Like Crystal Palace U14 coach Aslan Odev (see article here), the CLA (Constraints-Led Approach) method is constraint-based training approach gaining in popularity. In a long article, the American media outlet The Athletic investigates this concept, which comes from neuroscience and challenges "muscle memory" in favour of real-time decision-making. In short, tomorrow's training will no longer focus on the perfect repetition of a movement, but on the adaptability of the player under constraints in realistic game situations. Adopted by Victor Wembanyama and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA, this method, which draws on ecological dynamics, has many followers in football. Fabian Otte, goalkeeping coach at Tottenham (formerly Liverpool), for example, uses CLA by manipulating his players' senses: he makes them wear noise-cancelling headphones to force them to rely solely on their vision. The goal? "To strengthen the perception-action loop and concentration in anticipation of a noisy stadium environment." While the integration of CLA requires a radical rethinking of traditional methods and may be difficult to convince elite players who have spent their careers perfecting muscle patterns, it is nonetheless a "revolution in professional sport," assures The Athletic.
CLA (Constraints-Led Approach) is a training method used by Wembanyama and Liverpool, among others / ©Icon Sport