Gonzalo QUESADA

Biog of Gonzalo QUESADA :

It was not in Gonzalo Quesado’s plans to become France’s kicking coach. When Emile Ntamack, recently named as les Bleus’ assistant coach in charge of the backs, first called him in November 2007, Quesada was packing his bags for his planned return to Argentina. Quesada had hung up his boots after eight years as a professional player in France* and was intending to enter the world of business, which he studied before leaving Buenos Aires (Masters in Economics and Management). Finally though, problems with a building project in the Paris region prevented him from leaving. A chance meeting with Ntamack in Cardiff during the 2008 Six Nations tournament did the rest.

A goal kicker without equal (the most successful kicker in the 1999 World Cup with 102 points, 472 points in total in 39 appearances for Argentina between 1996 and 2003), Quesada let his record do the talking and convinced the Tricolores staff to trust him with their kickers. And work started on the June 2008 tour of Australia.

Quesada’s own approach to kicking was instinctive, drawn from different mental preparation and relaxation techniques. In 2002, during the time spent at an NFL training camp with the idea in mind of possibly becoming an American Football kicker, he discovered the existence of specialized kicking coaches. During his playing career Quesada had been more than ready to help out teammates, such as Hernandez at Stade Français; now he was ready to put his know-how at the service of the French team, backing up his approach with biomechanics gleaned from golf and football.

The Argentinean is the only member of staff to follow his wards all year round - and the work is paying off. Morgan Parra, one of his most regular pupils, has become an almost infallible goal kicker; another, François Trinh-Duc, is becoming more tactically adept in using the boot. “My aim is to identify each player’s skill and optimize it,” he explains. “This involves technique but also a mastering of the kicking situation, so it encompasses all of the methods of stress management, concentration and mental and motor imagery.”

Quesada’s sessions (one a week sometimes spread over several weeks) consist of an interview, analysis of the kicking technique using high-speed cameras notably, and practical application depending on need. Quesada is currently finishing a university diploma in mental preparation for high-level sport, as well as a state diploma in professional coaching and management. Something indicates he has not finished with rugby yet.

*Narbonne, Béziers, Stade Français, Pau and Toulon.
 

Gonzalo Quesada Partie 1 : La naissance d'une vocation

Gonzalo Quesada Partie 2 : comment travaille-t-il ?

Gonzalo Quesada Partie 3: un cours de tir au but