The Barcelona Way

'Does culture create competitive advantage? Case closed in this compelling analysis of sporting success. Read it.' – James Kerr, bestselling author of Legacy. In The Barcelona Way, sports psychologist Prof. Damian Hughes draws on exclusive insight into FCB as well as first-hand research from organizational psychology, to set out a method to create your own high-performance culture. At the heart of FCB’s winning culture are a set of principles, epitomized by Pep Guardiola, Johan Cruyff, Lionel Messi and many other FCB legends, which govern how to nurture talent, prepare for change and provide the best environment to build a culture of sustained success. These principles: Big Picture, Arc of Change, Repetition, Cultural Architects, Authentic Leadership are at the heart of FCB’s unprecedented domination of football, and are the key to developing high-performance cultures in any team-based organisation across every industry. The Barcelona Way is a hugely practical must-read that sets out a clear plan, based on the same principles, for you to create a culture of success and get the best of yourself and your team.

Try to recall the best coach you’ve ever had. Consider what differentiated them from other coaches; what made them so effective? Was it their knowledge and programming, or did it come down to the way they communicated with you and the way they made you feel? While the former are critical, it is a coach’s words that set them apart from the rest. The Language of Coaching focuses on the impact that communication has on an individual’s ability to learn and perform a movement. Written by performance coach Nick Winkelman, the book examines how instruction, feedback, and cueing can significantly affect training outcomes. Grounded in motor learning and the science of attentional focus, Winkelman takes you on a journey, guiding you through practical coaching frameworks that will help you adapt your language to the learning needs of those you support. Packed with stunning visuals, the book provides over 25 movement sequences that outline different types of coaching cues, including a visual depiction of unique analogies, such as a sprinter taking off like a jet or an athlete loading into a jump like a spring. The book is filled with a comprehensive collection of cueing frameworks that guide you through the process of creating your own cues for any movement you want to teach. You will also learn how to engage in more productive conversation with your athletes through sample dialogue that uses the book’s cueing philosophy. Whether you are new to coaching or a seasoned veteran, The Language of Coaching will help you grow as a communicator and learn how to coach the person with the same precision as you do the program. Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes both the book and exam.

A slighted wife escapes her wealthy family for the evening and stumbles into the city's red-light district... The head of security at Barcelona's container port searches for a figure that only he has seen sneak in... An elderly woman brings home a machine that will turn her body into atoms, so she can leave behind a city that is no longer recognisable... Historically, Barcelona is a city of resistance and independence; a focal point for Catalan identity, as well as the capital of Spanish republicanism. Nestled between the Mediterranean coast and mountains, this burgeoning city has also been home to some of the greatest names in modern art and architecture, and attracts visitors and migrants from all over the world. As a result, the city is a melting-pot of cultures, and the stories gathered here offer a miscellany of form and genre, fittingly reminiscent of one of Gaudi's mosaics. From the boy-giant outgrowing his cramped flat on the city's outskirts, to the love affair that begins in a launderette, we meet characters who are reclaiming the independence of their city by challenging common misconceptions and telling its myriad truths.

From Cruyff's "Total Football" to the epic rivalry between Guardiola and Mourinho, a gripping chronicle of the rise and fall of Barcelona's dominance in world soccer. Barcelona's style of play--pressing and possessing--is the single biggest influence on modern soccer. In The Barcelona Inheritance, Jonathan Wilson reveals how and why this came to pass, offering a deep analysis of the evolution of soccer tactics and style. In the late 1990s, Johan Cruyff's Dream Team was disintegrating and the revolutionary manager had departed, but his style gave birth to a new generation of thinkers, including Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho. Today, their teams are first and second in the Premier League, marking the latest installment in a rivalry that can be traced back twenty-five years. The Barcelona Inheritance is a book about the tactics, the personalities, the friendships, and, in one case, an apocalyptic falling-out that continue to shape the game today.

