ForeFront Football operates with a clear mission: to improve training methodology. We do this by advising professional clubs, promoting both in-person and online training programs, and mentoring coaches from around the world in the Locational Play—the tactical evolution of the classic positional play—which we had the opportunity to develop and conceptualize during our time in FC Barcelona’s methodology department.
However, our methodology isn’t limited to the collective or conceptual level. The game, first and foremost, belongs to the soccer players. That’s why, through observation and analysis of their matches, we work with players to help them reach their peak athletic performance. This is the precise approach we take in our service for players, as in the case of Dani Olmo, where our goal is not to rewrite his style of play, but to refine the richness of his interactions with his environment (teammates, opponents, the ball, the goal, etc.).
To achieve this, we move away entirely from traditional mechanistic analysis and focus on three fundamental aspects.
1. The realm of intentions (rather than technical actions)
La corriente clásica del entrenamiento suele fragmentar el juego evaluando “acciones técnicas” aisladas: un control, un pase, un remate. En ForeFront Football cambiamos el foco: nosotros no analizamos gestos técnicos, sino intenciones.
Technique is inextricably linked to decision-making that only makes sense within a specific context. Our job is to identify the intentions that the player is already expressing on the field so that, from there:
- Strengthen them if they are highly functional.
- Optimize them if decision-making is not entirely appropriate in certain contexts.
- Transfer them to different contexts that the player hasn’t yet explored, but where we agree they would be highly beneficial.
We do not intend to suggest actions that are completely at odds with the player’s nature, nor do we intend to alter their natural technical profile. Our goal is to refine their decision-making by providing them with valuable sources of information, whether for making the decision itself or for the potential outcome resulting from their decision.
2. The Management of Space-Time: The Legacy of Paco Seirul·lo
How does a player perform within a specific spatial and temporal context? To answer this question, we draw upon and rigorously apply the space-relational criteria that Paco Seirul·lo shared with us during our work in FC Barcelona’s methodology department.
What gesture and profile should you adopt in a given context to convey a specific intention? There’s no easy answer—it depends on each situation—but we can help you based on your proven skills and by taking into account key factors in your surroundings.
What is the most efficient trajectory, or at what tempo should a particular technical action be performed? Once again, it depends on the context: opponents, teammates, position, score… an endless list of factors to consider.
In this module of our online ” Locational Play” course, you can explore the meaning of the space-relational criteria.
We evaluate how the four elements mentioned above interact with one another and whether they align with the intention the player wishes to express. At this point, we challenge two of the major dogmas of mechanistic soccer:
- The Fallacy of Speed: Good time management doesn’t mean doing everything as fast as possible; sometimes, taking a break and slowing down are what give you control of the situation.
- The Fallacy of Progression: Effective spatial management does not mean advancing toward the opponent’s goal; ball redistribution —a key aspect of the Locational Play— is the most direct path to gaining an advantage in the game.
3. Motor Communication and Counter-Communication
Soccer is a socio-emotional sport. The space-relational criteria described above are not merely biomechanical tools, but rather a channel for transmitting information. Every motor action conveys a message.
We help players decode and select the most relevant sources of information from both their teammates and their opponents. From there, we teach them to use body language to master two key areas:
- Communication: Make your intentions clear through body language so that your teammates can anticipate the play and coordinate their movements in unison.
- Counter-communication: Concealing information or feeding false information to your opponent using one or more of the space-relational criteria is what distinguishes a good player from an elite one.
A methodology that respects the player
We don’t set the tactics. Tactics and game plans are the sole responsibility of the team’s coach. Nor do we want to—nor can we—change the essence of the player.
Our role is that of facilitators. We respect the player’s identity and enrich it, equipping them with physical and cognitive tools so they can express their full potential. In short, we help them master the management of their own body in space and time, refine their decision-making, and communicate much more intelligently with teammates and opponents within their shared playing context.
© ForeFront Football
