In this blog Marc Forrest, FA futsal coach developer and experienced coach talks about the demands, detail and potential learnings to be gained from working in elite level futsal.
Marc has been working within the top divisions of senior elite-level Spanish futsal as part of the first team technical coaching staff of professional futsal club, Peñíscola FS, partner club of Villareal CF.
Peñíscola FS reached the RFEF Division 1a Play Offs in 2022 and included several senior and age group internationals from Spain and Argentina. With this experience behind him, Marc shares his reflections.
The lived experiences in Spain were invaluable as a coach and person, with many people asking me what the biggest differences were and whether they have cemented or changed my outlook to futsal coaching. Here are my big takeaways for others to reflect upon in their own context:
Identity and culture
Winning is a necessity of any elite-level or professional environment but more than the metric of winning alone to determine success, more often than not, it is almost just as important the way in which the team plays or win. The team aligns with and represents the philosophy to the age-group pathway, the historical and cultural norms of the country or area of the club that allow for the players and supporters to identify with the team. Winning and losing is transient so by creating a sense of belonging to a broader objective or idea, the focus inherently becomes about performances whereby the result is a by-product rather than the sole focus.
The individual
Understanding each individual as a person and player from their perspective is fundamental. Everybody is different, with varying hardships, insecurities and motivations which can fluctuate rapidly. It is important to find the balance between challenging individuals to fulfil their potential and cope with the demands of the game whilst providing psychological safety to encourage greater exploration and expression.
Continued learning
There is no ‘right’ way to play the game, only ‘a’ way. Each team have unique dynamics with variations in coaching, playing style, player attributes and influences. It is important to continually reflect, improve and expand your knowledge base to best serve the players. People do not know what they don’t know and ultimately may not know the benefits of something until they have been exposed to them. We can never know enough or too much. The role of vulnerability, empathy and authenticity cannot be over emphasised.
Coaching competency and driving competition
All aspects of technical and tactical training are highly competitive with the priority to maximise transfer of learning from training into the match. Conditions and constraints of small-sided games can be used to drive competition and the intensity of training including the use of accumulative scoring across exercises, underloaded and overloaded practices, individual objectives, reduced playing area size and more.
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