FA Youth Coach Developer and Futsal Lead, Ian Parkes, reminds us of his key takeaways from Jorge Braz’s practical delivery at the 2018 FA Futsal Conference.
Portugal have just won the UEFA Futsal Euro 22, beating Russia 4-2 in the final. This means they became only the second reigning FIFA Futsal World Cup holders to win the Futsal EURO title after Spain (2001, 2005 and 2007). Portugal's run of winning three major tournaments in a row (EURO 2018, 2021 World Cup and EURO 2022) also equals Spain's feat from 2007 (2004 World Cup, EURO 2005 and EURO 2007).
Leading this record-equalling side is Head Coach, Jorge Braz. Named Head Coach of the Portugal Senior Men’s team in 2010 he has obviously been instrumental in building this team and guiding them to continued success at the highest level.
Jorge has always been an incredibly knowledgeable and humble man whenever I have spoken to him and we were fortunate to have him at the FA Futsal Conference in 2018. These were the key messages I took from his delivery, all of which I still consider when coaching today:
1. Coaching the smaller details is just as important as coaching the systems of play
2. Observation skills of the coach are vital
3. Encourage players to keep the ball moving and use more space when receiving
4. Body positioning is vital for players to see the bigger picture
5. Changing speed is vital in winning a 1v1 duels
6. Encourage players to cut across their opponent if they can
7. Opportunities to play is important in sessions
8. Use practices which make players think and involve goals with goalkeepers
9. Observe on, around and away from the ball
10. Encourage players to look for any advantage they can get – 1v1 or 2v1
11. Encourage players to think forwards first
Which of these key messages resonate for you? Comment below.
Image Credit - Olive Hardt - UEFA