First, a little story …
Once there were two young players.
One trained 4 times a week in very structured sessions with coaches who dictated everything and focused a lot on things like cone drills.
The other spent hours in the park with mats, inventing games and trying new skills and had training sessions with great compensation and coaches who did not try to control every decision of the players.
Years later, both players were technically very good …
But one had a creative spark.
They saw the passes that others do not.
They made things happen out of nowhere.
They seemed to make the best decision at the right time.
Guess which one?
The creative player was the one who had played the most informally.
A recent study found that players who spent more time in unstructured informal football were significantly more creative in the field.
But why?
Because the informal game = freedom.
Without cones. No pressure. There is no coach shouting.
Just experiment, make decisions, solve problems, have fun.
Informal game helps children:
- Try new things without fear
- Make faster decisions
- Become more adaptable
- Solve probles on your own
On the other hand, too much structured training can sometimes limit creativity.
Players can become great “robots”, technically solid, but predictable.
Why develop more creative and safe players?
Let the theme play.
Not only in sessions, but outside them.
In gardens, parks, streets, school playgrounds.
Trainers and parents:
Yes, structured training can be important.
But creative players are born where freedom lives. Create space for both.
Trainers, leave time for uninterrupted purchase in their sessions.
Parents, find training where Freeplay is a promotion and/or try to facilitate park/street football if possible (if you are a member of the foot technology, you already have this covered!)
Study credit: development activities in the acquisition of creativity in soccer players. André Roca and Paul R. Ford
