The Football Psychology Show

Karl Marius Aksum on transferring psychology theory from the classroom to the pitch

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Episode notes

How do you convince an ageing centre back to swap the security of a low block for a high press that might make Ange Postecoglou blush? Karl Marius Aksum may have the answer.

The Mjallby assistant coach, who is part of a backroom team that has helped the Swedish club to the highest position in its 85-year history, was refreshingly honest in an explanation which exemplifies how he’s taken his doctorate knowledge onto the training ground.

“It's by using video clips in a manipulative way,” he jokes.

“So, it starts with me showing a lot of positive clips where we play a high line and we are successful.

“Then I emphasize how good this is, because maybe we win the ball and we create a chance. So, the clips are very important.

“When it comes to coaching, it's some principles that are non-negotiables - so, you have to play a diagonal pass instead of a sideway pass in this situation - but most of the time it's, ‘Hey, instead of doing that, what about if you do this instead? What if you waited one second, controlled the line first, and then pressed?’

“You're inviting their thoughts because it would be stupid for me to tell a 34-year-old who has played in European competitions and as a professional for 15 years, how to defend in every situation.

“It's a collaboration, it's getting their input, their understanding of the situation with their specific skills, and that is important because maybe I want him to do something but he's not quick enough to do it, in which case he shouldn't do it.”

Aksum’s insight was part of a wide-ranging discussion, exploring the Norwegian’s creative approach to honing cognitive skills, the club-wide culture which has helped propel Mjallby to third place in Sweden’s top-flight and the power dynamics crucial to establishing an effective coaching team.

Here are a few soundbites from the episode, which you can listen to in full via the audio player at the top of this article.

On making the move from academia to professional football:

“I was the one with the doctorate degree who had really never worked daily with a team at this level: all my ideas were mostly in my head and written down on paper, but never used in practice.

“So, yes, there was some scepticism for sure, but I also think that was why I got the job because they wanted someone who really had a deep understanding of how players learn and the game of football.

On what psychological theory looks like on the training ground:

“For me, it’s about making everything specific to the game of football. Every time I start planning a session, I start with the session intention and session design, because I believe that players are learning in their interactions with teammates and opponents in game situations, where you have to perceive a situation, you have to decide and you have to execute.

“Also, you need cognitive intensity in everything you do. You need to be fully committed to each exercise. And then there’s repetition without repetition.

“So, we create a scenario or a situation where we never tell the players exactly what to do because football is too complex. You never, ever play the same situation two times. So we would set up a situation with some principles, and then we will run through that situation 10, 15 or 20 times, where they play and they make decisions.”

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