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The Role of Informal, Unstructured Practice in Journal of Expertise 2018. Vol. 1(3) © 2018. The authors Developing Football Expertise: The Case of license this article under the terms of the Brazilian Pelada Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Luiz Uehara1, Chris Button1, Duarte Araújo2, Ian Renshaw3, Keith Davids4, ISSN 2573-2773 and Mark Falcous1 1School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago 2CIPER, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon 3Faculty of Health, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology 4Center for Sports Engineering Research, Sheffield Hallam University Correspondence: Luiz Uehara, [email protected] Abstract The aim of this paper is to provide explanation and discussion on how unconventional socio-cultural constraints influence the development of skill and expertise of Brazilian football players. On this basis, the central question of this research is this: What are the influential environmental constraints on the development of perceptual-motor skills and expertise of Brazilian football players? The epistemological and methodological assumptions of the “contextualised skill acquisition research” (CSAR) (see Uehara et al., 2014) are used as an underpinning framework for data collection and organization of material. Drawing upon the notion of ethnographic strategies of inquiry for generating and analyzing data, we used qualitative methods such as contextual analysis, participant-observation, and open-ended interviews. At the micro-level of Brazilian society “pelada” emerges as one of the socio-cultural constraints that shapes the talent of Brazilian football players by influencing the development of their perceptual-motor expertise. Keywords expertise, socio-cultural, pelada, practice Introduction A fundamental question for many sport with the greatest reputation for developing scientists and practitioners across the globe is highly skilled football players (Bellos, 2002; this: How can skill and expertise be best Lever, 1995). We consider why Brazil developed? Here our analysis considers historically has emerged as a talent hotspot traditional approaches to expertise alongside producing so many outstanding footballers (see contemporary theories of motor learning in Ankersen, 2013). A key challenge is to identify order to understand better the complex any unique environmental, historical, and socio- interaction between association football, the cultural constraints that underpin this ongoing learner, and the practice environment (Davids, dynasty (Araújo et al., 2010). Alluding to the Button, & Bennett, 2008). We specifically focus framework “contextualised skill acquisition our attention on Brazil, arguably the country research” (see Uehara, Button, Falcous, & 162 https://www.journalofexpertise.org Journal of Expertise / December 2018 / vol. 1, no. 3 Uehara et al (2018) Football Expertise and Pelada Davids, 2014), we adopt the bioecological sociocultural context in which acquisition of model of human development proposed by football expertise in Brazilian players occurs Bronfenbrenner (2005) in order to understand was significant for the present investigation. how various interacting constraints shape the Indeed, the historical contextual analysis talents of many Brazilian footballers. In provided rich information to inform and guide particular, we identify the customary practice the two other methods; that is, participant- activity of “pelada” (roughly defined as observation and interviews. For example, the informal “pick-up” games) as a powerful contextual analysis required us to reconstruct a influence upon skill and expertise development. number of socio-cultural and political-economic Over the last decade or so, the first author sites of articulation—that is, how these returned to his roots in the São Paulo region of pressures and contexts interact to shape Brazil on numerous occasions seeking to patterns—of Brazilian football. understand how and why pelada may have contributed to the development of a number of Participant Observation current and ex-elite footballers. Here we offer Participant observations, or sometimes qualitative evidence resulting from observations observations only, were performed in São Paulo, and interviews with Brazilian players and Brazil, in 2011 and in 2017. Through my coaches that help us to situate pelada as an contacts as a former player in this region and as enabling socio-cultural environmental constraint a current football agent, I gained access to a upon the development of football talent. Finally, professional football club called Paulista FC, a we consider which scientific principles of football school affiliated with São Paulo FC, to practice are implicitly embedded within pelada a football pelada organized by a former and comment on how they might contribute to professional player of mine, and to a football the emergence of a certain style of football pelada in a favela called Vila Ana. I also took movement common to many Brazilian players. notes from children playing informal football in parks and streets of my home town Jundiai. Methodology The parameters around the chosen locations for data collection were based on contemporary Given the socio-cultural nature of the present commentaries regarding on history of Brazilian study, data was inductively generated and football, which shows that many successful analysed through the lenses of qualitative players emerged from underprivileged suburbs interpretative paradigm. More specifically, this around Brazil. Before they were scouted and paper builds on the investigation of Uehara et al. sent to a club, they made and improvised their (2014) of the way in which the framework own playing fields, whether on the street, waste “contextualised skill acquisition research” ground, or beach (see Taylor, 1998; Goldblatt, (CSAS) is used to analyse key socio-cultural 2006). factors that affect development of expertise of To scrutinize the topic and generate rich and perceptual-motor skills of Brazilian football relevant evidence, I was prepared to collect data players. Historical contextual analysis, from whatever and whomever provided an participant observation, and unstructured opportunity, be that be from structured or non- interviews were the three methods used for data structured settings, professional or non- collection. professional people related to football. Fieldwork practice was limited, however, by the Historical Contextual Analysis funding available and by accessibility in Brazil. For this type of qualitative research, a In this sense, growing up in the city of Jundiaí, a contextual analysis is useful to investigate the province of São Paulo, I was privileged to gain socio-cultural context in which a phenomenon access to football professionals and clubs in the has been historically constructed. The analysis local area that would not have occurred in other of the historical, economic, political, regions. I started with two key gatekeepers (i.e., https://www.journalofexpertise.org 163 Journal of Expertise / December 2018 / vol. 1, no. 3 Football Expertise and Pelada Uehara et al (2018) contacts) who helped to open the door to this words, there are many different paths to be a world by introducing me to the right people. greater footballer (see Menuchi, Moro, Through a snowball sampling technique (i.e., Ambrósio, Pariente, & Araújo, 2018; Sarmento, one person indicates others) accessibility was Anguera, Pereira, & Araújo, 2018; Williams & further expanded (see Patton, 2002). Reilly, 2000) Unstructured Interviews Describing Pelada For the interviews, thirteen adults with different Many of Brazil’s best football players (e.g., football related backgrounds were identified Garrincha, Pelé, Zico, etc.) have reported that based upon their extensive experience of they played pelada frequently as youngsters Brazilian football. Due to ethical reasons, (Araújo et al., 2010) and such high-profile especially in relation to the principles of anecdotes prompted us to probe more deeply protection and confidentiality, the identity of the into the unique nature of this style of practice. participants has not been revealed. Instead, Pelada is a style of “pick-up football” where, participants’ names have been randomly listed regardless of the location, players organize with initials as: Mr. A, Mr. B, Mr. C, Mr. D, Mr. practice games themselves (without coaches) in E, Mr. F, Mr. G, Mr. H, Mr. I, Mr. J, Mr. K, Mr. an informal manner (Araújo et al., 2010). In L, and Mr. M. This study was approved by the Brazil, it is a common term referring to different Human Ethics Committee of the participating contexts and discourses such as amateur football institution, and all participants signed the and/or professional football games of low consent form to participate in this study. standards (Pimenta, 2009, 2013). It is also used to describe a spontaneous, unsupervised football Analytical Procedures game that may be played in the streets, schools, Guided by the qualitative analytical steps backyards, and wherever the players’ hearts proposed by (Creswell, 2009), the first author desire (Vilela, 2009). Literally, pelada is a read and organized all raw data in order to have Portuguese word that can be translated as a general sense of the information and to reflect “nude.” As it pertains to football, there are upon the common findings and their meanings. several tentative explanations about its origin Interviews were transcribed, and field notes such as its being

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