David Garcia
@ijasport.bsky.social
UEFA A Licensed Coach | Coach Educator | Transform Today
Practical tools to improve your coaching: https://www.itsjustasport.com/
Practical tools to improve your coaching: https://www.itsjustasport.com/
What if the game's entertainment value isn't the attacking team's responsibility?
December 6, 2025 at 3:54 PM
What if the game's entertainment value isn't the attacking team's responsibility?
"Do you know what that behavior is based on? Fear."
I relate to this 100%. The obsession to keep improving, to constantly be thinking about how to improve, the 'five more minutes' of work/preparation, it all stems from my fear of not being good enough.
Thank you for naming it, Marcelo.
I relate to this 100%. The obsession to keep improving, to constantly be thinking about how to improve, the 'five more minutes' of work/preparation, it all stems from my fear of not being good enough.
Thank you for naming it, Marcelo.
November 21, 2025 at 4:51 PM
"Do you know what that behavior is based on? Fear."
I relate to this 100%. The obsession to keep improving, to constantly be thinking about how to improve, the 'five more minutes' of work/preparation, it all stems from my fear of not being good enough.
Thank you for naming it, Marcelo.
I relate to this 100%. The obsession to keep improving, to constantly be thinking about how to improve, the 'five more minutes' of work/preparation, it all stems from my fear of not being good enough.
Thank you for naming it, Marcelo.
Spain is the world's best team because they can consistently create high quality chances by always looking to exploit the space behind the backline even when when the opposition sit in low blocks.
The runs and progressive passes and dribbles are relentless and so well timed 👏🇪🇸
The runs and progressive passes and dribbles are relentless and so well timed 👏🇪🇸
November 16, 2025 at 5:05 AM
Spain is the world's best team because they can consistently create high quality chances by always looking to exploit the space behind the backline even when when the opposition sit in low blocks.
The runs and progressive passes and dribbles are relentless and so well timed 👏🇪🇸
The runs and progressive passes and dribbles are relentless and so well timed 👏🇪🇸
If you want to embark on a journey that takes you back to the spirit of the game, join the It's Just a Sport newsletter where I share weekly reflections, thoughts, insights, and practical tips.
See you there: itsjustasport.us17.l...
See you there: itsjustasport.us17.l...
November 14, 2025 at 9:10 PM
If you want to embark on a journey that takes you back to the spirit of the game, join the It's Just a Sport newsletter where I share weekly reflections, thoughts, insights, and practical tips.
See you there: itsjustasport.us17.l...
See you there: itsjustasport.us17.l...
But the truth is simpler and braver.
The coach is a guide inside the museum, not a commander in a tower. Point the eye. Set a constraint. Let the game teach. Step in only when attention needs a nudge.
The coach is a guide inside the museum, not a commander in a tower. Point the eye. Set a constraint. Let the game teach. Step in only when attention needs a nudge.
November 14, 2025 at 9:10 PM
But the truth is simpler and braver.
The coach is a guide inside the museum, not a commander in a tower. Point the eye. Set a constraint. Let the game teach. Step in only when attention needs a nudge.
The coach is a guide inside the museum, not a commander in a tower. Point the eye. Set a constraint. Let the game teach. Step in only when attention needs a nudge.
We started talking about what intelligence in football is and what a smart player looks like. A smart player does not need to explain what they are doing.
They just need to do it.
They just need to do it.
November 14, 2025 at 9:09 PM
We started talking about what intelligence in football is and what a smart player looks like. A smart player does not need to explain what they are doing.
They just need to do it.
They just need to do it.
We talked about how easy it is for methods to become the main event.
The spreadsheet. The morphocycle. The magic template. The ‘correct’ training session format. Helpful tools, sure, but if you grip them too tightly, you stop seeing what the game is actually offering right now.
The spreadsheet. The morphocycle. The magic template. The ‘correct’ training session format. Helpful tools, sure, but if you grip them too tightly, you stop seeing what the game is actually offering right now.