With rare and unrivaled access, bestselling coauthor of Soccernomics and longtime Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper tells the story of how FC Barcelona became the most successful club in the world—and how that era is now ending FC Barcelona is not just the world’s highest grossing sports club, it is simply one of the most influential organizations on the planet. At last count, it had approximately 214 million social media followers, more than any other sports club except Real Madrid CF—and by one earlier measure, more than all thirty-two NFL teams combined. It has more in common with multinational megacompanies like Netflix or small nation-states than it does with most soccer teams. No wonder its motto is “More than a club.” But it was not always so. In the past three decades, Barcelona went from a regional team to a global powerhouse, becoming a model of sustained excellence and beautiful soccer, and a consistent winner of championships. Simon Kuper unravels exactly how this transformation took place, paying special attention to the club’s two biggest stars, Johan Cruyff and Lionel Messi, who is arguably the greatest soccer player of all time. Messi joined Barça at age thirteen and, more than anyone, has been the engine and standard-bearer of Barcelona’s glory. But his era is coming to an end—and with it, a once-in-a-lifetime golden run. This book charts Barça’s rise and fall. Like many world-beating organizations, FC Barcelona closely guards its secrets, granting few outsiders access to the Camp Nou, its legendary home stadium. But after decades of writing about the sport and the club, Kuper was given access to the inner sanctum and the people behind the scenes who strive daily to keep Barcelona at the top. Erudite, personal, and capturing all the latest upheavals, his portrait of this incredible institution goes beyond soccer to understand FC Barcelona as a unique social, cultural, and political phenomenon.

FC Barcelona: A Tactical Analysis - Defending A Team from Another Planet! A Tactical Blue-Print of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona Team This book is an exclusive and groundbreaking study of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team. This information and analysis of one of the most successful club sides in history has been in high demand and it is finally here! The defensive part of Barcelona's game does not get enough attention, but is integral to their philosophy and all their superior style of play. The main elements of their tactics include pressure high up the pitch, winning the ball back quickly, maintaining a numerical advantage around the ball zone and pushing their opponents wide to limit their space. We can now see a full analysis of Barcelona's defensive tactics which have been so important to their success. The book shows Barca's 4-3-3 system of play, each player's responsibilities, positioning and movement within every possible phase of play. Terzis Athanasios is a Tactical Professor of Football and has compiled an extensive assessment of Barcelona's attacking play after over 1000 hours of studying all the games from the 2010-11 season. Guardiola's team has won 3 La Liga championships, 2 UEFA Champions Leagues, 4 Spanish Cups, 2 Super Cups, and 2 FIFA World Club World Cups. The book starts with the characteristics of the players and the philosophy of Barcelona and builds into a comprehensive overview of the defensive tactics employed with clear diagrams and detailed descriptions. Included: - Strategies used to counter specific formations (the 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-2-1, 5-3-2 and the 4-3-2-1). - Assessments of specific phases of play (central zone, near the side-lines and set plays). - Pressure, cover and support from front, middle and defensive zones - Preventing and limiting opposition space - Defending from set-pieces - Plus a lot more - SEE FULL BOOK CONTENTS BELOW This gives football coaches an unbelievable chance to learn how Barcelona play and adapt their tactics to combat any team they play. Their defensive work is so important to their success and allows them to be such a strong attacking force.

This special book in full colour features 34 game situations of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team, often described as the best ever. These 34 game situations (analysis) has been used to produce 34 sessions (160 practices) including quick passing functional practices, patterns of play, possession games, transition games, opposed/unopposed zone play, game situations and small sided games. In short, this book will help you coach your team 'The Barca Way.'

FC Barcelona are the greatest football team in the world, the greatest for a generation and possibly the greatest of all time. This is the inside story of how the team came to redefine how the game is played, told by the journalist closer to it than any other. This edition contains a new epilogue reflecting on the departure of Pep Guardiola and Spain's victory at Euro 2012.