Progressão

Welcome to the Progressão podcast.In this episode, we continue our journey from drills and games, through situations, and now into one of the key concepts of ecological dynamics: representative design.In football, training often looks organised, structured, and even very “game-like”. But does it truly represent the demands players face in matches?  In this episode, we explore how learning depends on the relationship between the player and the environment, especially on the information available, how it is perceived, and how action emerges from it. We discuss key ideas such as perception–action coupling and action fidelity, and why even small differences in timing, spacing, or pressure can completely change player behaviour.Through practical examples, from finishing and pressing to rondos and positional games, we reflect on why some exercises transfer to the game, while others only appear to. Representative design is about identifying the essential elements of football situations and bringing those into training in a meaningful way.Articles mentioned in the episode:Pinder, R. A., Davids, K., Renshaw, I., & Araújo, D. (2011). Representative learning design and functionality of research and practice in sport. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 33(1), 146–155.Full articleHeadrick, J., Renshaw, I., Davids, K., Pinder, R. A., & Araújo, D. (2015). The dynamics of expertise acquisition in sport: The role of affective learning design. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 16(Part 1), 83–90.Full article🌍 More at progressao.fi🐦 Follow us on X and Instagram: @progressaofi

Welcome to the Progressão podcast.In our previous episode, we questioned the common debate around drills versus games and explored whether this is the right way to understand training in football. This week, we take the discussion further and focus on small-sided games and situation-based exercises.Small-sided games are widely used in modern coaching and are often seen as an ideal way to train the game. But are they always representative of what actually happens in matches? In this episode, we explore some of the limitations of small-sided games, from differences in distances and timing to how pressure is experienced in real situations. From there, we introduce another approach that may complement small-sided games: situation-based exercises.Football is not just a continuous flow, it is made up of recurring situations. Build up under pressure, press releases, lateral penetration, defending crosses. These moments appear again and again, and becoming skilful means learning to act effectively within them.Through concrete examples, we discuss how training can be designed to reflect these situations more closely, connecting players to meaningful information in the game environment.🌍 More at progressao.fi🐦 Follow us on X and Instagram: @progressaofi