Pages

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Well-travelled futsal goalkeeping coach shares insights on training methods

Andy Reading was one of the first two English futsal players to compete abroad.


Part I of a two-part series

A former professional player, English goalkeeping coach Andy Reading has led training sessions for the English Football Association and clubs and associations in many other nations, including Scotland, Brazil, the Netherlands, Guyana and, most recently, New Zealand, where he prepared national team goalies for a series of friendly games with Australia, which qualified for the Futsal World Cup.

In England, he serves as the goalkeeping coach for a number of national league teams and recently led a two-day futsal goalkeeping clinic for the English Futsal Association. He was gracious enough to answer a series of questions we submitted to him.

Q: In your experience, do futsal goalies use their feet more for distribution than outdoor goalies? If so, what kind of training do you recommend to improve their touch and increase their accuracy?

U.S. National Futsal Team goalies Danny Waltman, center, and Boris Pardo.

Yes, futsal goalies need to use their feet and hands for distribution; the majority of coaches like to use the goalkeeper as a quarterback to orchestrate moves and set plays. The goalkeeper will also be asked to be involved with open play, in a 5v4 situation, for example. In order to help develop the goalkeeper’s control, passing and general foot work, I believe that goalkeepers should be involved in outfield play activities such as general technique and warm-up exercises and asking the goalkeeper to distribute within goalkeeper exercises.

I try to incorporate match-related situations in which the goalkeeper will make a save/block and then be asked to distribute the ball in order set up counterattacks, which are very regular occurrences in a match. This can be done using target areas so the goalkeeper can concentrate on both technique and accuracy while being placed under pressure through time restrictions and opponent-based exercises.  For example, a target area/target man who is marked by an opponent creates enough space to receive the ball within the four-second release rule, which simulates the laws of futsal. I think it’s important that goalkeepers understand these types of scenarios as they could be placed in similar situations in a match.

By simply incorporating the goalkeeper into team and open-play exercises, he/she will be well versed in the type of movements they expect a teammate to make. Also, they will understand the role and responsibilities that are required for the goalkeeper to play a successful role in open play, i.e. the type of pass required, the weight of pass, the angles/movement required to be able to receive the ball and recognizing the opportunities when the goalkeeper can shoot or play a defense-splitting pass. Goalkeeper coaches must think about the bigger picture, which is not only saving shots but also creating goals. This, of course ,is a very different role for an 11-a-side goalkeeper.

Q: Similarly, when futsal keepers gain possession with their hands, they often distribute with a quick underhand bowling motion. Is that something you include in training or is it acquired naturally?

Andy traveled to Brazil to work with a professional club in Sao Caetano

Yes, distribution is key. As a goalkeeper, we want to start attacks and counterattacks, which makes the release from the hands very important. Accuracy and technique work hand in hand and are key to a positive outcome. I would first develop the basic techniques, such as the javelin throw or under spin throw, then incorporate them into goalkeeper drills, i.e. making the save then distributing the ball for attack/counterattack, making the exercises match-related, using teammates or cone targets for the goalkeepers to aim at. It's important to have match-related scenarios for goalkeeper exercises so he or she is well prepared. I firmly believe if you work from the basic technique and move up in stages, making the exercises more challenging and stimulating, this technique can be coached for use in futsal matches.

Q: Let's talk a bit about general training methods. When you begin a session with a team or group of goalies, where do you start? Can you give a brief idea of what a training session would look like and how you progress from one emphasis to another?

A goalkeeper working on the correct shape to block a shot

Normally, before the training session begins there will be a specific technique that will be the focus. This would be determined by many factors, such as the standard and age of goalkeepers, previous match and training performances, match preparation, i.e. working on the strengths of opponents and the scenarios a goalkeeper might expect to deal with for that next match. It could be that the goalkeeper wants to work on a specific technique or that the competencies in certain goalkeeping areas need to be updated and maintained. With this in mind, I will outline the session, its direction and the learning outcomes from the session, ensuring the goalkeepers are aware that they can ask questions at any time.

