Both players and ball move quickly on the hard surface and play to demarcated lines; this is what sets Futsal apart from traditional 5-a-side football, which is played off the side walls. This difference means that more shielding and screening are required and it allows for the invention of many creative restarts from corners and kick-ins from the side line.
The FA’s first ever national Futsal conference at St. George’s Park
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SO WHAT IS FUTSAL?
THE LAWS OF THE GAME As the game developed it became necessary to formalise its laws, and so the first rule book was published in 1933. This enabled a consistency of interpretation, and because of this it was possible to develop the league and competition side. The game of Futsal, under the careful guidance of FIFA and UEFA, was thus developing the important governance and administration that today underpins any global sport. This framework would
eventually help to produce the many professional leagues that are now firmly established in Europe, South America and other parts of the world. The sport’s laws now shape the game and provide the basis for the tactical and technical development that is possible. The laws also demonstrate how different the game is from the traditional 5-a-side format played in the UK. The main laws are outlined below:
Min 25m - max 42m
The dimensions of a Futsal court
3m
5m
10m
Min 15m - max 25m
6m
5m
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•
•
ides There are five players on S court for each team, one of whom is the goalkeeper (GK). However, there can be 12–14 players in each squad (including another GK) to allow for rolling substitutions. Substitutions A team can make as many substitutions as they want so long as only players in the named squad are used and there are only five players on court at any one time. To make a substitution, players must enter
and leave the court between designated markings in front of their bench. •
Duration Each game consists of two equal periods of 20 minutes measured with a stopping clock (every time the ball goes out of play or there is a foul, the clock is stopped).
•
Timeouts Each team can request a one-minute timeout in each half.
The Indoor Stadium Huamark in Bangkok was the venue for the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup
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SO WHAT IS FUTSAL?
•
Kick-in If the ball goes out of play it is restarted with a kickin either from the touchline or from the corner.
•
The four-second rule For kickins, free kicks, goal clearances and corners the player in possession has four seconds to restart the game. The referee counts these on fingers clearly shown in the air.
•
Futsal court as part of Hurucan sporting club in Buenos Aires
Goalkeepers Futsal GKs can come out of the penalty area (called the ‘D’) and players can go into the area. The goalkeeper is also bound by the four-second rule and they are not allowed to control the ball with either hands of feet for longer than this time in their own or the opposition’s half.
•
Goal clearances A goal clearance must be thrown out and the GK is not allowed to touch the ball again unless a member of the opposition has touched the ball or the GK receives the ball in the opponents’ half.
•
Red cards If a player is sent off then the team to which the player belongs must remain with four players until two minutes have passed or a goal is scored.
•
Accumulated fouls A team may concede five fouls in each half of the game. However, on the sixth, and on any subsequent foul, the team commits, a direct free kick will be awarded to the opposition from the 10m (32ft) penalty mark. The defending team may not use any player other than the GK to stop the shot.
By now you will have realised that this game is very different from the traditional 5-a-side played in the UK even though there is the same number of players on court. The laws help to
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SO WHAT IS FUTSAL? Antwerp Euro Futsal Final, 2014
make the game challenging, tactical and very exciting. When working with the youngest players the different elements should be introduced in a
phased, age-appropriate way until they are able to play the game using all of the laws that make it so unique and engaging.
SPECIAL SITUATION: FLY GK To expand upon the rules as they apply to the goalkeeper, the GK has four seconds to release the ball in his own half of the pitch from a goal clearance or open play. From open play, the goalkeeper can run the ball over the halfway line and bring it
back again for the four seconds to start again. If they play/pass the ball the above counts. The fly goalkeeper is bound by these same restrictions. If a team changes to fly goalkeeper it is the same principle despite the substitution. 7
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SO WHAT IS FUTSAL?
TOP TIP When selecting which law to introduce first to young players (there is no real right or wrong answer), you could try: •
the four-second rule for restarting the game and then;
•
the goal clearance rule that forbids the repeated use of the GK once the ball is rolled out.
These two aspects will be a great introduction as they get the youngsters playing and thinking under pressure right away.
The game has been played by many famous players. Current world stars of football who played Futsal while growing up include Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Philippe Coutinho, while from the past the list contains such greats as Pelé, Ronaldinho and Maradona. There are some common features that these famous footballers all talk about when looking back at the part Futsal played in their development. In brief, they remember:
•
many touches of the ball, which honed their individual technique and skill;
•
playing in tight areas with constant pressure from opponents;
•
having many decisions to make because of this constraint;
•
developing a real connection and love of the ball;
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SO WHAT IS FUTSAL? Lionel Messi played Futsal as a young boy on the streets of his home town Rosario in Argentina
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• the many hours spent in practice and play because the game is fun and enjoyable. (See the section on the importance of play that follows.) When I hear this endorsement for the game from these iconic football players I start to think about what it might contribute to young player development in the UK. Many other parts of the world are benefiting from Futsal and I want more and more of the UK’s young players not only playing and enjoying the game but also being coached by people who understand the game and are able to pass on the full benefits to players.
