What we do
Our philosophy
The most common skills players perform with the ball are receive and pass. Scanning, decision-making, receiving, passing and changing direction are the skills players perform hundreds of times every single game.
Our philosophy is to develop these four core skills that truly move the needle in terms of effective performance:
1. IQ: scanning and decision-making
2. Receiving the ball: body angle, shape, using both feet
3. Passing the ball: accuracy, speed, quality
4. Changing direction: sharp movement
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
Our sessions
Our sessions are unique. The combination of small groups and our use of technology far outweighs any form of large group or 1-to-1 training for individual development.
The structure and intensity we train at means our sessions are easily as productive as a regular 1.5 to 2-hour session of traditional coaching.
We provide a level of repetition, intensity and detail that is impossible to replicate. Our sessions are advanced. They are tough. Players are tested mentally more than any other type of training. This is due to the intensity, intimate group size and culture we create to encourage mistakes for players to learn from.
Two types of session
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The Icon
The Icon is designed to replicate match movements and allows players to improve their ball control, passing accuracy, awareness and movement.
Sessions allow us to both develop the four foundation football skills and monitor a player’s progress. Players wear an ESA wristband that seamlessly connects and stores valuable player session data.
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Training in our bespoke training space
Players are grouped by age, and we use portable boards, smart gates and timed drills to create intense, effective sessions that develop a player’s core skills.
A player’s progress is monitored during the session, and where players use Playermaker sensors, we can download the data to obtain more measurable statistics.
Our coaching
As a coaching team, we’ve worked with literally thousands of players. Some started their journey with us as young as four years old, and many of them are now playing professionally.
We now have more than 125 players training with us regularly, with over 40 players at professional clubs, allowing us to collect unique performance data from both grassroots and academy players.
This lets us objectively assess players across the four foundation skills, giving us more insight into the levels between players.
It also allows us to group players based on ability so that players can train with players from clubs they would never usually do.
Why are the four core skills vital for the modern game?
Players who master the four core skills make fewer mistakes and better decisions and execute them to a higher standard. Their whole performance improves.
In the 23/24 season, Premier League clubs averaged more than 550 passes per match, meaning players, on average, received the ball over 50 times each and passed the ball over 50 times each. Approximately 82% of professional football is played with three touches or fewer.
For the 23/24 season, Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku was statistically the most ‘attacking’ player in terms of carrying the ball. He recorded the most attempted dribbles in the league, with an average of eight dribbles per game. He averaged 45 passes per game.
Erling Haaland was the Premier League’s top goal scorer, with 27 goals. He only takes an average of four shots per game. He averaged 14 passes per game.
The most common skills players perform with the ball are receive and pass.
Scanning, decision making, receiving, passing and changing direction are the fundamental skills every player needs and which every player will perform hundreds of times a game.
“Gen FTBL is what got me my contract at QPR. I learned there is another level on how to receive and move the ball than what I thought. I developed the skill to do that at Gen. Their methods are game-changing.”
– Elijah Fox (QPR U15)