November 14, 2025 at 9:09 PM
We talked about how easy it is for methods to become the main event.
The spreadsheet. The morphocycle. The magic template. The ‘correct’ training session format. Helpful tools, sure, but if you grip them too tightly, you stop seeing what the game is actually offering right now.
The spreadsheet. The morphocycle. The magic template. The ‘correct’ training session format. Helpful tools, sure, but if you grip them too tightly, you stop seeing what the game is actually offering right now.
The coach stepped in once, played a simple ball into a zone, and walked out. The players saw it. Then they did it. Attention shifted. Solutions emerged. No one had to memorize a checklist to find them.
November 14, 2025 at 9:09 PM
The coach stepped in once, played a simple ball into a zone, and walked out. The players saw it. Then they did it. Attention shifted. Solutions emerged. No one had to memorize a checklist to find them.
And if you try to slice the game into neat little pieces, you start to lose the thing that makes it feel like football.
She described a field session that moved fast. Warm up. A quick 4v2. A small directional game. Then bigger. Then small again. No printed scripts. No long lectures.
She described a field session that moved fast. Warm up. A quick 4v2. A small directional game. Then bigger. Then small again. No printed scripts. No long lectures.
November 14, 2025 at 9:09 PM
And if you try to slice the game into neat little pieces, you start to lose the thing that makes it feel like football.
She described a field session that moved fast. Warm up. A quick 4v2. A small directional game. Then bigger. Then small again. No printed scripts. No long lectures.
She described a field session that moved fast. Warm up. A quick 4v2. A small directional game. Then bigger. Then small again. No printed scripts. No long lectures.
I was catching up with a friend after she sat in on a coaching workshop over the weekend.
It was a good course with good coaches and plenty of smart ideas. And yet the most powerful lesson she brought back was not on a slide.
It was this: everything is connected... 🧵👇
It was a good course with good coaches and plenty of smart ideas. And yet the most powerful lesson she brought back was not on a slide.
It was this: everything is connected... 🧵👇
November 14, 2025 at 9:09 PM
I was catching up with a friend after she sat in on a coaching workshop over the weekend.
It was a good course with good coaches and plenty of smart ideas. And yet the most powerful lesson she brought back was not on a slide.
It was this: everything is connected... 🧵👇
It was a good course with good coaches and plenty of smart ideas. And yet the most powerful lesson she brought back was not on a slide.
It was this: everything is connected... 🧵👇
So I went back, back to small numbers. Directional play.
2v2s, 3v3s, 4v3s, games that evoke intention, that carry consequence. Games that reward purpose, not caution.
And slowly, the flow returned. The players began taking risks again.
The game started to feel like itself.
2v2s, 3v3s, 4v3s, games that evoke intention, that carry consequence. Games that reward purpose, not caution.
And slowly, the flow returned. The players began taking risks again.
The game started to feel like itself.
November 6, 2025 at 10:30 PM
So I went back, back to small numbers. Directional play.
2v2s, 3v3s, 4v3s, games that evoke intention, that carry consequence. Games that reward purpose, not caution.
And slowly, the flow returned. The players began taking risks again.
The game started to feel like itself.
2v2s, 3v3s, 4v3s, games that evoke intention, that carry consequence. Games that reward purpose, not caution.
And slowly, the flow returned. The players began taking risks again.
The game started to feel like itself.
The more we “kept the ball,” the less we did with it. We weren’t progressing. We weren’t taking risks.
And I could feel it, a slow erosion of something in the football.
It wasn’t that the players had stopped trying. It was that I had stopped inviting them to try.
And I could feel it, a slow erosion of something in the football.
It wasn’t that the players had stopped trying. It was that I had stopped inviting them to try.
November 6, 2025 at 10:30 PM
The more we “kept the ball,” the less we did with it. We weren’t progressing. We weren’t taking risks.
And I could feel it, a slow erosion of something in the football.
It wasn’t that the players had stopped trying. It was that I had stopped inviting them to try.
