1st Edition

Ecological Dynamics Approach to Football

Edited By Jia Yi Chow, Keith Davids, Duarte Araújo Copyright 2026
352 Pages 61 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

352 Pages 61 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

352 Pages 61 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Ecological Dynamics Approach to Football is the first book to apply insights from research in ecological dynamics to the sport of football. Ecological dynamics is a theoretical framework that draws on ecological psychology, complexity sciences, and dynamical systems concepts in examining interactions among constraints and the emergence of movement and performance behaviours. This book... Read more

1: An Ecological Dynamics Theoretical Framework for Understanding Performance, Learning and Development in Football. Keith Davids, Jia Yi Chow and Duarte Araújo 2: The Athletic Skill Model: Optimising Development for the Footballer Player of the (Near) Future Geert J.P. Savelsbergh, Rene Wormhoudt, and Martina Navarro 3: Spiralling Up: Introducing the Spiral Curriculum and a Constraints-Led Approach from the FIFA Talent Coach Programme Adam L. Kelly, Achuthan Shanmugaratnam, Johann Lux, Brais Acebal, Dan Cooke, Willi Ruttensteiner, Thomas Hauser, and Arne Barez 4: A Dynamic Analysis and Interpretation of Futsal: Practice Design ImplicationsBruno Travassos, João Ribeiro, David Pizarro, and Diogo Coutinho 5: Attacking and Defending: The Intrinsic Dynamics of the Football Match Nelson Caldeira, Rui Lopes,and, Duarte Araújo 6: Adaptation of Goalkeepers to Changes in Football Strategies: The Role of Ecological Dynamics in Developing Hybrid Functions in Defence and Attack Fabian Otte, Isaac Oriol Guerrero, Jordi Lie Fernandez, and Keith Davids 7: Bioenergetic Efficiency and Tactical Coordination in Modern Football: Aligning Training with Game Demands Pedro Silva, Catarina Bajanca, Daniel Carrilho, and Duarte Araújo 8: Glocal Ecological Approach: Insights from Professionals to Football Training MethodologyNelson Caldeira, Juan Pablo Garcia, and  Duarte Araújo 9: Pedagogia Do Jogo: Application of a Play-Based Approach Inspired by Brazilian Street Football Culture Alcides José Scaglia, Júlia Barreira, and João Cláudio Machado 10: The Learning in Development Framework for Working with Youth Football Mark O Sullivan 11: Professional Development for Practitioners: Considerations on Intervention Programmes Clenyce Zi-Xin Tan, Irfan Ismail, Neha Malhotra, and Chow Jia Yi 12: Understanding Coaches’ Practice to Support their Transformation John Komar, Irfan Ismail, Corliss Choo, and Jia Yi Chow 13: Dynamic Symphony on the Pitch: Unveiling the Intricacies of Ecological Dynamics in Football Performance Analysis Hugo Sarmento, Filipe Manuel Clemente, José Afonso, and Duarte Araújo 14: An Ecological Dynamics View on Performance Analysis in Football He Qixiang and Komar John 15: Synergies and Tactical Behaviour in Football Teams Daniel Carrilho, Pedro Silva, and Duarte Araújo 16: From data to decisions: Artificial Intelligence in Football Guided by Ecological Dynamics Sofia Ferreira, Daniel Carrilho, Pedro Silva, Paulo de Castro Aguiar, and Duarte Araújo

 

Biography

Jia Yi Chow is currently the Dean at the Office of Teacher Education & Undergraduate Programmes and a member of staff at the Physical Education and Sports Science Department at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Jia Yi works closely with teachers from the Physical Education and Sports Teachers Academy (PESTA) at the Ministry of Education, Singapore, and sports practitioners at Sport Singapore.

Keith Davids is a Professor of Motor Learning in the School of Sport & Physical Activity, Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He has worked on high-performance sport development programmes including FIFA's Training Centre – Taking Football Forward series, the Football Association's youth award (FAYA), and the Scottish Football Association's children's coaching licence (ACL), as well as the New Zealand South Island Academy, the Queensland Academy of Sport, the Australian Institute of Sport, Diving Australia, and the English Institute of Sport.

Duarte Araújo is a Professor of Psychology and Motor Behaviour and Head of the Laboratory of Expertise in Sport of the Faculty of Human Kinetics at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. He leads the research unit CIPER – Interdisciplinary Centre for the study of Human Performance, which includes around 200 researchers. He works on high-performance programmes in football and other Olympic sports, including personalised work with individual athletes and coaches, as well as sports institutions and clubs worldwide.