Level 1
Adaptation
Learn, tolerate, control.
Human Performance Availability First,
Availability First,
Then Performance
Strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, sports psychology, and nutrition work as one staff, so every player can train and compete, week after week.
How We Work
Train Smart, Not Just Hard
At Odisea we build availability first, then performance: a player has to be able to train and compete consistently before anything else can grow. The goal is not simply to train harder. It is to train intelligently, and consistently.
What we are after
Four Levels
One Method, Your Own Dose
The same method runs across all four academy squads, adapted to each player's level. If your program looks different from a teammate's, that is the system working, not a mistake. Moving up a level is earned, not given by the calendar.
Level 2
Development
Build, repeat, progress.
Level 3
Potentiation
Strength, power, speed.
Level 4
Advanced
Optimize, individualize, express.
The Plan
A Season in Blocks, a Week Around the Match
Three development blocks run from September to June, and every week is built backwards from the match. Every player gets two gym sessions, one plyometric session, and one speed exposure a week.
The Season
- Sep–Dec
Knowledge & Development
The first block, from the start of the season to the winter break.
- Jan–Mar
Potentiation
The second block, from the return in January to the end of March.
- Apr–Jun
Consolidation
The last block, to the end of the season.
- In between
Transitions
At the start and end of the season, and around the winter break, Magdalena, and Easter: weeks for managing load, not new blocks.
The Week
- After the match
Recovery
The session adapts to the minutes you played.
- 4 days out
Strength
A gym session with your fitness coach at the partner gym.
- 3 days out
Plyometrics
Jumping and landing work.
- 2 days out
Power
The second gym session of the week.
- The day before
Speed
Low volume, high quality, full recovery: expression, not fatigue.
- Match day
Match
A league match most weeks, usually on the weekend.
The P.E.I.R.C. Cycle
How We Decide Your Training
Every session runs through the same five steps, and the decision about what comes next is made at the last one.
P
Plan
We define what we want from training, and with what dose.
E
Evaluate
We see what really happened: the session data and the coach’s view.
I
Internal Load
We ask how each player experienced it: perceived effort, or RPE.
R
Recovery
The next day, we check how the player feels: wellness, sensations, discomfort.
C
Check Readiness
We decide whether the player is ready for the next stimulus.
Three Decisions
What Can Happen Next
After each cycle the staff choose one of three options.
Maintain
You continue with the planned session.
Modify
We reduce the volume and reassess.
Intervene
We review your availability together with the medical and recovery staff.
The Principle
Data Does Not Decide Alone
A high effort rating does not by itself mean fatigue, and a heavy session is not by itself too much. Every number is read with the session's purpose, the point in the week, the player's history, and the context. GPS, perceived effort, wellness, and jump tests are tools to understand the player, never the goal of training.
"
We do not train data. We interpret players.
Gerardo Ortolani
Four Disciplines
The Staff Around Every Player
Coordinated by the Human Performance department, so no area works alone.
Strength & Conditioning
Led by the Performance Director, with a fitness coach on every squad. Tests and evaluations show each player’s strengths and what to improve, and the gym work is built around the player, the position, and the team’s schedule.
Physiotherapy
At the student center: an assessment as soon as something happens, preventive work every day, and the road back to full fitness.
Sports Psychology
Support from the first week: settling into life in Spain, managing emotions, and building mental resilience for training and competition.
Nutrition
Lunch with the squad at the partner restaurant, timed around training: you eat after gym sessions, and lunch is the main recovery meal.
Gerardo Ortolani
Performance Director · Assistant & Fitness Coach, Men's U19 & Women's B
Gerardo Ortolani
Performance Director · Assistant & Fitness Coach, Men's U19 & Women's B
As Performance Director, Gerardo leads FC Odisea's physical development strategy. Tests and evaluations show him each player's strengths and areas to improve, and he designs training around each player's needs, position, and team schedule. His “train smart” philosophy protects availability and peak performance all season.
Tumisho Tsagae
Assistant & Fitness Coach · Men's B & C
Tumisho Tsagae
Assistant & Fitness Coach · Men's B & C
A testament to the FC Odisea pathway: he made the journey from academy athlete to senior competitor himself. He uses that first-hand experience to give the next generation the physical tools to succeed, and leads by example on resilience and work ethic.
Santiago Papucci
Head of Sports Psychology
Santiago Papucci
Head of Sports Psychology
Santiago supports players and staff every day, starting with a smooth adaptation to life in Spain. He helps athletes master emotional management and mental resilience in training and competition, and keeps mental health and personal development at the center of the club's sporting work.
María Dalmau
Physiotherapist
María Dalmau
Physiotherapist
María brings specialized medical expertise and elite football experience. A physiotherapy graduate trained in therapeutic exercise, ultrasound, invasive therapies, and functional taping, she has worked at Sporting de Castellón and CD Castellón, and played eight seasons at Villarreal CF.
Iván Moscardó
Physiotherapist · Men's A, B & C
Iván Moscardó
Physiotherapist · Men's A, B & C
Iván is the physiotherapist for Men's A, B and C, treating injuries and guiding players back to full fitness.
Where It Happens
Gym, Student Center, Pitch
Strength work at our partner gym, a short walk from the club offices; physiotherapy at the student center; and training every weekday at Ciudad Deportiva FACSA.