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Game Intelligence in Soccer
by Horst Wein

Each epoch is characterized by certain tendencies or fashions. This applies also to soccer. While teaching and coaching soccer was orientated in the early 50's and 60's mainly on improving technical skills, the following decade focused mainly on the physical preparation of soccer players, an aspect which up to then had been underestimated. The World Cup 1990 in Italy initiated a tendency in which individual, group and team tactics were considered fundamental for achieving good results, especially against stronger teams. And now in the first decade of a new century, where is soccer going? What will become a tendency in soccer teaching and coaching for the years to come? Certainly, there are different views and opinions about it around the globe but it could be of interest to know which of the various tendencies will finally come out.

Today, to make sure of frequent victories it is absolutely necessary to develop complete players with an excellent technical ability, physically fit level, a wide tactical knowledge and mentally well prepared. But is there still something to improve in their performance which has been left behind? Which aspects of the development of a complete soccer player has not been considered or stimulated sufficiently in training to bring the game to a superior level?

There is one aspect of the player's performance which needs more attention within the learning and teaching process which soon may become a tendency all over: the development of game intelligence in soccer, that quality which allows a player to recognize and adapt to situations on the soccer pitch quickly in the high pressure atmosphere of the match. Without a doubt, game intelligence is already an important criterion in evaluating the performance level of each player in many areas.

The development of the intellectual capacities of youth and adult soccer players is still in its infancy, largely due to the authoritarian teaching style preferred by the vast majority of trainers and coaches to shape and coach their players. The frequent instructions and hints that the players receive from the sideline before a game and during its development are not sufficient to take the game to a higher level.

The only way to improve the standard of play in the medium and long term is to, among other things, start a systematic development of thinking and tactical awareness from a very early age with the emphasis on a progressive stimulation of their perceptive and intellectual capacities. As the player's ball skills get better and better, he should also perfect his knowledge and thinking, not only developing his muscles and tendons but also his brain.

It is well known that practicing, experimenting and observing gives any child a wide variety of different experiences. Going one step further and using and interpreting these experiences leads to a correct behavior pattern when faced with different situations both in life and in soccer. But if nobody guides the child and helps him to interpret his proper experiences, he will never reach his full potential, either in life or in soccer. What he needs is the experience of an adult, to offer advice, to question almost everything and to give examples. This is not only true for everything the child experiences, for example in school or with the family, but also as far as the development of his overall performance is concerned.

As soon as possible, depending on the technical level of the player, all youngsters should be exposed during training to simplified games to gain first-hand knowledge and tactical experiences about the correct way to acquire tactical habits. The more knowledge the youngster acquires, the better! But subjective experiences alone are not enough! The acquisition of experiences and knowledge is much better when it is a result of a well-proven pedagogical process where the coach uses questions and demonstrations to unlock the development of experiences and knowledge, so that they are clearly understood. Stimulation, encouragement or advice, an explanation or demonstration by the coach, together with the appropriate number of repetitions of the same game situation and subsequently the transfer of the solution to other similar situations that occur in the game forms a solid foundation in the young soccer player's mind for developing his game intelligence.

Intelligence must be developed mainly through the global and not the analytic method, exposing the players to a series of technical-tactical simplified games such as 3 v 1, 2 v 1 or 3 v 2. Depending on the simplified game, each player has to face and resolve a series of problems which should be shaped perfectly to his physical, technical and mental capacities. A great variety progressive exercises and games are proposed in this book which will help to develop step by step the youngster's tactical thinking and awareness until he has discovered himself, with the coach as a guide, a great variety of solutions for almost every situation that he may confront in a soccer game. It doesn't matter if the solution was discovered thanks to the frequent repetition of a similar situation in training or due to his imagination, creativity and spontaneity. The important thing is that the player has been able to understand and read the situation and resolve the problem successfully.

The ability to quickly and efficiently vary a previously learned skill is only possible when the player has been exposed to a systematic development of his intellectual capacity from a very early age right through to top performance level. Good perception, a vital requirement for any player, followed by a correct interpretation of the game situation and the ability to make good decisions culminates in a good technical execution of the mentally prepared move. All these phases of the playing action must be coached over a period of years in order to be able to raise the performance level of any player.

What does game intelligence mean?
In soccer, every position in the team or task to perform requires a specific type of intelligence. The one required of a goalkeeper is totally different to that of a central defender or a front-line attacker as the problems are not resolved in the same way in defense or in attack or inside the pitch or only in front of the goal. The intelligence of a player should be considered as the real driving force behind his performance. Often, the difference between one soccer player and another is the level of intelligence he demonstrates in the game. His intelligence explains his success.

A high level in soccer is only possible when making constant use of game intelligence. Neither a player who is physically fit and technically proficient but without an alert mind or intelligence nor one who is capable of resolving problems mentally but is unable to transfer his brilliant ideas into actions which benefit his team can be considered a complete player.