It’s important to have an open forum, to be approachable and allow space for the goalkeeper to think and learn. All of this is important. The goalkeeper will go through a warm-up that involves hand-eye coordination, working with the ball at their feet, i.e. passing and control, foot work and profile setup exercises, which will get the goalkeeper moving in the appropriate manner while maintaining the correct body shape to save a shot or react accordingly. If these fundamentals are in good order, a futsal goalkeeper has the foundations to do anything (with practice).  This will get the keeper in the right frame of mind mentally and physically for the main body of the exercises.

The main body of the session, if, for example, we are focusing on blocking shape and the different scenarios in which blocking will be used, would begin with some basic technique work. Depending on the level of the goalkeeper, it might act as reinforcement or as a development exercise. Naturally I would explain the shape required and why this shape is used. A basic exercise could be as simple as the goalkeeper receiving and returning the ball in a static position. This will also act as a good warm-up exercise to get the goalkeeper used to the shape that is required, too. I normally explain each exercise, the purpose of the exercise and how the exercise functions to ensure the goalkeeper fully understands the theory and practicalities.

You will notice the sessions work in stages, I will now progress the training to exercises that ask the goalkeeper to block in motion, i.e. moving off the goal line to approach the player with the ball while covering as much of the goal as possible using the block shape. This will also challenge the goalkeeper to time the block, as moving into the block shape too early or too late could have negative consequences.

As the session continues I would explore with the goalkeepers the many ways the block shape can and should be used, such as alternating block shape, timing the block, blocking at the far post, using a semi-block movement and the scenarios in with to employ the techniques. As you can imagine, sessions might break down into concentrating on one area of blocking. Even with the most basic exercise, I would make them fun and stimulating. I try to use lots of different apparatus such as tables, balloons, American footballs and game-based drills in order to help the goalkeepers develop technique and, most importantly, enjoy themselves. If you have a goalkeeper who is happy, feeling positive, confident and looking forward to training, then as a coach you have someone who will give you his/her very best.  It can also provide a morale boost for goalkeepers lacking in confidence.

Once the goalkeeper has got to grips with basic principles, other facets of futsal, such as shot-stopping high and low, distribution and foot work can be incorporated into match-related exercises. Again, I will vary the style and intensity of a session to keep it fresh, fun, challenging and rewarding.

Once the main body of the session is complete, normally the goalkeepers will join in with the players for team play. On completion of the training session, there will be an evaluation from all concerned to see what direction we as a group of goalkeepers and goalkeeper coach need to take.


Q: A futsal goal is just 7 feet tall and 10 feet wide. It would seem easier to cover when you compare it to the 24-foot by 8-foot outdoor goal.  Is that true? There is also the perception that futsal is quicker than outdoor, and with the low-bounce ball played more on the ground. Does that mean that a futsal goalie must have quicker reflexes and be more vigilant of defending down low than up high?

Foot saves are vital in futsal, both for effectiveness and safety

No, more attention isn’t given to defending low shots than high ones. But because futsal is played in a smaller area, it means shots give goalkeepers less reaction time compared to an 11-a-side goalie. Therefore, futsal is very much a quicker game, which means quicker decisions have to be made that have an instant effect on coverage of the goal. For this reason, I think a goalkeeper’s job ­– be it futsal or 11-a-side – is a tough one, but for very different reasons. With both methods of goalkeeping there are techniques that are employed to help a goalkeeper do his/her job successfully.  So if the futsal goalkeeper practices techniques such as blocking shape, the three-movement split save or any other futsal goalkeeper-specific technique, it will aid in reducing the area in which an opposition player can shoot at the goal.

Yes, futsal is a quicker game that attracts very skillful, nimble players. The very nature of the small court intensifies the speed of the game, making it action-packed with lots of drama. The low-bounce ball adds to the speed of the game because the ball is at players' feet. The weight of a futsal ball encourages more quick skills, producing fast-paced passages of passing movements and shooting. However, the weight of the ball does not dictate placement of a shot – what the player does with the ball dictates that.

