
From Belgium’s Golden Generation to AC Milan: How CogiTraining-SenseBall has revolutionized technical training for footballers around the world.
When Michel Bruyninckx started working with the Leuven Football Academy, things were not going too well for Belgium’s favourite sport. This proud footballing nation was not producing significant talent and failed to qualify for noteworthy international tournaments.
Two decades later, Belgium, a semi-finalist in the last World Cup, has been recognized as one of the powerhouses in European football. Its present squad of players have been labelled the “Golden Generation” and a large part of this “renaissance” can be attributed to Michel Bruyninckx’s revolutionary method of CogiTraining–SenseBall.
A 10-year research study in collaboration with University of Louvain helped Michel develop and fine tune CogiTraining. Out of the 140 boys who were trained during the study, six players made it to the Belgian National Team – Dries Mertens and Steven Defour are among them. 60 girls were part of the sports study training programme as well and half of the Belgian National Women’s core team comes from this batch of players.

The football training method CogiTraining focuses on brain functioning, while the football kick trainer SenseBall is the key tool which enables a footballer to touch the ball approximately tenfold during a season than with conventional training. To put this in numbers, a professional footballer makes 50,000 touches a season combing training and matches while with SenseBall a player can average 500,000 touches a season.
It also produces two-footed players thanks to the exercise plan which optimizes players’ bilateral activity (left/right and forwards/backwards) and improves muscle memory/myelination.
I am convinced that I have mastered playing with both feet thanks to those exercises.
Dries Mertens, Napoli & Belgium National Team.
Congratulations to Michel Bruyninckx. He and SenseBall have helped me to become a pro.
Steven Defour, Royal Antwerp FC.
CogiTraining and SenseBall also help improve brain organization, therefore enabling faster decision-making and increased accuracy in movement. Players are better able to assimilate the essential components of today’s football: speed of vision, speed of decision-making and speed of execution.
Football is a game you play with your head, your legs are there just to help you.
Dennis Bergkamp.
Defender Jan Verthongen (Tottenham Hotspur), midfielders Moussa Dembélé (Ex-Tottenham Hotspur) and Youri Tielemans (Leicester City) are among other Belgium internationals who have confirmed their faith in this method.
Over the years, CogiTraining-SenseBall training method has transcended Belgian borders.
Italian giants AC Milan have renewed their exclusive contract with CogiTraining-SenseBall for a third season. AC Milan Primavera, the club’s under 19 team, recently beat Real Madrid in the final of the prestigious Hamdan Bin Mohammed International Tournament in Dubai. Coach Cristian Brocchi publicly acknowledged the contribution of CogiTraining to this feat.
In France, FC Metz are partners with CogiTraining-SenseBall. The under 15 side has won this season’s French championship, beating clubs like Paris St. Germain along the way.
“I strongly associate CogiTraining and SenseBall with the success and progress of our players”, confirms Bertrand Antoine, head of pre-training at FC Metz youth academy.
Some of the other prominent clubs whose youth teams are training with the CogiTraining-SenseBall method are FC Nantes, LOSC Lille, Sporting Kansas City, AS Monaco, Willem II, KRC Genk, SV Zulte Waregem, RCSC Charleroi and APOEL Nicosie among others.
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