The Colombian coach has been characterized for having very rigorous training methods, which on several occasions have affected his players

Jorge Luis Pinto of 65 years started his career as a technical director in 1984 leading Millonarios of Colombia. Since then, the Colombian has shown his tenacity as a coach, which has led him to lead clubs such as Deportivo Cali, Santa Fe, Junior, and Cúcuta, among other teams in the South American country. He also coaches groups like Alianza Lima in Peru, El Nacional in Ecuador and Deportivo Táchira in Venezuela.

Leer en español: Jorge Luis Pinto: cuando un entrenamiento demasiado exigente en el fútbol se vuelve perjudicial

His great capacity in the technical direction has led him to direct national teams such as Colombia, Costa Rica and Honduras. However, the rigor in his way of training his players has been the epicenter of criticism, because sometimes it has been harmful to them.

Overly rigorous training that causes damage

Throughout his career, the Colombian has been characterized by requiring his player’s clear objectives to perfectly shape their game system and increase the physical and technical capabilities of them. However, the excessive demand has had detrimental consequences for his players on several occasions. These consequences are accumulated fatigue and injuries associated with work overload, which generates a great physical harm in his teams. In the same way, interpersonal relationships have been affected.

These unfavorable consequences were more noticeable in the period of time in which Pinto led the Costa Rica National Team, more precisely in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The rigorous training generated some injuries like that of Álvaro Saborío, who suffered an injury in the fifth metatarsal in May 2014, thus losing the World Cup. The requirement in training strengthened the team leading them to the quarterfinals of the tournament, but the players could not take the physical load required by the Colombian methods.

Also read: 9 surprising benefits of exercise

The coach left the command of the Costa Rican team after the World Cup and several players criticized him for his way of working. “I support the demand, sacrifice, and discipline, but not the dictatorship,” Costa Rican striker Joel Campbell said on his Facebook account, although he later eliminated the publication, which was rescued by media such as La Nación and Diario Extra. “If we did not say anything, it was because we did not want to divert our goals or our dreams. Nobody was present in the beatings that we were hitting in the Gol Project (Costa Rican training center), even if we did not agree with some things,” Campbell added.

Given the criticism, Pinto issued a statement in July 2014 where he defended his training methods. “If being strict with discipline and not leaving anything to chance makes me a bad person as some are insinuating in the last days, then I am,” said Pinto on his official website. “The leadership clearly knew what my form and level of demand are, which is fundamental in my opinion to achieve good results. In conversations with the leaders who sought me out to hire me, I asked them if they were willing to work under my method, which they accepted without conditions,” added the Colombian coach in the same statement on his website.

Honduras Chapter

Closed the cycle with Costa Rica, Pinto continued his career as a technical director and took command of the Honduras National Team in December 2014. The Colombian was a little over 3 years at the head of “The H” and of course deployed his method of work. During his tenure in the Honduras National Team, there were several injured, such as Mario Martinez, Andy Najar, Luis Lopez, Boniek Garcia, Emilio Izaguirre and Luis Garrido, among others.

The press reflected the variety of injured with some headlines, such as: “¡Angustia! Lesiones de futbolistas preocupan a Jorge Luis Pinto” (Anguish! Football players’ injuries worry Jorge Luis Pinto) of the newspaper El Tiempo, “La Honduras de Jorge Luis Pinto es un caos” (The Honduras of Jorge Luis Pinto is a chaos) of La Nación, and “Los soldados caídos de Pinto para el cierre de la eliminatoria” (The fallen soldiers of Pinto for the closing of the tie) of the Diario Diez, among others. Pinto could not empower the Honduras National Team as he intended and this, added to the countless injuries and suspensions, generated the loss of the repechage for the 2018 World Cup in December 2017 against Australia.

You can also read: Six Latin American technicians who have made their mark in the Soccer World Cups

The maximum demand is not recommended

The maximum rigor in training is not recommended for the work system of any team. Several experts in sports science say that training should be in adequate proportions, otherwise the chances of injury increase. “A correct self-perception, fostered with proprioceptive training and self-control in training (…) can guide the athlete to dose their effort in the immediate action and recover for a more effective action (with greater speed or efficiency) a few minutes later, or simply choose a more appropriate action, ” says the Spanish Narcís Gusi Fuertes, doctor of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences of the University of Barcelona, ​​in his article” Training, physical preparation and injuries in football “published in the journal Physical Education and Sports.

In the same article, Narcís Gusi Fuertes explains how the recognition of the right amount of training favors that athletes play conscious of their abilities and avoid injuries. “The athlete must reasonably know their possibilities at all times (shape and fatigue, speed, high or low environmental temperature, etc.) to avoid the excess of effort or confidence that, for example, we can observe in the second parts of the matches when the tired player arrives late to an action suffering a blow, or on demands to his organism causing a contracture or muscular breakage “, affirm Narcís Gusi Fuertes.

Thus, Jorge Luis Pinto is a clear sign that sometimes a formidable coach can exaggerate the demands of their training methods, generating unfavorable results in their team. The proportion and moderation of intensity in training is essential to promote the good physical condition of the athletes, the good atmosphere within the team and the positive results in sports competitions.

Latin American Post | Javier Aldana

Translated from “Jorge Luis Pinto: cuando un entrenamiento demasiado exigente en el fútbol se vuelve perjudicial”