And I could feel it, a slow erosion of something in the football.
It wasn’t that the players had stopped trying. It was that I had stopped inviting them to try.
“Keep it,” I said. “Keep it, keep it, keep it.”
And for a while, it worked.
We had around 60% possession. We looked composed. But something inside me started to change for the worse.
And for a while, it worked.
We had around 60% possession. We looked composed. But something inside me started to change for the worse.
November 6, 2025 at 10:29 PM
“Keep it,” I said. “Keep it, keep it, keep it.”
And for a while, it worked.
We had around 60% possession. We looked composed. But something inside me started to change for the worse.
And for a while, it worked.
We had around 60% possession. We looked composed. But something inside me started to change for the worse.
And when those expectations rise, so does fear.
Fear of losing.
Fear of things looking messy.
Fear of not living up to what this group “should” be.
So I tried to control the one thing I could: the ball.
Fear of losing.
Fear of things looking messy.
Fear of not living up to what this group “should” be.
So I tried to control the one thing I could: the ball.
November 6, 2025 at 10:29 PM
And when those expectations rise, so does fear.
Fear of losing.
Fear of things looking messy.
Fear of not living up to what this group “should” be.
So I tried to control the one thing I could: the ball.
Fear of losing.
Fear of things looking messy.
Fear of not living up to what this group “should” be.
So I tried to control the one thing I could: the ball.
A few months ago, I started saying something to my players more and more: "Keep the ball"...
A reminder that clarity is not the same as control... 🧵👇
A reminder that clarity is not the same as control... 🧵👇
November 6, 2025 at 10:29 PM
A few months ago, I started saying something to my players more and more: "Keep the ball"...
A reminder that clarity is not the same as control... 🧵👇
A reminder that clarity is not the same as control... 🧵👇
If You’re in a Season of Rediscovery…
How to Coach Football 1 opens for enrollment November 17–21, with the cohort beginning December 1
It’s a 6-week, game-based online course that helps coaches return to simplicity.
Learn more: www.itsjustasport.co...
How to Coach Football 1 opens for enrollment November 17–21, with the cohort beginning December 1
It’s a 6-week, game-based online course that helps coaches return to simplicity.
Learn more: www.itsjustasport.co...
October 31, 2025 at 7:59 PM
If You’re in a Season of Rediscovery…
How to Coach Football 1 opens for enrollment November 17–21, with the cohort beginning December 1
It’s a 6-week, game-based online course that helps coaches return to simplicity.
Learn more: www.itsjustasport.co...
How to Coach Football 1 opens for enrollment November 17–21, with the cohort beginning December 1
It’s a 6-week, game-based online course that helps coaches return to simplicity.
Learn more: www.itsjustasport.co...
Players don’t unlock new levels of performance by remembering a list of coaching points.
They get there by living those moments over and over. By being inside the problem until their body knows the answer before their mind does.
They get there by living those moments over and over. By being inside the problem until their body knows the answer before their mind does.
October 31, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Players don’t unlock new levels of performance by remembering a list of coaching points.
They get there by living those moments over and over. By being inside the problem until their body knows the answer before their mind does.
They get there by living those moments over and over. By being inside the problem until their body knows the answer before their mind does.
I was showing more videos. Using tactical boards more. Explaining, explaining, explaining.
And while none of those tools are bad in and of themselves, I forgot the most essential truth of player development:
You can’t think your way into flow.
And while none of those tools are bad in and of themselves, I forgot the most essential truth of player development:
You can’t think your way into flow.
October 31, 2025 at 7:58 PM
I was showing more videos. Using tactical boards more. Explaining, explaining, explaining.
And while none of those tools are bad in and of themselves, I forgot the most essential truth of player development:
You can’t think your way into flow.
And while none of those tools are bad in and of themselves, I forgot the most essential truth of player development:
You can’t think your way into flow.
My foundation has always been game situations. Players learning through doing.
Context before content.
