Soccer

HOTBED: Brazilian Soccer Schools, Leeds, England

A project, begun in 1998 by an elementary schoolteacher named Simon Clifford, that has transformed a former soccer backwater into a veritable factory of talented players. Its main tool: a Brazilian game called futbol de salao (“soccer in the room”), an indoor five-a-side version of the sport.  The ball is smaller and heavier—creating more control. The field is tiny—putting a premium on vision, anticipation, and quick, accurate passes. The play is lightning-fast—forcing players to anticipate and adapt. Exactly like the Little Books of the Bronte sisters, futbol de salao uses deep practice to build skills at high velocity. 

Growing A Star

 

Here’s a portrait of how futbol de salao helped create one of the world’s greatest players: Ronaldinho of Brazil. The first five minutes (which you can mostly fast-forward past) show his stupendous level of vision, ball control, and anticipation.
 
At the five minute mark, however, we see where it began: with tiny kids on a futbol de salao court. See how the small, heavy ball stays at their feet, allowing them the chance to control it over and over. The game has all the features of typical kids’ soccer game –the cute clumsiness, the cat-herding quality—with a vital addition: because the ball doesn’t bounce away, players can control it. Watch at the six-minutes mark as the blond kid make a nice breakaway. She makes nine touches in a few seconds, each of them different, each of them earning her a bit of skill.
 
At 6:15, we see a rare treat: home movies of ten-year-old Ronaldinho playing futsal (you might also recognize this from a recent Nike commercial) Watch at 6:40 when young Ronaldinho flicks the ball over an opponent’s head to set up a goal. At 8:30, we see him pull off the exact same move as an adult, with similarly glorious results. Commentators love to talk about how “creative” Brazilian players are – but that’s not quite right. The truth is, they’ve been practicing that creativity for their entire lives.

Exporting Genius

Here’s a look at John Farnworth, one of the English kids who’s used futbol de salao to pick up a few moves (to say the least). These tricks may not be used much in games (Farnworth has given up his aspirations to play professional soccer to become a freestyle performer), but they show the heights of ball-control that futbol de salao can create.

Lessons

Futbol de salao develops skill circuits far faster than the outdoor game, because players:

  • Touch the ball more often—600 percent more often, according to one study. More touches—in other words, more circuit-firings—creates more skill.
  • Are forced to develop more moves. Merely booting the ball down the field—often the first option in the outdoor game—doesn’t work. Futbol de salao players practice lots of fakes and tricks—because they have to. As one Brazilian told me, “Futsal is our national laboratory of improvisation.”
  • Grow accustomed to operating in tight spaces. When they get to the outdoor game, futsal players feel as if they have all the room in the world.

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3 Responses to “Brazilian Soccer Schools, Leeds, England”

  1. Ian McClurg says:
    December 9, 2009 at 2:05 pm

    Daniel, I wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how much your work in “The Talent Code” has assisted us in establishing our Brazilian Soccer School in Burlington, Ontario. In Canada, we are trying to change “old thinking” that repeatedly playing games and stressing “winning versus development” is the correct education for young soccer players. Your work has assisted us to start to change some of these thoughts and has aided us greatly. Yesterday, I posted a new article on my blog http://mybraziliansoccerschools.blogspot.com and hope that I adequately protrayed your work. Thanks again.

  2. Clayton Rosario says:
    December 13, 2009 at 11:27 am

    Brazillian soccer training methods definately has it’s merits.
    However, I believe there are a number of factors needed to develop a World Class player.
    First of all a God Given talent.Secondly, the player has to be self driven.Also,the training invironment and quality coaches who are good at motivating players.
    What are the other factors that make a top player ?
    The country and opportunities.In Europe soccer is a religion.Kids play at recess,in the streets,attend pro games and watch many pro games.Some times having the financial resources and supportive parents is a factor as well.
    World class players have come out of UK,France,Argentina,Portugal,Germany,Holland and Hungary.
    The French took some serious steps into player development 20 years ago and established formation centres.They studied the methods of the Dutch and Brazilian and added their own flavour.
    Since then they have produced stars like Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane.
    What makes the Brazilain produce a number of world stars is not just Futsal. It’s the culture. e.g. Music, playing on the sandy beaches for hours and poverty.Many poor kids looking for a way out.

    Lastly, there is more to developing a World Class player.
    I can teach my students all the Juggling and creative footwork.However, there has to be resistence in a game realistic situation. Also, the players have to be able to perform the moves or control the ball in a high level pressure situation.

    Clayton Rosario Port Colborne Niagara Region Ontario Canada

  3. Wilson says:
    January 2, 2010 at 4:03 pm

    The new Brazilian Futsal Academy is coming in Leeds in 2010!

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