Cristiano Ronaldo claims that if it wasn’t for Futsal, he wouldn’t be the player he is today
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2
COACHING YOUNG PLAYERS
THE IMPORTANCE OF ‘PLAY’ ‘Play is the highest form of research’ – Albert Einstein
O
ne feature of young-child/ player development, regardless of culture or country, is the importance of play. The game of Futsal is trying to establish itself in the UK where, for most, football is the game of choice for both playing and spectating. With this in mind I would like Futsal for our youngest players to be viewed as a game that is associated with freedom of expression, a game in which they can experiment and a game that excites and motivates them. If the sport can be introduced to players in the right way when they are very young then I believe they will enjoy the experience and
want more. Furthermore, if the game can be established as one that incorporates lots of unstructured playing time then it can become an intervention that will change the development of our players for ever. Now this is a big statement, but in looking back over the practice histories of many of the world’s greatest players, one significant element present for all of them was the high amount of informal play. The pick-up games and street football of the past were vital ingredients in their development. Our society has changed to the point at which most of this type of activity has been replaced by structure and formality, even for the youngest child. I want Futsal to emerge as our ‘structured version’ of street football. 11
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COACHING YOUNG PLAYERS
In many South American countries as well as in parts of Europe, Futsal is the recreational ‘go-to game’ for fun with friends. It is also the game played in school, and the more structured, formalised version is played in these countries as players get older. However, it is the development that takes place through the hours and hours of informal play that excites me, and I believe that bringing this to England is achievable. Let me try to explain further. In its purest sense, play does not need an end product: it is done for
its own sake and is not confined by any ‘formal’ rules. This allows the activity to morph and change as children shape the play. Play also brings immediate gratification and is enjoyable and intrinsically motivating, and this means that children will spend hours doing it. Futsal has its own clearly defined laws but if it can become THE game that allows children to come and engage with a freedom and a creativity that resembles play then we might have a mechanism to further improve our young players.
Children in Brazil play Futsal from a young age
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COACHING YOUNG PLAYERS
Intrinsically motivated players will play for hours on end. These hours of practice are the hard yards of development, and it takes a motivated and driven individual to put in the accumulation of time spent refining and developing the skills and abilities that we hope will bear fruit at some point in the future. Achieving this goal also requires a game, a coach and an environment that is able to meet the needs of the player as they grow and mature. The reason this is mentioned at such an early stage of the book is because Futsal is a great game that embraces all of the benefits that young children derive from play. As I mentioned previously, the pick-up games of the past have pretty much disappeared, and this is true not just in the UK. Often played in the street, these games involved any number of players, included people of all ages and abilities, and were not time-limited or coach-led. However, society and lifestyles have changed dramatically over the past two or three decades and a child growing up now will
Players must develop a complete mastery of the ball
experience a different childhood to the one his or her parents had, and something VERY different to that of their grandparents, and this will continue to be the case. So how might the coach recreate ‘the street’ with a game that excites, motivates and challenges players in all areas of development? One way will be 13
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COACHING YOUNG PLAYERS
to incorporate an arrival activity at the start of the session and use lots of Futsal game-like formats as the main vehicle to coach the group. In the pages that follow there will be some examples of ‘arrival activities’ to help you incorporate this aspect into your coaching sessions. Futsal is a game that can be organised quickly by players and it is a platform for them to: •
experiment with different movements and tactics;
•
learn to innovate and respond strategically;
•
perfect skills and refine decision making;
•
develop flexible strategies;
•
explore their physical capabilities.
These are just some of the things that children can also derive from play. Moreover, this kind of activity, delivered in a child-centred way by the coach, can also help shape attitudes
and dispositions for later in life, meaning that resilience, competitiveness, emotional control and many other important psychological attributes can be developed as they play. One thing about play in its purest sense is that the adult is pretty much absent or certainly withdrawn from the activity, and this is one aspect that helps promote a more selfdetermined approach from the child. There is no adult or coach telling them how to play or what to do. The challenge for coaches is to bring elements of this to all the structure and formality that currently pervades most of our coaching culture. This is a very important point and it needs careful clarification since it does not mean that in a coaching setting the coach just turns up and ignores players as they ‘play’. It does mean, however, that the coach is very skilled at planning time for players to just engage in ‘playing Futsal’. Yes, there can be a purpose and sessions may include things that players are trying to get better at or understand more, but predominantly it is players’ chance to just play,
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power of play. We want to develop players who are creative and innovative, players who are capable of playing in the moment. If we understand more about how we increase returns in these areas it might help structure our coaching and training sessions. Some helpful tips will follow in the next chapter. The challenge is to begin to incorporate this methodology into your coaching.
