Where is football heading?

Football has changed a lot recently. Experts have left their opponents less and less possibilities for playing. Professional teams compress the game into a 30-50 metre wide zone. Today’s players and teams are quick, strong, enduring and uniform. Is preparation able to follow these changes?
According to Johan Cruyff, we have squandered the accumulated values of practical football knowledge. Players gain a lot of experience throughout their career; they know everything about football. Most of their knowledge slips out of our hands, thanks to the excessively theoretical nature of coach education. These precious players don’t tackle this, so unfortunately they can’t contribute to the development of the game.

The old generation spent much more time on the field practising the minute details of the game. The UEFA coach education wants to stop this negative trend. It wants to offer an opportunity to great players so that they seek their future in football. Football is an ever-popular topic among children and adults alike, in schools, workplaces, families, small and large communities. Our common duty is to pass on these traditions

Football

COORDINATION AND CONDITION

The coordination and conditional bases together make up football skill. The prerequisites to completing a match:

• 
  
  the level of the coordinated and conditional bases
  
  
• 
  
  capability of solving solutions on the habitual level

Teams play the matches in a 30-50 metre wide zone, so they have to fight for every inch of the ground. They have less space and time. This fact determines game play: players have to make quick and expedient decisions and realize them economically and effectively.

1. THE COORDINATION BASIS

A player with optimal coordination skills can execute his movements economically in different situations. He is able to realize tactical and technical elements quickly in narrow places, while being disturbed by the opposition very quickly, with altering speed.

2. THE CONDITIONAL BASIS

The conditional basis is necessary for winning a match. Condition helps players in executing their movements with the necessary dynamism, repeatedly, permanently and for a long time with and without the ball.

COMPONENTS

2.1. STRENGTH
Players execute their movements with the necessary dynamism, by quickly overcoming any resistance.

2.2 SPEED
The ability to execute tasks, with optimum speed in a straight or changing direction.
Speed is important in the following aspects of the game:

• 
  
  sudden exertion
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    accelerating, slowing down
  
  
• 
  
  changing direction
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    turning, twisting, turning back
  
  
• 
  
  quick execution of technical elements
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    receiving, dribbling, feinting etc.

2.3. ENDURANCE
The ability that helps players carry out the given activity for a long time without any decrease in their performance.

• repeatedly and quickly
  
  
  
  • accelerating, slowing down, changing direction
  
  
• permanently quickly
  
  
  
  • movement series during the game
    
  • tackling – falling, getting up – getting going
  
  
• for a long time, 90-120 minutes
  
  
  
  • maintaining the same level during the quick execution of the play task

2.4. FLEXIBILITY
The ability that makes a great extent of movement possible in a joint of the player’s body. Requirements: ability to relax, extension of joints

2.5. SUPPLENESS
Is based on high level coordination basis and knowledge of systems of play.

2.6 SKILL
The ability that influences the time, accuracy and economical-ness of the execution of a given task.

Ability

Can be developed
from

Sensitive
period

Can be developed
for

Speed

from 5-6 years

7-8 years

4-6 years

Quick power

from 13-14 years

puberty

10-12 years

Maximum power

from 15-16 years

18-20 years

8-10 years

Aerobic endurance

from 10-12 years

14-21 years

20 years

Anaerobic endurance

from 14-16 years

16-24 years
built up by match
series

10-12 years

Coordination

from 5-6 years

8-10 years

10 years