First seen at Flamingo Football Club in 1987 in Rio de Janeiro. The ball was being used with very young soccer players as a game ball in their play sessions.
Next seen utilized by then-U20 Brazilian National Team Coach Rene Simoes in a coaching clinic conducted by the Brazilian Football Academy in 1989 in Dallas, Texas.
Observed the balls again being utilized as a training ball with both the Junior and Senior teams at Flamingo Football Club in Rio in 1991.
The ball is most often used in Brazil as an off-season training tool to keep the skills of the players sharp. It is not used as a focal point, but as a supplement to training sessions.
Skill Development
- Can be used to improve passing, trapping, shooting, dribbling and heading
- Ideal for developing and improving the mechanics of the skills of the game of soccer
- Helps players to focus on finding the “center” of the ball
- Helps to develop players’ first touch
- Can be used in most fundamental technical training activities Can be used in place of or in conjunction with a regular soccer ball
- An effective tool to help technical skill development
- Is not very conducive to long-range shooting or chipping
Technical Training
- Substitute the Brasilian Futebol of the regular soccer ball in almost any skills activity
- Work alone, in pairs, in threes or in groups
- Use walls, grids, two lines, three lines, circles
- Use inside of foot, instep, thigh or head
- Chest trap, thigh trap, foot trap
- Use one touch, two touch or fixed touches (e.g. right thigh to inside of left foot)
- Use to sharpen dribbling skills, coerver movements, fast footwork or moves
- Use to improve volleying, half-volleying
Motor Development/Ball Familiarity
Improves:
- Hand-eye coordination
- Motor coordination
- Agility
- Balance
- Players’ “touch” on the ball
- Can be used to create aerobic training
- The Futebol is a FUN ball to juggle
- Incorporating the bounce can be beneficial to novice or expert players
Juggling
- Juggle alone or in numbers
- Juggle more than one Futebol with multiple players
- Incorporate the bounce into the juggling
- Use sole of foot to keep bounce alive
- Use the knee to keep bounce alive
- Incorporate your regular moves around the bounce
- Create body movements around the bounce and juggle
- Create your own juggling and movements
Games
- Use the bounce. The bounce increases success, therefore increases the number of touches
- Soccer Tennis
- Two-Square
- Multiple players and multiple balls
- Juggling competition–Points if you lose the juggle
- Juggling–Everyone is responsible for keeping the Futebols “alive”
- Juggling–Inter-passing while keeping the balls alive
- Vary group activity
- Use the Futebol to play regular soccer–small sided games with small goals
- Use multiple Futebols with larger numbers to small goals or multiple goals
- Use your imagination–it’s a fun ball, so have some fun.