The consensus of opinion from the goalkeepers’ union and from experience of futsal goalkeeper coaching is that low shots are the hardest to save.  Goalkeepers coming from the 11-a-side game find it very difficult to deal with these shots because they want to dive. Now if you can imagine, there are very many shots that offer little reaction time to a futsal goalkeeper. An 11-a-side goalkeeper will normally choose to dive to save the shot, which on a low, hard shot is not beneficial since the ball will have hit the net before the dive is completed. This will leave egg on the face of the goalkeeper, not to mention bruised limbs.

The goalkeeper in futsal should use legs or feet to save low shots for a number of reasons. One is that it is the quickest and most efficient way of moving into the line of a shot. Second, the goalkeeper can remain on his/her feet for rebounds and follow-up shots. Third, the goalkeeper is not hitting the hard surface on a regular basis, avoiding constant impact injuries. As a coach I would introduce a saving low shot game plan, very simple but certainly one that gives the goalkeeper a template to work from!

The point I'm making is that the hardest technique to conquer for a futsal goalkeeper is defending the hard low shots and using good blocking techniques. With a breakdown of technique and movements, i.e. the three movements of a split leg save, the coach can help the goalkeeper to gain an understanding of the successful method and the scenario in which to use it. Over time and with practice, this technique can be developed.

Q: In watching highlights from the best leagues and FIFA tournaments, I've noticed that many futsal goals are scored on set plays from kick-ins.  There isn't as much time for a goalie to set up the defense as would be the case in a free kick. Is there a rule of thumb for a keeper in that situation? Would it be similar for corner kicks?


When it comes to set pieces, offensive or defensive, most of the preparation and organizing will be done in training, as you rightfully mention there is very little time to set up set-pieces off the cuff. It’s important that every player and goalkeeper knows their responsibility the instant the ball goes out of play for a restart. Therefore, getting this right in training is paramount!

Communication is the key since a call will be made by a field player or goalkeeper to set up for a set piece in a number of ways. Spain have over 30 offensive set piece plays that they have rehearsed, so needless to say the only way that all the players can instantly move into a the correct position and time and synchronize the movements is through training. As matches go on, a coach may tinker with the set-ups, but there is almost certainly a template that a goalkeeper will focus on.

From a goalkeeper’s point of view, line of vision is important when setting up for a set piece, since we know that with its fast pace, futsal can produce a shot in an instant. Often you will see on a defensive corner a player a yard off the touchline blocking the cross-goal pass but allowing the goalkeeper complete sight of the ball. The goalkeeper must have a defensive set up that nullifies many direct attacking options, i.e. a direct shot or pass to the far post while also ensuring that players are marked etc. The goalkeeper also needs to see where the ball is moving, as well as being aware of the off-the-ball movements in order to react to scenarios appropriately. It all highlights the importance of positioning, communication and vision. There is a lot to consider is a very short period of time.

 Q: Finally, from your CV, it would seem that you make your living coaching futsal. Is that true? What's your typical day like? If coaches here in the U.S. and Canada would like to contact you, what's the best way? Would you entertain offering a clinic for coaches in North America?

Sadly not, but I would love it to be my sole job and purpose in life as I am absolutely passionate about futsal! My “day job” is being a firefighter for Wiltshire County Fire Services, which keeps me very busy. I work four days continuously, then have four days off, which allows me to coach futsal. Essentially I have two jobs!

A typical day working with a domestic Brazilian Club team entails a theory-based session based on goalkeeper techniques, followed by an hour’s session of practical goalkeeping. The goalkeepers will join in with team training for another hour and then the session breaks for lunch. On return, there will be a team meeting based on tactics that could involve looking at DVDs of opposition teams and also of the home club’s individual and collective performances. This provides targets for the goalkeepers/players to concentrate on that can be taken into practical training for the afternoon.

The goalkeepers again spend an hour working on goalkeeper-specific technical work, then join in again for the team training. At the end of the day, there would be an evaluation/review session to ensure both goalkeepers and coaches are moving in the right direction. The essential goal is to create targets for the goalkeepers to strive for to improve and develop. This would be a continual process.

Q: Any interest with sharing your techniques with coaches in North America? If coaches in the U.S. and Canada would like to contact you, what's the best way? Would you entertain offering a clinic for coaches in North America?


