Archive for the 'Calcio' Category

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Vivicittà, the race that has crossed borders since 1984.

Published on March 31, 2025 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: vivicittà.

Less than a week remains until the start of Vivicittà 2025. This event, first launched in 1984, will bring runners of all ages to the streets of numerous Italian cities in the name of peace, environmental protection, rights, and Europe. The event is set for Sunday, April 6, at 9:30 AM, when the race will simultaneously begin in all participating locations.

Vivicittà is a race that breaks down barriers, just like the roads that connect places and people. It is an experience of discovery and encounter, symbolized by Piazza Transalpina in Gorizia, which links Italy and Slovenia, representing the end of all borders. This year, the event will also take place in several other countries: some races will be held in France and Bosnia, while the non-competitive version will even reach Japan, with events in Osaka and Yokohama.

Another distinctive aspect of Vivicittà is the connection between the inside and the outside, between the center and the outskirts. For this reason, the event will also take place within twenty penitentiary institutions, transforming these spaces into places of participation and inclusion. With the slogan “Open Doors,” Vivicittà promotes sports activities in prisons throughout the year, thanks to the commitment of Uisp territorial committees, which collaborate with prison administrations to organize disciplines such as volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, and dance.

This race is also a symbol of cultural integration because sports belong to everyone and are for everyone. There are no distinctions between professional athletes and enthusiasts—anyone can be a protagonist, regardless of age or ability. There are no exclusions, nor foreigners, because Vivicittà celebrates equality in sports. Thanks to a route compensation system, all participants are included in the rankings, reinforcing the idea of a competition that unites rather than divides. From large urban centers like Turin and Palermo to small villages full of history and charm, Vivicittà is a journey through landscapes and cultures.

Every participant can choose how to experience the event: there is a competitive 10 km race for the more trained runners, but also 3-4 km recreational walks for families and schools, bringing life to squares and parks with the colors of peace, represented by the multicolored official T-shirt. Last year, thousands chose the non-competitive version: 6,000 in Reggio Emilia, 5,000 in Bra, 1,600 in La Spezia, just to name a few.

Taking part in Vivicittà also means caring for the environment. In many cities, including Bari, Cagliari, Palermo, and Turin, awareness initiatives are planned for waste separation and proper plastic disposal, in collaboration with Uisp and Corepla, the National Consortium for the Recycling of Plastic Packaging.

“Vivicittà is like a relay race, a baton passed from hand to hand, reaching different cities and realities,” said Tiziano Pesce, Uisp national president. “It is a symbol of peace, inclusion, and environmental sustainability. This is the value of sports that we want to promote, together with the 40,000 participants expected this year. Once again, Vivicittà will connect historic centers and penitentiaries, disadvantaged neighborhoods and urban parks, demonstrating that sports can truly create connections and break down barriers.”

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Book review; Calcio e Autismo

Published on March 29, 2025 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Libri, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: autismo.

Autismo e Calcio

Una nuova metodologia d’integrazione e d’insegnamento

Alberto Cei e Daniela Sepio (a cura di)

Torgiano: Calzetti & Mariucci

2025, 150 pagine

From the educational experience promoted by the Integrated Soccer Academy, an innovative technical integration model has emerged, illustrated in this manual. It is centered on activities aimed at the development of young people with intellectual disabilities. Specifically, the objective is to integrate young individuals with intellectual disabilities by promoting grassroots soccer as a relational and rehabilitative tool.

The proposed working model is organized into teams and features tailored educational and training methodologies developed by youth soccer experts, sports psychologists, speech therapists, and medical professionals.

An equally important aspect is the positive social impact that can be achieved through collaboration with schools, special education teachers, and, of course, families, who are encouraged to participate in their children’s training sessions, share experiences, and actively engage in the educational project.

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The joys to things right

Published on March 28, 2025 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: gioia.

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Practical things to be positive: how many practice it daily?

Published on March 27, 2025 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments

Being positive towards oneself and confident in delivering an effective performance is based on implementing certain behaviors that allow transitioning from a previously unsatisfactory performance to an effective one. These simple actions include:

After making a mistake, take a deep breath and immediately visualize what needs to be done in the next moment.
When feeling overly worried about an upcoming competition, recall a past positive performance and allow yourself to experience the sensations associated with it.
During warm-up, establish a connection with the equipment or sporting tool you are using (ball, racket, weapon, boat, skis, bicycle), feeling that it is truly yours and an extension of yourself.
Also, during warm-up, become aware that your body is preparing for the competition and take pleasure in the sensations that indicate you are getting ready properly.
Mentally visualize, in the case of running, that your legs are moving as expected; if they feel too stiff, insist on strides to release unnecessary muscle tension. For other sports, identify the exercises that best highlight your readiness and focus on feeling the right sensations before the competition begins.
Instead of worrying about external factors (such as weather conditions or the strength of opponents), it is important to focus on what is within your control, such as preparation and race strategy.

