Soccer - the latin approach to "conditioning"

[Mentalman]

For those of you with an interest in soccer, good article on BBC about the dfferent approaches to conditioning between Anglo-Saxons and Latinos. Some of it is could/should actually be relevant to our own games too.

Preaching the skills gospel 
By Pranav Soneji 

Roger Spry is probably the most famous English football coach you've never heard of.

Not that it bothers him, but for someone who has worked with Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, Carlos Quieroz, Sir Bobby Robson, Mario Zagallo and Carlos Alberto Parreria, he really deserves a little more recognition in his homeland.

In fact Mourinho used to be his assistant during Spry's spell as conditioning coach at Portuguese side Vitoria Setubal in the early 1990s, where he was number two to former Manchester City boss Malcolm Allison.

It's difficult to imagine the 'Special One' taking orders from anyone, but Spry is a man worth listening to, especially his theories about the skills deficiency in British football.

The affable Brummie has spent the last 25 years in 18 different countries as a conditioning coach, working with players like Portuguese internationals Luis Figo and Deco.

But his interpretation of a conditioning coach is very different to the British definition.

"People assume I work on athletic abilities, but my job is different," Spry told BBC Sport. "English football traditionally has always been based on athletics, we are taught to be athletically and physically strong.

"But in Portugal and South America, the game is based on dance-like movements.

"They emphasise creativity, physical agility and dexterity and above all the ability to disguise.

"I work on a combination of fitness, agility, mobility, with and without the ball - call it technical conditioning."

A former apprentice at Wolves during the late 60s, Spry realised he had more interest in skills development than playing football, adamant there was something missing from what he was being told by his coaches.

The pursuit for the missing component has taken him to Portugal and Brazil, where he learned the 'Joga Bonita' philosophy was based around a martial art banned by the Brazilian government.

Capoeira is a 'fight-dance' martial art which was practised by enslaved Africans transported over to Brazil by the Portuguese in the 19th century.

The movements rely on surprise and improvisation, two integral traits of the Brazilian football philosophy.

"I would say 99% of Brazilian players's movements are based on Capoeria," said Spry, a fluent Portuguese speaker.

"Players are taught them as a part of their coaching curriculum, using these skills to read their opponent's movements.

"That is what Cristiano Ronaldo or Figo will do.

"These guys are very difficult to read because they never do the same thing twice. All their moves are based in their opponent's initial response to their first movements."

Spry is hoping to redress the skills deficiency in British football with the Trick-sok, a tool he hopes will help develop "the footballer's alphabet".

Each part of the foot is separated into different areas using the Portuguese 'lingua da rua' (language of the street) to encourage players to use every single part of the foot from an early age, not just the side.

"We want to encourage players to use the outside, inside, the top, instep and one part of the foot we rarely use in the British game, the heel," said Spry.

"If we see these sorts of things we think they are tricks, but the Brazilians practise these things over and over again until it ceases to become a trick. Instead it becomes a skill.

"It's like teaching someone to write - you teach them the alphabet but what they write is down to their creativity."

But despite waxing lyrical about the Brazilian philosophy, Spry is not about to denounce British coaching methodology in favour of the skills revolution.

Instead he is keen to nurture a newer generation of footballers with a greater emphasis on skills rather than athletic ability.

"We are more interested at winning at a young age, we must get out of this mentality," said Spry.

"You see it at six, young kids playing with parents and coaches screaming at them, the kids are terrified. There are none of those pressures on Portuguese or Brazilian players.

"They are more interested in development. They have a wonderful saying in Portuguese - when you start playing football, the word is play football and you don't spell play 'WORK'.

"Football is freedom and expression, joy - it is a spiritual experience with your friends whether you are playing with or against them."

Spry is currently working as a consultant to the Austrian FA, spending eight days a month working with the national team.

He still keeps in contact with Mourinho, Quieroz and Wenger, but rather than reminisce about the good times Spry is busy spreading the skills gospel to the world.

And he is quite content being the most famous man in football you have never heard of.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/skills/6270994.stm

[MauriceMalpas]

If anyone can sort out Gary Doherty it is this man.

[Evil Genius]

Interesting article. Reading it brought to mind a notorious comment of Sir Alf Ramsey's after the 1970 World Cup, where he said something like "There is nothing we can learn from Brazil"

People assumed he meant that his players were as good as, if not better than, Pele, Jairzinho, Tostao etc.

In fact, he meant nothing of the sort. Rather, he was acknowledging that such are the cultural differences etc between British and Latin teams, that Brits could no more play like Brazilians than Brazilians could play like Brits. And to be fair to Ramsey (a truly underrated manager imo), it has to be said that his team gave that great Brazil team their hardest test of the Tournament, using traditionally "English" tactics. Indeed, had Jeff Astle not missed a sitter, they would have got a (deserved) draw.

One other minor point which often escapes attention: when continental players go to England, they are (rightly) amazed by the drinking culture which exists in English soccer(though it is diminishing, apparently).

Yet continental players often smoke (esp the French, for some reason), whereas hardly any British players are smokers these days.

[Mentalman]

In that era perhaps Ramsey felt justified in that comment, and perhaps he was right. Now though with most countries being equally well physically prepared, having that extra little bit of magic is necessary. Having athletes is obviously just not enough anymore. Much as I hate to say it, if England could blend the spine of their team with some quality wing play, as we see from Portugal for instance, they would be a lot closer ending their "41 years of hurt".

The other point I'd take from is already well known, kids should play football, not work at it.

[Aerlik]

EG, it was Cantona who changed the whole mindset at Man U.?  After training in the morning, alot of the players would piss off and do whatever, however Monsieur Eric was different.  After lunch he'd head back out and practice for another couple of hours or so.  I think it was Ryan Giggs who took first notice followed by some prancer called David.  The rest is history.

[Evil Genius]

EG, it was Cantona who changed the whole mindset at Man U.?  After training in the morning, alot of the players would piss off and do whatever, however Monsieur Eric was different.  After lunch he'd head back out and practice for another couple of hours or so.  I think it was Ryan Giggs who took first notice followed by some prancer called David.  The rest is history.

I take your point about Cantona, but it was Alex Ferguson who really changed the mindset (and everything else) at MU. When he took over from Big Fat Ron, it was a known "drinking club", with the boozing led by his three best players: Robson, McGrath and Whiteside. He kept Robson and soon got rid of the other two.

And even when the Golden Generation was emerging, some of them (Giggs, Sharpe and Gillespie) had a name for being party-animals. Again, he kept Giggs (who was capable of learning his lesson), but lost the other two, though he'd have kept Gillespie a bit longer, perhaps, only he was essential to Newcastle to release Cole? (The Nevilles and Scholes were never a problem attitude-wise, nor Beckham, until he became a MediaStar)

Anyhow, I've no doubt Cantona helped take things to the next level as regards professionalism etc, just as Roy Keane did subsequently (before he went too far and slagged off the other players publicly).

So much as I dislike Ferguson, it has to be said, he is quite remarkable for his strength of character and the way he imposes himself on everyone round him. Indeed, Cantona has always acknowledged how much he was helped (influenced) by Ferguson.