Many football experts assert that international football is globalizing. The teaching methods are the same, the drills are similar.

We, agree with the Brazilian experts, who consider their own teaching and training methods to be different, unique and proprietary. European experts generally believe that the congenial Brazilian players are born on the beaches of Copacabana, and that they are then annually “harvested” from those beaches.

That, however, is not true.

The congenial Brazilian players are the end result of a healthy and continually functioning football culture.

The Brazilian, at its core soul, is more, better than European football.

In the following, we illustrate the differences between Brazilian and European football.

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EUROPEAN AND BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL INSTRUCTION

Difference #1:

Football cultures tend to represent and reflect the given nation’s way of thinking. It displays the characteristics and thinking of the given nation’s people about what football means to them as a game. For example, the English culture prioritizes the combative aspect of the game, while the Brazilian culture emphasizes the artistic expression of the same. This difference in the understanding and identity of the game is reflected in the learning and preparation of the players.

• The essential point:

If the football philosophy is different and the system’s notion is different, then the instructional drills are also different.

Difference #2:

The various football philosophies established their own models of playing, which gives guidance and direction to the coaches during instruction. They built their own conceptual systems within the model of playing. However, there are basic concepts which are essential components of each culture.  Such, for example, is the collective concept of “TECHNIQUE”.

The basic concept of “TECHNIQUE” is an essential question of approach, because we teach every branch of sport through “TECHNIQUE”.

• In other words, it is not irrelevant what we understand as TECHNIQUE.
• The essential point:

1. In Brazil, style technique is what is taught, and the end product of that instruction is THE FOOTBALL ARTIST.
2. In Holland, functional technique is taught, with the end result being FOOTBALL ENGINEER.
3. In Italy, England another form of functional technique is taught, with FOOTBALL TECHNICIAN as the end result.
4. In Germany, general or TECHNICAL THEORY is taught, with the end result being the FOOTBALL EXPERT WORKER.

Naturally, in every culture there are extraordinary and outstanding individuals. Our aforementioned observations pertain to the AVERAGE PLAYER, and not the outstanding talent that emerges from the average pool.

Difference #3:

In the world of football, there are two “team-play organization” principles.

First principle of organization of play: “The even distribution of forces on the pitch” principle.

With this tool:

• The “maintaining formation” play. In this method, the player positions himself to a position (or post).

Second principle of organization of play: The principle of establishing “a decisive advantage, in a decisive moment, at a decisive place”.

With this tool:

• The “building up and breaking down formation” organization of play. Here, the player positions himself in relation to the ball.

The former is overwhelmingly taught in Europe (Holland, England, Germany, Italy, etc.), while the latter – ie. positioning to the ball – is taught in Brazil, Spain. The foundation of this method and learning is futsal (Brazil), where there are virtually no fixed positions.