Yes, I would love to do clinics to spread the word of futsal and futsal goalkeeping.  It's a great game that everyone can enjoy! If I ever have the opportunity to work in North America and Canada, I would be a very lucky man and very grateful for the opportunity. It would truly be an honor and privilege. Feel free to contact me at rewreading@yahoo.co.uk.

Next month: Andy Reading discusses his training New Zealand goalies, and preparing the four most advanced keepers for a series of friendly games with Australia.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Topdrawersoccer.com focuses on the role futsal plays in an MLS academy

If you're not familiar with www.topdrawersoccer,com, it's a national resource of information on all aspects of the game. On Oct. 8, reporter J.R. Eskilson of ESNN published an online story about the role futsal plays in the year-round development of Sporting Kansas City's academy teams. He interviewed Jon Parry, director of the academy and a former U.S. National Team player.


Sporting KC Academy grows on the hardwood

By J.R. Eskilson, ESNN

With six wins from six games, the Sporting Kansas City Academy is one of the top clubs in the USSF’s Development Academy through the opening weeks of the season.
The secret to Sporting’s success may be off the field though.
Academy Director of Coaching Jon Parry is a firm believer in the positive role of Futsal, five-a-side indoor soccer with no walls, in a player’s development.
boys club soccer coach jon parry
Jon Parry (Photo by David Knopf, USYF)
city.
“Last year, we had 287 teams sign up for the local league . . . most we have ever had,” Parry said. “This year, we closed registration a week early because we had already reached 400 teams. That’s over 4,000 kids in Kansas City alone!”
This growth has taken time though. Parry said when he would first walk into a meeting with local club coaches; only one or two would raise their hands when asked if they knew about Futsal.
Parry takes a unique approach when implementing the game with the youth teams at his club.
The Sporting Kansas City Academy consists of four teams (U12, U14, U16, and U18) for the two older age groups, the Futsal season only lasts for a few months and the teams continue to train outdoors during that period as well.
“We use it during winter time,” Parry explained. “We split the U18 and U16 teams into six equal teams.”
It is not just scrimmages though. The club brings in referees and keeps everything official for the games to keep the level up.
“It is very competitive. Our academy teams really enjoy it.”
Parry’s enthusiasm about the sport led him on a trip to Spain last month with the adidas International Training Program. Parry along with six others visited two professional Futsal clubs there as well as getting the chance to see Barcelona’s setup.
“They are the only La Liga club with a professional Futsal team too. It was unique to see how it goes – at a certain age, maybe U13 or U14, they begin to concentrate on either Futsal or soccer.”
The hope is for this to be an ongoing relationship between some of the Spanish Futsal clubs and Sporting.
Sporting’s success is not only attributed to Futsal though. Over the last few years, Parry and his staff have cultivated a group of talented young players, which are passing through the youth club now.
This season’s early results reflect that and a preseason that did not include any fitness test.
“Everything was through our drills,” Parry said about getting ready for the season. “At the end of the games, we are still pressing and it is evident that our preseason is paying off.”
The preseason lasted six weeks and included a few scrimmages.
A number of Academy players also got a chance to play with the Sporting Kansas City Reserve team during the Academy’s preseason, which was an invaluable experience for players like David Leichty, Eduardo Moreno, and Erik Palmer-Brown.
Parry described Leichty as a center midfielder who has really matured recently and one of the players the club is looking at for down the road.
“[Eduardo] Moreno has done extremely well for us,” Parry said. “He has a chance to be with the first team during next year’s preseason.”
The youngest of the trio is Erik Palmer-Brown who is a member of the U.S. U15 Boys National Team. The fluid center back is playing up three ages with the U18 squad this season.
Parry believes Palmer-Brown has the tools, but it is about refining certain parts of his game now to make it to the next level.
“Technically, he has to get better. He needs to clean up his technique,” Parry said when asked about getting Palmer-Brown to the professional level. “His training habits need to be sharper too. The other challenge is mentally. Can he handle with the grind every day?”
For Palmer-Brown, there is still a long road ahead in his development, which likely includes a stop or two at the Futsal court before making it to Livestrong Sporting Park.
TopDrawersoccer.com is a division of Advanced Sports Media, with headquarters in Long Beach, Calif.