COACHING YOUNG PLAYERS
express themselves, and experiment with what things are possible. Time spent on this is not wasted time: the benefits are immense, even if they cannot be measured immediately. This approach may begin to replace the informal play of past generations and it is a vital ingredient for development. Futsal, as a game, is the perfect sport for facilitating this. To work effectively with young players we need to harness the
Futsal : a game for girls and boys alike
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COACHING YOUNG PLAYERS
KEY MESSAGES AND REMINDERS •
Futsal has its own unique laws of the game.
•
Many of the world’s greatest football players started along their career paths with Futsal through hours and hours of informal engagement with the game.
•
Coaches should look to harness the ‘power of play’ and Futsal is the perfect mechanism for doing this.
•
Allow time for informal Futsal play with an emphasis on playing with freedom, self-expression and enjoyment.
DEVELOPING YOUR COACHING STYLE WITH THE YOUNG PLAYERS AT THE BEGINNING OF THEIR FUTSAL ‘JOURNEY’
Limited time and space means making quick decisions
This chapter started with a brief insight into what returns there might be if you adopted an approach that contained some elements of play. In reading on you will understand this aspect in more detail, with the aim of providing an experience for the player that fits perfectly with where they are developmentally as young children.
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level decision making – the game is too fast for anything else. If the player’s problem-solving and decision making capabilities have been developed by the coach then they will be able to cope with any new situation that they encounter with confidence. This will help them play Futsal. In order to develop good decision makers, players must have decisions to make. But how is this done? You must try to keep the needs of players at the forefront of your methodology. This sounds quite tricky but there are some basic guidelines you can follow, which are outlined in the top tips box below.
COACHING YOUNG PLAYERS
In order to develop better Futsal players it is important that you understand not only the game of Futsal but also how to be an effective coach. Long gone are the days when the coach ‘played the game’ or ‘kicked every ball’ for his or her players. A coach who makes most of the decisions for players is one who is NOT going to produce independent thinkers and players who can react to the changes that occur constantly in the game. Instead, players will become coach dependent and may never reach their full potential. The very nature of Futsal demands that players must be capable of high-
TOP TIPS A good place to start is to give players some ownership, choice and responsibility. Allow them to: •
Have a go at taking the warm-up. Help them with this in the beginning, after which they can be given freedom to add more elements. Discuss with players what might go into a Futsal warm-up.
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COACHING YOUNG PLAYERS
•
Discuss and decide what they would like to focus on developing. If we include players then we are sending out a very strong message that we are interested in THEIR development.
•
Recognise and be responsible enough to come off when tired. Using the rolling substitutions in Futsal will give players the task of identifying when their performance might be affected by fatigue.
•
Discuss and offer ideas so that players know that their views and opinions are respected and valued.
•
Consult with you. Encourage them to have a say when working through a tactical problem rather than you giving a solution straight away.
If you supplement these tips with an approach that generally focuses on the things that players are capable of doing while also helping them improve in areas in which they are not as confident then engagement and motivation levels will remain high. Players will respond to an environment that is positive,
supportive and player-centred. It is really important that you develop the interpersonal skills necessary to create such an environment. Empathy, honesty and integrity will help you make those important connections with any player, while a caring and secure environment in which mistakes are understood
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COACHING YOUNG PLAYERS Creating an empowering, supportive environment means that the coach can really challenge the players
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COACHING YOUNG PLAYERS
and dealt with effectively will send out very clear messages that this is a great place for guidance, support and development. Coaching sessions based on this very secure foundation will help players cope with the demands of any sport and will help build a very
strong, lasting relationship between you and each player. Where there are further opportunities to give some ownership and responsibility to players I will suggest how this might be done while you get used to working with players in this way.
KEY MESSAGES AND REMINDERS Coaches should: •
create an environment that is positive and supports players as they learn;
•
help players become independent thinkers, decision makers and problem solvers;
•
develop the ability to meet the individual needs of each player where possible.
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First English-language futsal guide covering training, technique, and tactics.
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