These are just a few concrete examples of what an athlete can do to learn how to guide themselves into an optimal mental state before and during the competition. By following these guidelines, everyone can build their own path of physical, technical, and mental preparation before a competition. All the athletes know these things but how many practice them daily?

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How to change a little problem in a big one

Published on March 26, 2025 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments

In my work with athletes, I notice that the problems they encounter in their daily lives, filled with training and competitions, stem from both their sports and non-sports experiences. However, these issues become magnified when they don’t have someone to share and talk about them with. In my opinion, crises arise from not having someone by their side to share their emotions and fears. As a result, these problems don’t get resolved immediately but turn into persistent thoughts that lead to negative days and unsatisfactory performances.

Especially for the most competitive athletes, this struggle with performance can push them to train even harder, hoping to solve the issue. It’s clear that this approach feels like a punishment: “Since you’re not succeeding, work even harder.”

When problems arise in life, the first step is to accept them as a natural part of one’s experience. Breakups happen, doubts about one’s athletic abilities arise, the feeling of having no friends or being alone can surface. These are certainly unpleasant moments, but they happen to everyone and should be accepted just like a road with potholes. Accepting that you’re struggling is necessary to move on to the next step: how can I overcome this?

Only by recognizing the difficulty can one find the motivation to seek a solution. If, instead, one believes that such things should never have happened, it becomes easier to shift from self-criticism to thinking either that one is simply unlucky or incapable of preventing these situations.

Think about it!

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Empathy relevance in football

Published on March 25, 2025 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: empatia.

In recent days, there has been a lot of talk about Thiago Motta’s lack of empathy and how this absence has been one of the issues that led to his dismissal from Juventus, given the team’s poor results in this new competitive season.

Empathy is a fundamental quality for a coach of a top football team because it allows them to deeply understand their players, motivate them, and create a positive and winning environment. Here’s why it is so important:

Player Management and Leadership
In an elite team, every player has a strong personality and often a developed ego. The coach must be able to connect with each one, understand their needs, and find the best way to motivate them without creating tensions in the locker room.
Handling Pressure and Stress
Top teams operate under enormous media pressure and high expectations. An empathetic coach can recognize when players are struggling and provide the necessary support, both personally and professionally.
Effective Communication
Empathy improves communication between the coach and the team. A coach who listens and understands their players’ perspectives can convey tactical ideas more clearly and effectively.
Motivation and Team Spirit
An empathetic coach knows what to say at crucial moments to inspire the team. They can create a strong sense of belonging, pushing players to give their best not just for themselves but for the group.
Handling Crises
Defeats, injuries, and personal issues can affect a player’s performance. A coach with empathy knows when to intervene, how to support their athlete, and how to help them regain confidence and motivation.
Relationships with Staff and Media
A coach doesn’t just interact with players but also with the technical staff, management, and the press. Empathy helps build strong relationships and manage tense situations effectively, avoiding unnecessary conflicts.

In summary, a top team coach must not only be a great strategist but also an excellent people manager. Empathy enables them to turn a group of talented individuals into a united and winning team.

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Coaches’ coaching style

Published on March 19, 2025 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments

Pitt, T., Thomas, O., Lindsay, P., Hanton, S., & Bawden, M. (2020). A framework of single-session problem-solving in elite sport: A longitudinal, multi-study investigation. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 566721.

A framework of single-session problem-solving in elite sport: A longitudinal, multi-study investigation.In the sports coaching environment, it is recognized that developing athletes’ autonomy and problem-solving skills are crucial to support holistic development and ensure optimal performance. However, there needs to be more information on how coaches use and value different teaching methods in training and how athletes perceive and value these methods.

This study aimed to examine coaches’ and athletes’ perceptions of the use and value of reproductive, productive problem-solving, and productive athlete-initiated teaching methods. To this end, the Coaches’ Use of Teaching Methods Scale which is validated for the use of coaches and athletes, was applied to 70 coaches and their 294 athletes of youth sports teams purposefully selected from four cities in Türkiye.

Although there were statistically significant differences between the responses of coaches and athletes regarding the use of different teaching methods in their training and the value they gave to these methods, both groups marked the frequent use of reproductive, occasional use of productive problem-solving and rare use of productive athlete-initiated teaching methods during training. The value given to productive athlete-initiated teaching methods in terms of enjoyment, learning, and motivation by the athletes was higher than the value given to them by the coaches.

The study’s findings strongly indicate the coaches’ professional needs in their pedagogical knowledge, specifically on their value perceptions of productive problem-solving and productive athlete-initiated teaching methods and the capacity to apply them.

