Tactical Periodization - A Proven Successful Training Model

Tactical Periodization is a proven successful football coaching method. All training is driven by tactical training. It allows you the coach, to improve all other attributes (technical, conditioning and decision making) at the same time, within every single tactical practice.

You will learn how to use periodization to train your players at the correct intensity for each day of the week, making sure they are always prepared tactically, mentally and physically for competitive matches. Your players (and team) will react quicker, be sharper, and make better decisions in all tactical situations.

Tactical Periodization also helps you accelerate your players' understanding of their positional roles and responsibilities in an efficient way, which ultimately improves the team's tactical performance.

José Mourinho: “It’s all planned and researched so we create these training sessions that are harder than a game. It gives us confidence knowing we have trained to a greater intensity.”

The "Game Model" guides the entire training process. Training must “model” the game through specific practices (specificity) that include all the tactical game principles designed by the coach. You will learn the principle of performance stabilisation, so you can maintain your team’s high performance levels throughout a full season.

José Mourinho: "For me, training means training in specificity, creating practices that allow me to enhance my principles of play." (in Oliveira et al., 2006)

Juan Luis Delgado Bordonau PhD (UEFA PRO Coaching Licence, current ASPIRE Academy Qatar Elite Scouting Coordinator - previously Valencia CF / Villarreal CF Academy Technical Director) and José Alberto Mendez Villanueva PhD (Qatar Football Association Head of Fitness & ASPIRE Academy Qatar Head of Physiology) have produced a complete blueprint for Tactical Periodization to provide coaches with the tools to organise the whole football training process - from one specific training practice, to full season planning.

This is your chance to learn the Tactical Periodization method which has been applied by top coaches, with José Mourinho being the most influential and successful. Other examples are Vitor Pereira, Leonardo Jardim, Brendan Rodgers, Marco Silva, Nuno Espírito Santo and André Villas-Boas. Many other top coaches (Pep Guardiola among them) have adopted part of these Tactical Periodization principles, building their training method around the development of a game model and its principles, using the tactical dimension to lead their training.

This book includes the background and development of Tactical Periodization, the Methodological Principles, The Game Model (specificity), Tactical Organisation in the 4 Phases of the Game, Analysing the Previous Match Performance and the Next Opponent, Weekly Training Objectives, Training Sessions for a 1 Match Week and Training Sessions for a 2 Match Week.

There are many Tactical Topics and Training Practices including:

• Building Up Play from the Back and Creating Overloads Against a Compact 4-4 Formation
• Attacking with "Third Man Runs"
• Reorganising into Defensive Block Positions
• Pressing as a Collective Unit + Fast Break Attack
• Dropping Off, Compactness and Counter Attack with Switch of Play
• Defending Direct Play into 2 Forwards and Winning the Second Ball