A six pack of futsal videos, everything from Falcão to Phillipine inmates to a preview of the 2013 USYF national tournament

"Falcon gives show and leaves gaping fan of Neymar 'is from another planet'!" is what you get when you ask Google Translate to transform the Portuguese video title (Falcão dá show e deixa o fã Neymar de boquiaberta 'É de outro planeta'!) to English. After watching this exciting highlight clip of a Santos-Carlos Barbosa game in the Brazilian professional league, however, it all begins to make sense. Falcão, who now plays futsal for Santos, the same club that boasts Neymar outdoors, comes off the bench to punish Carlos Barbosa not once, but twice, for using a fifth attacker. The first goal shows Falcão's great awareness and accuracy at distance, but it can't match his second goal for sheer "Wow Factor". Try translating that to Portuguese, Google! And the announcer in this fun video rises to the occasion.


Similar in idea to a section of “Find the Game,” a non-fiction book and documentary featured in last month’s newsletter, this FIFA film sheds light on the role futsal plays for inmates in a prisoner in the Philippines. As we’re quickly learning, futsal is played outdoors in much of the world … on courts, streets and any hard surface.


In this 2010 video, one school of thought – that futsal improves the skills of outdoor players – takes center stage. It features a U-11 premier girls’ team from Otto Orf’s USYF league in Cleveland. The girls have been well coached to use their soles to stop of the ball, turn and create space, and do it almost every time they take possession.


In this month's Hot Links from the Futsal Griddle, we look at the effort Denmark and FIFA are making to develop futsal there. And we've frequently observed the progress England's FA is making to incorporate futsal, both with a national league, youth programs and the national team. In this video, the two futsal debutantes, England and Denmark, face off in a two-game friendly series.


United States Youth Futsal videographer John Hassis located this gem in his wide-ranging Internet explorations. How popular is futsal in Spain? Popular enough to support Marca TV’s “Pista Azul,” a highlight show that focuses on LNFS, the Spanish professional futsal league, and other futsal-related topics. This is the first program in the series, so there will be more. For the non-Spanish-speaking, “Pista Azul” refers to the playing surface – literally “blue track”.  A number of LNFS teams use the surface, as you’ll see in the highlight reel. It’s not to be confused with Blue Track, Microsoft’s new all-surface computer mouse. Make some popcorn; pour a drink. This runs three-quarters of an hour.


USYF will host its 2013 National Futsal Championships at the beautiful New Century Fieldhouse in suburban Gardner, Kan. The fieldhouse will be outfitted with seven regulation futsal courts. Here’s a preview video.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Hot Links off the futsal griddle

Click on the link to read the story in its original form ...

Brazil is always the team to beat in international futsal, but the team’s coach is cautious with other “favorites” in the field in Thailand. This is an interview conducted for www.fifa.com.


Will Thailand’s new futsal arena be ready for games? The host country is keeping a positive front, but others were more skeptical. Here’s a report, include photos and a video, from the Bangkok Post.

An 18-0 win in a first-round game in the UEFA Futsal Cup's Elite Round? On the road? That’s what Barcelona-Alusport did when it traveled to Slovenia to face MNK Split.

Only a few teams will get out of Dodge … with a futsal title. Western Kansas town famous for gunfights to host futsal tournament later this month.

Sean Bowers’ popular 619 Futsal, a USYF affiliate that started play a year ago, gears up for the fall 2012 season. Soccernation.com, which has followed the league’s development, published a preview story in October.

The U.S. and England aren’t the only nations working to develop a foundation for futsal. FIFA officials visited Denmark recently to help that country develop a new perception – and infrastructure – for the indoor game.

Maicon, who played futsal in Brazil, is with Manchester City
Manchester Futsal Club, Manchester City from Premiership form partnership; the Brazilian player Maicon makes appearance.


After trip to Spain for a futsal coaches' clinic, Massachusetts Futsal director of officials Soorena Farboodmanesh is inspired to raise level of the game here



When Soorena Farboodmanesh works with referees in Massachusetts Futsal Association, his perspective on how the game is played is influenced by a recent trip to Spain.

