Notice

 A) As an amateur coach I did not follow the courses of Victor Fradé, its creator. So, I can only talk about tactical periodisation through his writings, those of a number of his "disciples" such as Tamarit, Maciel, Reis or Julian Tobar (who themselves consider that many professional coaches who claim to be using PT do not apply it as recommended by Victor Fradé) and through exchanges with coaches who do practice it. 

And from my experience and personal practice over the past 15 years The choice to write this book is due to my desire to make this methodology known at the amateur level (which implies an adaptation) in France (and now with the English version to whoever wants to read it).

 I have tried to remain faithful to the concepts presented by Victor Fradé, to use Xavier Tamarit's expression: "Tactical periodisation exists if what is done as a model is the one that directs the process for everyone and also allows everyone to become better and better able to interfere in the process. And for this, it is necessary to have an idea of the game, a systematised idea of the game, and consequently this diversity will be all the better the better the idea of the game, and its possibility of materialising in the experience of the principles of the logical method... the whole process, obeys the logic of the methodological principles, otherwise it is not a periodisation" For tactical periodisation to be realised, there must be a clear, defined, structured and consistent idea of play at all moments of the game, which must be operationalised through certain methodological principles

 - the principle of propensity, the principle of complex progression and the principle of horizontal alternation in specificity - 

which differ from conventional methodological principles.

 Only if these conditions are met: the systematisation of an Idea of Play plus its operationalisation through the aforementioned Methodological Principles; we can say that we achieve Tactical Periodisation. That is to say, it is an objectifiable methodology with certain methodological principles that must be respected and that allow us to clearly discern whether someone is training according to tactical periodisation or not. This is what I have tried to do in this book. In this book we mainly talk about Tactical Periodisation.

 In order to understand this methodology, it is necessary to start from the idea that this methodology is part of a vast reflection on the evolution of football as a complex system, calling into question some of the knowledge and methods that we have learned as educators or coaches. In this reflection, other methodologies exist and carry the same criticisms on the existing one, such as the theories of Paco Seiru-lo and others that we will be led to approach because they have convergent critical analyses on the traditional methods of training. A bit like in economics when Keynes and Marx criticised liberal economics. And in the same way to common criticisms different solutions. Seiru-lo (and Guardiola, his most famous disciple) do not share the methodology of tactical periodisation, just as Mourinho does not share the methodology of "Barça's structured training". 

But as Javier Mallo (2015) says "These two contemporary philosophies should not be seen as antagonistic but as complementary, as their similarities are greater than their differences".) 

B) It is also important to mention that, although this methodology is based on a conceptual (the idea of the coach's game) and methodological (the methodological principles) matrix, unlike others, it does not conceive the training process as a "manual", i.e. there are no prescriptions. 

There is a great need to adapt to the surrounding context, which is always unique and singular for each process, where the coach - principally responsible for the condition of the process- must intervene and guide his actions according to this logic, with great sensitivity. 

In short, tactical periodization is a tailor-made fact, because it is unique in every way, for every process, every context and every game In other words, it is a tool for the coach. Each coach will therefore use it in his own way. Mourinho and Sousa use the same methodology, but neither their style of play nor their conception of the game is identical. 

As we will see, everything starts with the playing model. From this model of the game, each coach will develop his standard morphocycle and his exercises. This implies that those presented in the third part of the book are based on my personal conception of an ideal game model. Once the methodology has been acquired, each person will have to construct his/her own model of play and season. In the same way, each coach will use the methodology according to his own values, his own conceptions. Where Paulo Sousa, in the following interview, bases his methodology on the players, Mourinho or others will start from the team.