2. Enrol on an Online Course + Get a Remote UEFA Pro Personal Coach
Yes, just like any university degree nowadays, football can also be studied remotely with Ertheo.
The best thing is that students get the same care and training they would from a face-to-face course. All the basic concepts of the game have been adapted to take students directly to the highest level.
What’s more, the course includes the supervision and advice of a remote UEFA Pro personal coach that provides each student with completely personalised evaluations and follow-ups to ensure their continuous improvement throughout the training sessions.
As for the theoretical part of the course, the syllabus includes the following topics:
- Offence: Basic concepts on offensive positioning, tactical insight, and ability to identify and exploit open spaces and opponent’s mistakes, as well as all technical aspects regarding ball control, strikes, dribbles, and passes.
- Defence: Defensive positioning on the field, adapting to the most common formations, the behaviour of each defensive position, risk management, and decision making.
- Out of Possession: Players are taught what to do when they are not in possession, whether they are close or far from the ball and their team is attacking or defending.
Individualised Plan for the Start of the Season
At the beginning of the season, training sessions are focused on improving players’ aerobic endurance. Working on their fitness is crucial for them to have enough energy to practise their technique and the basic aspects of the game.
Furthermore, this stage also involves working on their maximum strength because all competitive athletes must be strong, especially when it comes to contact sports.
Physical conditioning prepares players for the demands of a high-level match.
Individual Plan for the Season’s Competitive Period
At the start of the competitive period of the season, players begin to practise their anaerobic endurance, i.e., their ability to put in a highly intensive physical effort for a short period of time. This part of training is combined with explosive strength and speed sessions.
Once players are in peak physical condition, it is time to push further and start training their speed, a fundamental quality for being accepted into professional teams and earning playing time.
Additional Areas of Study
- Game Insight
Throughout the course, players will learn how to read a game and have a good understanding on the field.
In the offensive, defensive, and transition phases, players must be fully aware of their role in each period of gameplay so that they can avoid shortcomings within the team.
These training sessions test players’ intelligence and aim to drastically improve their decision making and risk management skills while on the field.
Of course, the tactical aspect of the game will also be discussed in depth so that players can adapt to several positions and adjust their game based on different match situations.
- Self-Awareness – Identifying your own Skills
Every player who wants to succeed in football must be aware of their own limitations and areas for improvement.
Identifying your strengths and weaknesses is of paramount importance, which is why at Ertheo we teach students about self-analysis and introspection.
Reinforcing our strengths and minimising our weaknesses is the safest way to reach the highest level, whereas hiding or denying any shortcomings you may have will only make you stagnate and become a limited player.
What’s more, being aware of your faults can help you develop humility, a much needed quality in all walks of life.
- Interpersonal-Awareness – Identifying the Opponents’ Skills
This is basically the same process as the previous point but focusing on the opponent instead of ourselves.
Studying your opponents before a match is a big plus when it comes to identifying their strengths and weaknesses. However, youth ranks don’t usually have the technology and resources to be able to study a team before a match, which is why you have to assess them on the spot.
This course teaches students to identify which specific technique, action, or movement an opposing player may struggle with in order to take full advantage.
Furthermore, recognizing the opponents’ strengths is just as important, so as to make defensive adjustments as necessary and avoid an opponent making a difference by repeating a previously successful play.
- Self-Control
Composure and good decision making are essential for maintaining control during a match. It is normal for young football players to be more impulsive and frantic, but it is important to understand that every action on the field has a consequence.
Self-control, the ability to maintain focus throughout a match, and leadership are much sought after qualities by coaches.
- Identifying Open Spaces
One of the most important parts of an offensive play is being able to identify open spaces between the lines of the opposing team.
On this course, players will learn how to spot and take advantage of open spaces to imbalance the opposing defence and create windows of opportunity to generate dangerous plays.
These spaces should not only be recognized by the player in possession of the ball, but also the player who must take that space in a timely manner. All players must therefore learn to identify open spaces and exploit them at the exact moment in order to surprise the rival team.
- Quick Thinking
Being fast on the field is very important, but it’s not much use if you cannot think on your feet before taking action.
The ability to react and improvise effectively against unexpected plays is something every player should develop.
The less time available, the harder it is to make a decision, but successful athletes know how to take advantage of these situations by acting quicker, being bolder, and gaining the upper hand.
- Taking Advantage of Open Spaces
Even though identifying an open space is step one, it is of no use if a player doesn’t know how to exploit it to throw off the opponent.
This area of study is focused on space distribution within the field and the effects certain movements and passes can produce in the opposing team.
- Time Management
Offensive phases cannot always have the same rhythm. Intensity should fluctuate so as to avoid predictable plays and exploit players’ strengths.
On this course, players will learn how to manage the tempo of a match according to the score, possession, and other variables.
A quick attack doesn’t always mean a successful one, and this will become very clear to players after the training sessions.
- Self-Analysis
Players must constantly self-evaluate in order to keep improving every aspect of their game.
No one can know your limitations, strengths, and weaknesses better than yourself. It is crucial to recognize the importance of self-analysing your performance and adopting an objective criterion regarding decision making and post-game evaluation.
- Gym Routine for the Season
The academy provides each student with a personalised gym routine based on their age, weight, and physical condition. This way, players can make the most of their gym sessions.
- Examples of role models according to their position
There is no better way to learn than by watching the best players in action. On this course, students will study several football role models who play in different positions.
The aim is to encourage students to incorporate and adapt the technical and tactical resources of these prominent players into their own skill repertoire.