Soorena Farboodmanesh
Farboodmanesh, MFA’s director of officials and the reigning Massachusetts State Referee Committee Referee Administrator of the Year, was among a group of United States Youth Futsal representatives who attended a coaches’ clinic in Spain in September. The group visited a professional training facility and attended Spanish Futsal Super Cup games. But Farboodmanesh and the others were first exposed the game’s subtleties during clinic lectures by the technical staff of Liga Nacional Futbol Sala.

And language was hardly an obstacle, he and the others say.

“They made it so easy for us,” said Farboodmanesh. “We got it. The translator helped a lot, but we would’ve gotten it anyhow.”

From a coach’s viewpoint, Farboodmanesh learned that in Spain professional futsal players specialize in the game, just as outdoor professionals do in the U.S. and other countries.

“In places like Spain, they play futsal as futsal, for the game itself, not because there’s no outdoor soccer,” he said.

Few, if any, also play outdoor soccer on a competitive level. That’s a big contrast to the U.S. or Canada, where players focus on outdoor soccer for nine or 10 months a year, then transition to a 10-week futsal season when winter arrives.

The specialization also means the games are played, coached and refereed differently. As a referee trainer, one thing Farboodmanesh observed is that in Spain futsal is more of a skillful, finesse game than it is in North America, where outdoor soccer has a big influence on the indoor game.

“In other countries, it’s less physical than what we do here,” he said. “That is one of the things that we constantly remind our referees. The technique of the players in Spain and Brazil, it is so much greater than it is here. If there is contact, the referees really apply the rules over there, the futsal rules.”
The result is that contact is reduced and the emphasis is on skillful individual play and combinations between players.

Farboodmanesh, a resident of Newton, Mass., refereed his first outdoor games at 21 in his native Iran before transitioning to futsal two years later. In 2001, he emigrated to the U.S. to study computer engineering and has stayed here ever since. He is now working on a graduate business degree in entrepreneurship.

And, almost 20 years later, he’s still involved in the game he loves.


During the clinic sessions in Spain, Farboodmanesh said he learned the game is coached differently than it is here. Professional practices are broken down into game-related situations where a team may work on set kick-in and corner-kick plays for 20 to 30 minutes during a training session. Since the game flows with little time to verbally organize, teams develop signals to label the desired runs on set pieces.
Farboodmanesh, right, with Jon Parry, part of the USYF trip to Spain.

Overall, training sessions are more structured than they are in North America, with greater emphasis on drills and game situations than scrimmaging.
“In Spain, futsal coaching is more structured than the ‘let them play’ over here,” Farboodmanesh said.

As with professional sports in the U.S. and Canada, there is also an emphasis on scouting and films that prepare players for the tendencies of opponents. A scouting coach will review specific things like “No. 6 is a right-footed player, No. 10 is a left-footed player” or how often a team that’s behind is likely to use its goalie as a fifth field player.

Futsal could well become that sophisticated here some day, but for now Farboodmanesh, 40, said his emphasis in Massachusetts is to refine the work of his league’s 70 referees. The league registered just under a combined 200 teams last winter for two sessions.

As a referee instructor – Farboodmanesh doesn’t assign games – teaches courses, critiques officials and leads certification and recertification classes.

And, as is the case with North American players, referees in the U.S. and Canada transition from the outdoor game to futsal and often bring habits and reference points with them.

“The referees that we have do a very good job outdoors as far as game management goes,” Farboodmanesh said. “Inside, they have to make game-management decisions faster. In refereeing, game management is the most important thing.”

Depending on his referees’ ages, Farboodmanesh said he might emphasize skills such as talking to coaches, limiting physical contact and communicating with players to prevent fouls and keep competition-fired tempers from spinning out of control.

As referees progress, there’s a potential reward for them – a trip to the U.S. Youth Futsal National Tournament, which will be held at a seven-court facility in Gardner, Kan. in February 2013. Farboodmanesh said he’s refereed at nationals since 2008 or so, after being named MFA’s Referee of the Year and becoming its director of referees.

“Every year, we pick two referees, a young referee and an adult as our Referees of the Year and we pay for them to go to nationals,” he said.