What is Football? Understanding the Game and Shaping Our Camps
What is Football? Understanding the Game and Shaping Our Camps
Following up on our last blog, we posed the question: "What is football?" Understanding the answer to this question has profoundly shaped how Football Friendlies designs and delivers its football camps. Today, we aim to answer this question and hope that this understanding will inspire other coaches to rethink their approach to coaching.
Defining Football
Before we answer "what is football?" we need to describe what football entails. Football is fundamentally a player's game. When a player is engaged in the game within a football environment, several key processes occur:
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Communication: The player collects information from their surroundings, which includes the position of teammates, opponents, and the ball. This act of gathering information is what we call communicating. It involves constant interaction with the environment and exchanging information with teammates and opponents.
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Decision-Making: Once the player collects this information, they must decide what to do with it. This decision-making process is critical and happens rapidly during the game.
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Execution: After deciding, the player needs to execute their decision. This could be passing the ball, making a run, or any other action on the field.
These three elements—Communication, Decision-Making, and Execution (CDE)—are fundamental to the game of football.
The Fourth Element: Football Fitness
Football fitness isn't separate from the game; it develops as a player engages in CDE. By continuously communicating, deciding, and executing during a match, players naturally build their football fitness. This holistic approach ensures that players develop the necessary physical conditioning through the act of playing the game itself.
Shaping Our Camps
Understanding these elements has deeply influenced how Football Friendlies conducts its camps. We emphasize real gameplay where players can naturally develop their CDE skills. By focusing on actual matches rather than isolated drills, we ensure that players learn in the most effective and authentic way possible.
Our approach aligns with insights from FC Evolution, which also highlights the importance of creating a realistic game environment for player development. Their blog emphasizes that training should mimic the complexities and demands of actual matches, ensuring that players are prepared for real-game situations. This philosophy underpins our training methodology at Football Friendlies.
Looking Ahead
In our next blog, we will delve into the pros and cons of training the Football Friendlies way. We'll explore how this approach benefits players and discuss any potential challenges. Stay tuned for more insights on how to optimize your coaching methods to align with the true essence of football.
By understanding what football truly is, we can create training environments that foster natural development, ensuring that players not only improve their skills but also their understanding and love for the game. Join us in embracing this holistic approach to football training and witness the positive impact it has on player development.