That incredible place where players feel, fail, adapt, and, almost imperceptibly, grow.
But lately, I found myself trying to talk them into playing better...
Context before content.
That incredible place where players feel, fail, adapt, and, almost imperceptibly, grow.
But lately, I found myself trying to talk them into playing better...
October 31, 2025 at 7:58 PM
My foundation has always been game situations. Players learning through doing.
Context before content.
That incredible place where players feel, fail, adapt, and, almost imperceptibly, grow.
But lately, I found myself trying to talk them into playing better...
Context before content.
That incredible place where players feel, fail, adapt, and, almost imperceptibly, grow.
But lately, I found myself trying to talk them into playing better...
A few weeks ago, I started changing things. New exercises. New progressions. New ways to “fix” our scoring moment...
[THREAD] WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR WAY
and why that’s a good thing… 🧵👇
[THREAD] WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR WAY
and why that’s a good thing… 🧵👇
October 31, 2025 at 7:58 PM
A few weeks ago, I started changing things. New exercises. New progressions. New ways to “fix” our scoring moment...
[THREAD] WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR WAY
and why that’s a good thing… 🧵👇
[THREAD] WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR WAY
and why that’s a good thing… 🧵👇
Not only him, but Casado, Fermin, Olmo, Bernal (when he's fit), De Jong (as an honorary Spaniard). They are a delight to watch.
The illusion of effortlessness.
Their mastery of space and time makes it seem easy.
Their relationship with the ball facilitates interactions to maintain possession.
The illusion of effortlessness.
Their mastery of space and time makes it seem easy.
Their relationship with the ball facilitates interactions to maintain possession.
September 18, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Not only him, but Casado, Fermin, Olmo, Bernal (when he's fit), De Jong (as an honorary Spaniard). They are a delight to watch.
The illusion of effortlessness.
Their mastery of space and time makes it seem easy.
Their relationship with the ball facilitates interactions to maintain possession.
The illusion of effortlessness.
Their mastery of space and time makes it seem easy.
Their relationship with the ball facilitates interactions to maintain possession.
For years, I’ve gotten really good at helping teams progress the ball forward in order to create opportunities (like the team below).
September 18, 2025 at 6:38 PM
For years, I’ve gotten really good at helping teams progress the ball forward in order to create opportunities (like the team below).
Sometimes the answer was yes.
The course will run as a beta in October with a small group of coaches who’ve been with me since the early days. For everyone else, the full launch is coming soon and I’m genuinely excited for what it’s going to bring.
The course will run as a beta in October with a small group of coaches who’ve been with me since the early days. For everyone else, the full launch is coming soon and I’m genuinely excited for what it’s going to bring.
September 18, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Sometimes the answer was yes.
The course will run as a beta in October with a small group of coaches who’ve been with me since the early days. For everyone else, the full launch is coming soon and I’m genuinely excited for what it’s going to bring.
The course will run as a beta in October with a small group of coaches who’ve been with me since the early days. For everyone else, the full launch is coming soon and I’m genuinely excited for what it’s going to bring.
It’s been shaped by looking back at everything I’ve created in the past five years—the positional play course, the game model course, live workshops like Unlocking Player Potential and asking myself:
Do I still believe this?
Has my thinking changed?
Do I still believe this?
Has my thinking changed?
September 18, 2025 at 6:38 PM
It’s been shaped by looking back at everything I’ve created in the past five years—the positional play course, the game model course, live workshops like Unlocking Player Potential and asking myself:
Do I still believe this?
Has my thinking changed?
Do I still believe this?
Has my thinking changed?
This summer I’ve been building something new: a three-part series called How to Coach. The first course, HTC 1, is nearly ready, and I can honestly say it’s the clearest, most refined version of my work so far.
September 18, 2025 at 6:37 PM
This summer I’ve been building something new: a three-part series called How to Coach. The first course, HTC 1, is nearly ready, and I can honestly say it’s the clearest, most refined version of my work so far.