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The knowledge of sports

Published on March 18, 2025 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments

To establish an advanced psychological training program, it is essential to understand the typical psychological implications of a specific sport discipline. In general terms, it can be stated that sports that are predominantly tactical and situational, as well as precision sports, require lower levels of activation compared to those characterized by power and speed, which demand high levels of activation. However, this is not valid for all sports; for example, rugby, a team sport, requires particularly high levels of activation.

When analyzing different groups of sports, it can be stated that:

Endurance sports (e.g., long-distance running, marathon, race walking, road cycling, rowing, canoeing, windsurfing, swimming, cross-country skiing) require the ability to tolerate and manage physical fatigue during competition. They necessitate a strong awareness of bodily sensations to recognize and anticipate critical moments in the race.
Precision sports (e.g., archery, clay shooting, target shooting, golf, billiards, curling, bocce) require a combination of technical precision and speed, meaning concentration must be entirely focused on execution. These sports require intermediate or low activation levels, to the extent that heart rate decreases before executing a shot, and athletes perform in a semi-apnea state. In these disciplines, the only way to recover from a mistake is to wait for opponents to make errors.
Sports involving body coordination in space (e.g., artistic gymnastics, figure skating, dance, synchronized swimming, diving, slalom skiing, giant slalom, snowboarding, free climbing) aim for an ideal execution, although athletes acknowledge that achieving perfection is nearly impossible. Even minor errors can lower performance quality and the score given by the judges.
Short-duration sports (e.g., 100m and 200m sprints, relays, 400m, swimming, jumps, throws, ski jumping, weightlifting) require total concentration for the entire event duration. The ability to effectively manage impulsiveness and avoid premature reactions at the starting signal is crucial.
Combat sports (e.g., fencing, boxing, martial arts, wrestling) demand a high level of mental and physical reactivity throughout the fight. The ability to anticipate the opponent’s moves is highly important. Due to the short duration of the matches, it is essential for athletes to feel engaged and perform effectively from the very first moments of the fight.
Team sports (e.g., soccer, volleyball, basketball, handball, water polo, rugby, hockey, American football, baseball) require the development of tactical thinking within a collaborative team environment, with moderate activation levels.
Individual opposition sports with a tactical focus (e.g., tennis, table tennis, badminton) require the development of tactical thinking tailored to the athlete’s personal skills and the opponent’s characteristics. These sports demand high activation levels due to the high number of exchanges and the fast pace of play.

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Juventus culture and Thiago Motta

Published on March 17, 2025 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: Juventus, Thiago Motta.

I’m convinced that a team’s history is a decisive factor that a football coach must take into great consideration if he wants to succeed with that team. In this case, I am referring to Juventus and Thiago Motta’s adventure on this bench. History explains the mentality of this sporting environment, its culture, and its expectations, which remain unchanged despite coaching changes, player transfers, and shifts in management.

This does not mean adopting a conservative approach but rather understanding the motivations and principles upon which the Club’s history has been built—where this mentality comes from, the one that states, “The only thing that matters is winning,” as Giampiero Boniperti famously put it.

The origins of this approach can be traced back to coach Carlo Carcano, who won four out of five consecutive league titles with Juventus in the early 1930s. His motto was: “First, don’t concede,” which emphasized a solid defensive team that won by narrow margins—what Massimiliano Allegri, 80 years later, would call “winning with a short nose.”

At times, Juventus has tried to change this mentality, as seen with Maifredi, Sarri, and Pirlo—coaches who lasted no more than a single season. Furthermore, Juventus is a club that lives in the present and does not allow itself the time to build for the future; winning must happen immediately, leaving no room for experiments. It is a team that has always paired great number 10s and strikers with equally great defenses.

Anyone who comes to coach this team must understand the value of this philosophy, which has remained unchanged for nearly 100 years.

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Physical activity and wellbeing: the role played by optimism

Published on March 14, 2025 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: ottimismo.

Wang, D., Zhang, Y., Yang, R. (2025). Physical activity, social capital and subjective well-being. The moderating roles of optimism. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 56(1), 71-87.

Based on the China General Social Survey (CGSS) data in 2017, conditional process analysis was used to examine the relationship between physical activity and subjective well-being (SWB).

This study found that, first of all, physical activity positively predicts SWB.

Second, social networks mediate the relationship between physical activity and SWB. Physical activity has an indirect effect on SWB through social networks.

Third, optimism can moderate the mediating effect of social networks on the relationship between physical activity and SWB. As optimism scores increased, the link between physical activity and social capital weakened, further affecting SWB.

The results of this study further reveal the mechanism of relationship between physical activity and the improvement of subjective well-being, which is of great significance for strengthening the construction of physical activity facilities and social relationship networks to improve residents’ well-being.

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