Archive for the 'Young and Football' Category

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Review book: The Autism Fitness Handbook

Published on April 8, 2016 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Libri, Stress and Young and Football. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

The Autism Fitness Handbook

David S. Geslak

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London & Philadelphia

2015, 168 p. – 54 illustrations

 

This book is one of the very few contributions devoted to provide information, guidance and practical supports  to people who want to start a motor program with children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The main goal achieved by David Geslak is to write and focus us on abilities, rather than on mental and physical problems. It’s a true fitness book, which describe a specific program based on 46 exercises to practice. The Author said the program has been used not only with children but with adults too, determining improvements independently from the ability possessed at the begin of the activity.

The program is divided in four parts: engage, educate, empower and exercise. The first part talks about the way to involve the children in the program. In this section very important are the patient and motivation of the teachers, their ability to provide structure and routine and the use of visual supports (e.g., pictures, cards, timers), in the same time it’s important that the parents at home are committed in the same direction, improving the child health, for example also following an adequate food and beverage management and continue the movement activities.  The second part talks about education, that means why they are exercising. In this section are described the five components of physical fitness: body image, motor coordination, posture, muscular and cardiovascular fitness. There is also an additional item regarding the children abdominal strength, part of the body image and muscular fitness,  weak in these children and it needs to be reinforced. The third part talks about empower, in this section are reviewed the champion stories and exercise routines used by David Geslak with eight people with ASD. The fourth part regards the exercise area. It proposes exercises following the five components, including abdominal strength. Each of the 46 exercises is described in term of goal satisfied, how to do, repetitions and coaching tips. I appreciate this contribute to spread the physically active life style also in children with ASD, based on the assertive concept to start from their competences to improve them in the long period with a specific program.

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Italian Football Association open its doors to the sport psychologists

Published on December 22, 2015 in Allenatori, Calcio, Generale, Giovani and Young and Football. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Waiting that the role of sport psychologist is required again among the requested criteria to become in Italy Elite Football School, the youth and school department of the Italian Football Association has nevertheless made a significant step forward in the recognition of this professional. It has decided and informed the football schools that the choice of the psychologist to use in the clubs will take place only among those who attended a master’s degree in sport psychology. Therefore, from next year it will not be enough to be graduated in psychology  but it will need to have a title proving to have this specific training in sport psychology. The recognition of the specificity of this professional field is important because as with the doctor there are specific skills that the psychologists ignore and instead are needed to work with the young children and adolescents and there are clinical or psychotherapeutic skills to be used by the psychologists must be adequate to the sport context in which they will work.

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Parent’s Code of Conduct

Published on December 15, 2015 in Calcio, Generale, Giovani, Tennis, Tiro a volo and Young and Football. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

The top concern of Canadians is poor parental behaviour (60%), followed by lack of access for some people (48%) and violence (48%).

If children are to grow and develop in their sport or physical activity, an environment of positive communication and respect must exist. Parents should observe the following Code of Conduct with their child athletes. The following code is taken from a resource manual developed for community coaches by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES).

  • I will remember that my child plays sport for his or her enjoyment, not for mine.
  • I will encourage my child to play by the rules and to resolve conflicts without resorting to hostility or violence.
  • I will teach my child that doing one’s best is as important as winning, so that my child will never feel defeated by the outcome of a game/event.
  • I will make my child feel like a winner every time by offering praise for competing fairly and trying hard.
  • I will never ridicule or yell at my child for making a mistake or losing a competition.
  • I will remember that children learn best by example.
  • I will applaud good players’ performances by both my child’s team and their opponents.
  • I will not force my child to participate in sports.
  • I will never question the official’s judgement or honesty in public.
  • I will support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from children’s sporting activities.
  • I will respect and show appreciation for the trained volunteer coaches who give their time to provide sport activities for my child, understanding that I have a responsibility to be a part of my child’s development.

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The sport psychologist in football school… is elite

Published on November 10, 2015 in Allenatori, Calcio, Generale, Giovani and Young and Football. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

The Italian Football Federation was the only one Federation requiring the sport psychologist for theFootball schools who wish to become qualified or elite, as they are currently defined. This year the Federation delete this rule, this step back requires an equally significant reaction from the sport psychologists engaged in youth football. The official statement indicates that the Football school to be called élite could, among ohers options, “develop a training project during the football season, in collaboration with one ” Sports Psychologist ” experienced and certified.”

