Exclusive Interview: Mauricio Marques
What are the main differences between Brazil and Australian football? We get a bit more of an idea from Mauricio Marques
As a consultant to the educational/development arm of the Brazilian Football Association, called EBA, he is well credentialed and has travelled all around the world.
Mauricio was gracious enough to give Dave Cooper a few minutes of his time, while in Sydney for this exclusive interview.
Football is like a religion in Brazil. How was your childhood spent playing football? My childhood was just football everyday, playing street football, playing football in the garage, football in the club; so football was everything. We used to have a saying ‘you breathe football in Brazil-. Before going to school we played for two hours, in school during the breaks we would play 15 minute each break and then after school for another two hours and then when I started playing in the evenings, we had the training sessions, so it would be an average of 4-5 hours a day of football.
That-s pretty much how it is for many Brazilian children, hence why there are so many Brazilian players around the world? Definitely. Obviously with the organisation now in the cities, we are finding the kids are not playing as much as in the past, but the talent that we identify is very interesting case study. Most of the players that are being picked by the clubs, they come from country areas, where there is still space for them to play for free, for fun and without any structure.
To what playing level did you get to in Brazil? I played professional Futsal; actually I played football and Futsal up to the age of 15 and then concentrated on Futsal until I was 25 years old. I then finished University and started working - for Futsal.
What got you into the coaching side of the game? When I was 18 years old, I went to university to do a sports science degree and straight away I started doing coaching in Futsal. I started getting involved in football in the Olympics, here in Australia, because Brazil stayed in Brisbane and so I was living there. I was then invited to come and work for EBA Brazilian Football Association and that-s I got involved.
You have obviously seen a little bit of Australian football in your couple of years here. Explain what the main differences are between playing football in Brazil and here in Australia? One of the main differences is this freedom of play, but also something about the rhythm and pacing the game. Sometimes here in Australia, the kids just go to forward and its just like in the A-League, the games are very fast; you can see there are good players and its interesting to watch, but it-s too fast. In Brazil, we have a more paced game, or controlled game. I don-t know why, maybe it-s because of the samba or something like that (he laughs).
I totally agree with the path that the FFA is taking with Small-Sided Games. It doesn-t matter which form it is; it can be Futsal; it can be playing on the grass; in the garage; in the park, as long as they are playing that is the main thing. If you are doing it with a coaching structure then Small-Side Games is definitely the way to go for 5-6 years old up to 12-13, obviously gradually inserting different skills and tactical principles as they get older. Even if its just participation wise, because they are going to enjoy the game and keep playing, or if you want to develop talented players, Small-Sided Games is the way to go.
What advice could you give to potential coaches or parents that are taking control of these teams? What I would suggest to coaches and parents, is they allow the kids to play by themselves; encourage them to play by themselves. As a coach, because you only see them for a few hours a week, give them homework for the weekend or between training sessions that will them in the game more. That way you encourage them to touch the ball more, enjoy the game more and what we say have ‘uncoached excellence-.
Probably the hardest thing for parents and coaches is actually letting the kids make decisions for themselves on the football field. What are the benefits of letting kids make their own decisions? Everything is an exercise; it-s not just about the exercise of making decisions which is going to stimulate them and make them think about the game. If you give the answers they are not thinking and they are going to do it mechanically. Decision making is an important process which has to start as early as possible, just the same as learning the skill of passing the ball; you have to develop the skill of decision making. It also gives autonomy to the child/player to make the decision on the field, because on the field the coach is not going to be there and give them the answer during the game. Also the more you vary, the situations where the player has to make a decision the better, because the player will develop a larger basis of tactical knowledge of cognition that will help them during a game.
There is lots of debate here in Australia about the optimal age to teach kids the positional and tactical side of the game. What are your thoughts on that? There are two things there. One is what the kids want to do. They want to attack; want to be attackers; none, usually, want to be a goalkeeper or defender. Always make sure the kids perform different roles in the game, play them as a defender, play them as an attacker from whatever age, but definitely do not let them play just one position or even two positions; they have to play everywhere. In Brazil, what we-ve been doing, we start giving them the option of just one position only after 13 years of age, but that-s only because they will have to have that final position when they are 15 years of age.
Finally, what makes a good coach? That-s a good question (he laughs). It-s a multi-dimensional thing - coaching; there are a lot of abilities that you have to do. But there are three things I think that are essential; one is knowing how to run a training session, making the players understand what you are going to do and motivated. Another thing is the competition side of it and how to motivate the kids and prepare them for the game and the other point is organisation. There are a lot of things you have to do prior to the training session, prior to the game to make sure that you are a good coach. On top of that you have to include leadership, communication, people management skills and a lot of things combined that will make a good coach.
Mauricio is a Consultant for Escola Braasileira de Futebol, as well as a member of the Coach Education Department of Brazilian Football and Clube Atletico Mineiro. He has his Masters in Sports Science and significant experience in International Futsal and Football.