Form and Spontaneity: Training for Improvisation in Football and Theatre

Abstract

This article explores the relationships between training approaches within football and improvised theatre. Drawing on the writings of Victor Turner, the article examines the liminoid nature of football and theatre, arguing that the formalised constraints that emerge within such liminoid forms can be used to develop collaborative decision-making skills. Through looking at tactical examples from football and approaches to improvisation developed by theatre practitioners such as Keith Johnstone, the article demonstrates the reflexive relationship between form and spontaneity. The article explores the potential benefits of this reflexive relationship, arguing that it is through understanding the way in which formal constraints shape spontaneous events that players and performers can develop creativity and empathy during improvisation and play.

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