The contribution of such experience must be identified in the implementation of projects supporting specific figures involved in the educational process of the child (staff, parents, etc.).”
The psychologist will be an optional choice of the Football school, it’s no more mandatory to have in the club staff the psychologist. The clinical psychologist organize, very often in the Football school, improbable meetings with parents, however, such activity has nothing to do with sport psychology. So what she does and what she offer the sport psychologist in a Football school to really become an élite tool?
Through my experience in youth football I can define some basic guidelines, characterizing a project of sport psychology in Football school: the adequacy of the method adapted to the age of young athletes, the social surrounding and the organizational environment; the use of specific psychological tools; the continuity of the times, the constant monitoring and validation; planning specific psychological objectives, also across the other areas (technical, tactical, motor skills), the design of practical interventions allowing the achievement of shared goals.
Here are a number of proposals that must be developed, organized and obviously adapted to the context:

  • Training of coaches
  • Observation on the pitch and data sharing
  • Meeting with parents with a previous needs analysis, they have to be scheduled and conducted through interactive teaching techniques
  • Integrated projects, on specific topics within the club and the territory
  • Professional lab with psychologists and coaches
  • Studies-research on particular soccer aspects

These are just some of the many practical suggestions that the sport psychologist may propose in a Football school.
Finally I would like to remind both psychologists and Football school collaborators that it’s not possible any collaboration without a fundamental activity: stay in the pitch. One day, after listening to my experience, a manager of Football school asked me amazed: but then the psychologist stay in the pitch?
Sports psychologist has to stay in the pitch and there is no sport professional that it does not touch the green rectangle and this is even more true when we talk about children and football.
The activities that can be performed are varied and can, if well organized, have a strong impact on the Football school performances. If you are a sport psychologists or a Football School professional, contact me if you want to learn more.

(by Daniela Sepio)

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Why to study Sport Psychology

Published on October 19, 2015 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis, Tiro a volo and Young and Football. 0 Comments

Le domande più frequenti che mi sono state poste in questo periodo dagli psicologi che mi hanno contattato per avere informazioni sul Master di II Livello che stiamo organizzando con l’Università Telematica San Raffaele.

  • Sono psicoterapeuta cosa imparo da una formazione in Psicologia dello Sport?
  • Da anni lavoro come psicologo professionista, perché dovrei frequentare un master in Psicologia dello Sport?
  • Sono psicologo, mi piace lo sport ma so che è difficile trovare un lavoro come psicologo dello sport cosa devo fare?
  • Sono psicologo e atleta/allenatore cosa imparo dalla Psicologia dello Sport che già non so?
  • Con questa crisi economica dove trovo lavoro come psicologo dello sport? E quindi perché formarmi?
In Italia vi sono circa 600.000 allenatori, 7.000 scuole calcio, 250 psicologi lavorano nelle Scuole Calcio, solo nel Lazio vi sono 700 Scuole calcio (5-12 anni) e in ogni Regione vi è uno psicologo referente della FIGC- Settore Giovanile Scolastico.
  1. Almeno nel calcio, lo sport più diffuso, il bacino dei possibili clienti degli psicologi dello sport è molto numeroso. Le società sportive sono imprese piccole e medie imprese, che gestiscono centinaia di bambini, almeno una decina di allenatori e un numero molto ampio di genitori. Questi numeri le rendono particolarmente sensibili al lavoro dello psicologo dello sport nel lavoro con i bambini, gli allenatori e le famiglie.
  2. Per sua formazione lo psicologo e lo psicoterapeuta non hanno nessuna cognizione teorica e pratica sullo sviluppo del movimento e sull’apprendimento motorio nonché sui principi della metodologia dell’allenamento. Sono invece temi importanti per essere in grado di parlare il linguaggio dello sport con persone che sono esperte in questo ambito.
  3. Lo psicologo e lo psicoterapeuta non hanno una formazione in Psicologia dello Sport (PS) e in linea di massima ignorano anche la Psicologia della Prestazione e la ricerca del talento. Non per colpa loro ma perché queste tematiche non sono insegnate durante il corso di studi. Dico sempre ai giovani: “Se non sai citare almeno 10 psicologi dello sport e parlare delle loro ricerche, vuol dire che tu non lo sei”.
  4. E’ un’area di ricerca e professionale specifica le cui conoscenze e pratiche non possono venire tradotte dalla psicoterapia, dalla psicologia del lavoro o dalla psicologia della salute. Certamente la PS si serve di strategie e tecniche tratte da questi ambiti ma ne ha elaborate di proprie che richiedono studio e applicazione da parte dello psicologo professionista (ad esempio, l’allenamento dell’attenzione).  A tale riguardo ricordo che esistono 6 riviste scientifiche dedicate alla PS.
  5. Svolgere già da tempo il lavoro di psicologo dello sport senza avere avuto una formazione in questo ambito, riflette le buone capacità di avere saputo adattare le proprie competenze a un ambito diverso da quello previsto e direi che a questo punto una formazione in PS consentirebbe di continuare in modo specifico la formazione continuativa a cui dovrebbe aprirsi qualsiasi professionista.
  6. La crisi economica non dovrebbe essere un limite imprescindibile, poiché la formazione post-laurea è oggi una necessità imprescindibile per chi aspiri a diventare un professionista competente. Certamente è poco realistico pensare di sentirsi a proprio agio e fiduciosi nel proporsi a società sportive, federazioni o singoli atleti senza avere avuto una formazione adeguata. So che “molti colleghi provano” a fare questo lavoro senza essersi formati in PS, potrebbero impiegare i loro primi guadagni in un Master di PS.
  7. Infine, voglio dire che la formazione deve essere continua, perché è una necessità. Come svolgevo la mia attività 10 anni fa e sostanzialmente diverso da come la svolgo oggi e questo non solo a causa della diversità delle esigenze fra i clienti di oggi e quelli di ieri ma anche per lo sviluppo delle nuove tecnologie, delle conoscenze e delle modalità di sviluppo della consulenza che sono cambiate in tutto il mondo e che non possono essere ignorate.

