The Futsal Way
What to soccer legends Pele, Zico, Falco, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Bebeto, Romario, Roberto Carlos, and Cristiano Ronaldo all have in common? You're right! All their first names end in vowels. Very good! Also, they all grew up playing futsal, and to a man acknowledge the role this sport played in terms of their individual technical development.
The sport of futsal is taking the US by storm. No other game demands technique, movement, quick decision making, pinpoint passing, ball control, tactical awareness, and fitness. It is a fast-paced, exciting game that provides players many developmental benefits.
Here are a few...
4-Man Diamond Shape
Players have forward, square, and backwards passing options, just like the real game. There is penetration, width, and depth, just like the real game. There is movement, team shape recognition, and positional interchange, just like the real game.
More Touches
The 5v5 game is played in the relatively small confines of a basketball court, and players touch the ball in futsal more than 12x as much as they would playing on the larger fields.
Less numbers on the field means more touches per player. More touches leads to more comfort, more confidence, more experience, and more success down the road.
More Touches Under Pressure
More Involvement
It is nearly impossible for players to "hide" (drift out of the way and avoid the play) in the game of futsal. They must interact and get involved with the play.
Moreover, the constant, free-flowing game with kick-ins and hockey-style substituting keeps players in the action all the time.
We All Attack, We All Defend
With 4 field players on the small field, all 4 players must attack and all 4 players must defend. Moreover, players can attack and defend from anywhere on the field and have many, many opportunities to work on offensive and defensive tactical ideas regardless of their position on the futsal court.
More "Real Time" Decisions
Since the futsal ball is low-bounce, it is at the players' feet more often than not. This allows the players to have many more opportunities to make decisions while in possession of the ball in a futsal game when compared to those same opportunities in other indoor dome games or outdoor games.
Now people may argue that futsal is too easy for the players because of just this fact, that they don't have to focus on ball control as they would in the "real" outdoor game. However, in our Minnesota climate you have to take what you can get, and many coaches would readily sacrifice work on ball control in the winter months with the benefit of their players developing on-the-ball decision making instead.
Constant Focus
Take the tendency of the low-bounce futsal ball to be on the floor and couple this with the play on a fast, hardwood surface, and you have a lightning quick, active, and entertaining game. There is very little opportunity to "tune out" during a futsal game, and thus the players are more involved mentally in the game. Players have to constantly read and adjust to what they see and to how the game is flowing, and when they are checked in like this their development is accelerated.
Fun, Fun, and Still More Fun!
The futsal game is fast and action-packed, and there are plenty of goals scored. Also, as mentioned above, the constant focus and frequent touches on the ball translate into more enjoyment for the players. Many players love futsal for this simple fact... they get to play/participate more often when on the court.
If the players enjoy what they are doing and have plenty of touches on the ball, there is little doubt that development will follow.
The Great Equalizer
Futsal is a great equalizer. On the large, outdoor fields, it is easy for players to use their athleticism to take over a match, especially at the younger age groups at which some players develop muscularly quicker than others.
Though athleticism will continue to play a role indoors, futsal favors the skillful over the strong, the quick over the fast, the smart over the brutish. Don't be surprised if smaller players, players who may be role players on your team on the outdoor field, shine in the futsal game.
Moreover, with the 5-Foul Rule in effect, we seek to minimize the physical aspect of the game in favor of focusing on the skill.