From a content planning point of view, the specialization stage (U14-U18) is an in-between period from what was described above and the performance stage, where it is the player who must adapt to the requirements of the game model proposed by the coach. For this reason, the universal fundamentals will be combined with the individual fundamentals by position and, in a smaller proportion, some team fundamentals. At the end of this stage, though, this ratio should be inverted: higher importance should be given to team fundamentals and lower importance to the rest of fundamentals.

Now, let’s see an example of the U16 category:

The universal individual fundamentals for all positions that players should learn are those which require collective tactical intentions. For example: pass, cross, space creation and occupation or individual pressing.

Individual fundamentals by position are those where each player must know how to perform in their position based on the game situation. This group of content represents an adaptation from the previous group to the specific requirements of each position in the field.

Team fundamentals are those related with the team’s identity and the game model, and all players in the team must learn them. For instance, prepare concepts in the organized offensive and defensive phase or in the attack-defense and defense-attack transitions.

Finally, it is important to highlight two elements that are often forgotten. In the first place, we must bear in mind that in the U14-U18 stage, content must be planned and temporalize throughout each of the seasons, as we work on them from a procedural or conceptual perspective. From our point of view, this stage is where it is more important to conceptualize the learnings and where tools such as individual video analysis can be more useful.

And in the second place, we must take into account that aside from the content blocks we mentioned in this article, we must also plan the content for the block of values. Often clubs or football associations propose this type of content in the initial stages, linked to grassroots programs, but later omit them in teenagers. At Ekkono, we believe that, due to a number of reasons, it is necessary to consider values education always, although this can probably be a topic of discussion for another occasion.

Want to learn more about Individual Fundamentals by Position?

We offer detailed explanation of each Individual Fundamental per Position, delivered in videos which we call ‘Ekkono Performance Individual Secrets’, or just ‘Secrets’. Each secret is a 10-15 minutes video, which includes footage from professional football players performing the fundamental, detailed explanation of the fundamental and a proposed training drill for coaches to work that fundamental with their players.

Also, by joining the membership, you will get access to additional content such as: Youth material, Training Exercises Library, Live & Recorded Webinars, Tactical Analysis…

Find out more information by following the link below.