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Guidelines to promote the movement among young

Published on September 22, 2015 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Stress, Tennis, Tiro a volo and Young and Football. 0 Comments
At the beginning of the new year at school, we remember some main guidelines to promote the movement among children and adolescents.
  • Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity daily.
  • Most of the 1 hour or more a day should be either moderate- or  vigorous-intensity aereobic physical activity.
  • As part of their daily physical activity, children and adolescents should do vigorous-intensity physical activity on at least 3 days a week. They also should do muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activity on at least 3 days of the week.
  • Work with the children and adolescents with special needs should be done identifying with their health care provider the type and amounys of physival activity appropriate to them. When possible they should meet the guidelines for children and adolescents – or as much activity as their condition allows. Children and adolescents should avoid being inactive.

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Surveys of the webinar “The psychology of sport in soccer school”

Published on June 11, 2015 in Allenatori, Calcio, Giovani, Mental coaching, Stress and Young and Football. 0 Comments Tags: , .

It took place on May 19 the webinar  entitled “Psychology of sport in school football.”

The webinar  addressed psychological, pedagogical and relational aspects of soccer school. The main topics have regarded practical tools and methods of action to manage the soccer school and youth training.
Among the practical tools were discussed the modalities of mental training for children: relaxation, visualization, goal setting designed and adapted to these age. The choice of this tool is based on the assumption that starting to include the mental training techniques at this level then the young will be ready and able to commit to a higher level with the right attitude, in sports and in life.

It also addressed the following issues:

  • construction of a developing process linked to the psychological characteristics
  • analysis and decoding of group dynamics in the soccer school: team building and conflict management
  • effective communication strategies related to coaching exercises at the different age
  • develop talent and creativity through fun
  • rcommunication management in the soccer school

I report the results of the surveys submitted during the webinar.

First survey

Which are the tools of effective communication more difficult to use?

  • active listening               33%
  • effective feedback           67%
  • other                                  33%

Second survey

Which are the features that you consider important to develop the creativity of young athletes?

  • suspend criticism and feedback during training            33%
  • give to the students psychological freedom                     67%
  • create an environment where you enjoy working         100%

Third survey

Which mental training techniques you are applying with your athletes?

  • positive thinking      67%
  • goal setting                67%
  • imagery                       33%

 

(by Daniela Sepio)

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Italian Football Association Report shows there is no place for young

Published on May 19, 2015 in Allenatori, Calcio, Generale, Giovani and Young and Football. 0 Comments Tags: , .

It was presented yesterday the annual report of the Italian Football Association that among the many data presented has highlighted one particularly bad: we are in last place in Europe for players coming from the youth programs (8.4%). That is accompanied by the presence of 54% of foreign players in Serie A. This is not a new situation because in 2013 the FIFA had found that:

  • xenophilia of the teams of Serie A, witnessed by fifth place for the use of foreign players: only the Cypriot, English, Portuguese, Belgian, Italian and Turkish Leagues  - in order – are above the threshold of 50% (52.2 %). Italy, in fact, tops the ranking of who neglects its young talent.
  • Percentage of players coming from the youth programs. Occupy lonely the last position with a percentage lower than 10% (7.8%), far from Germany (14.7%), Britain (17.5%), France (21.1%) and Spain (25, 6%).

This negative data emerges also when analyzing the best European teams. They come from the youth programs: Manchester United, 40%; Barcelona, ​​59%; Ajax, 55% and Montpellier, 44%.

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