Unlocking and developing systematically a soccer player's game intelligence is still beyond the knowledge of many coaches and teachers. Unfortunately there is no literature about developing this important aspect either in soccer or in other sports and few coaches are prepared to modify their coaching style (please consult the last chapter of the book "Stimulating game intelligence and understanding of soccer") which is an important prerequisite for being able to stimulate game intelligence. The continuous commands and instructions given by most coaches before, during and after the match prevent most of the players from using their intelligence. Instead of confronting the players in training with a great variety of problems to be resolved, they receive day by day the solutions to the problems from the coach to which they have to obey. This rigid and authoritarian coaching style doesn't develop intelligent players with awareness and responsibility.

To get more intelligent players on the pitch in the future, coaches need to stimulate more and instruct less. Instead of being instructors on the soccer pitch, they should become consultants, guides or organizers of information, knowing how to complement the teaching of technical skills with the accumulation of game specific knowledge, thus achieving significant learning!

Developing game intelligence in any soccer player implies teaching him to:

read the game and understand what is happening on the pitch (for which a certain level of perception, knowledge and experience is necessary)

draw on past experiences when confronting any given situation to come to a correct decision

execute with an appropriate skill level, and quickly, the previously thought solution.
Apart from being able to 'read' the situation in the game, an intelligent player can anticipate how the play is likely to develop thanks to the information previously processed. The ability to anticipate, which is always the result of good perception and decision making, is a significant tool for intelligent players.

"There is no greater power on the field than the players' intelligence."
To be able to focus maximum attention on his problem or task at hand and decide quickly and intelligently about his next move, his technical skills should have been consolidated and automated beforehand. Doing so, the quality of his game will be raised and the player will perform at a higher level. It is necessary to make intelligence work for soccer in order to achieve a better game! Nobody is born with a high level of game intelligence in soccer, but to develop their innate potential, players must be exposed daily to a varied and progressive training program with simplified games. They are an ideal tool to unlock and not only develop game intelligence in any player, but also will hone his technical and tactical skills.
"A varied and progressive training program with simplified games is the best way to develop and improve intelligence in soccer step by step."

How does a soccer player's intelligence manifest itself on the field?
An intelligent player:

generally chooses the best option in less time

not only looks for the best solution to the problem he is confronted with on the pitch by quickly prioritizing all the various alternatives, but also calculates the risk factors involved. He rarely loses focus until he has resolved the situation.

knows in any moment of the match how to give the adequate speed to the ball and to the rhythm of his team.

is never rushed and feels secure and confident when performing a particular move anywhere on the pitch. He controls with his eyes all the space around him, in front, behind and to either side, taking full advantage of both very limited space and wide-open spaces! He always appears to have time. He knows that rushing and doing things too quickly tends to produce errors.

always tries to achieve a balance between taking risks and safety. Too much risk could mean losing the ball or even the match, while playing without any risk rarely helps to turn the match to your favor. He is brave enough to take risks!

stands out because he can adapt to the ever-changing situations in the game, to the referee, to his teammates , to his opponents and to the pitch and weather conditions.

knows that things do not always come off. This is why his performance level rarely dips after making a mistake or two or three in a row.

knows when and where to pass the ball or when it is better to keep possession.

has good optical - motor assessment or spatial awareness. Assesses correctly the distances between him and his teammates and the opposition or to the lines of the pitch and the location of the goals, acquired through many years of practice with simplified games which also sharpened his decision making capacities.

keeps it simple. Only a master, an outstanding player, can play simply.

knows what he is going to do with the ball before he even receives and controls it.

uses his creativity to the benefit of his team and teammates.

knows how to play soccer, especially without the ball, constantly making himself available for his teammates to which he offers possible solutions to many situations that arise on the pitch.

is a player who contributes all his qualities for the good of his team. A soccer player who doesn't use his intelligence to serve his teammates around him will never succeed in the game because he will then tend to perceive only a portion of the whole game, seeing plays completely isolated and not in context with the whole. This type of player doesn't see everything that is taking place on the pitch.

frequently asks questions and quickly learns from his mistakes. He is good at memorizing a great variety of plays and reproducing them.

only does what is within his capabilities.

knows how to pace himself throughout a game. His experience allows him to make appropriate decisions such as when to run or when it is a waste of energy.

is not affected by stress, knowing that a high level of stress tends to narrow his focus and perception capacity and also influences his decision making negatively. This explains why sometimes key players do not make positive contributions in decisive matches. The pressure nullifies their usually intelligent play.

NOTE: Exercises and Simplified Games for unlocking and developing the Soccer Game Intelligence on the field of play have been published in the books, videos and DVD by Horst Wein.

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