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Xesco Espar: “If you don’t have the values of comradeship and sacrifice, you are not truly practising sport” Xesco Espar is passionate about sport. For over half his life he has been studying and analysing handball as both a University Professor and a trainer. He is greatly gifted at sharing the depth of his knowledge with those around him, as the following interview demonstrates.
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A life dedicated to sport. Why do you study sport for so many hours?
I think everyone has a talent in this life and they have to exploit it to the maximum and not keep it to yourself. I think one of the talents I have is explaining things and helping people to improve. At present, I’m dedicating myself to handball just as in the past I have given classes and in the future, I’ll do something else. For me, handball is a means of defining who I am.
How long have you been closely involved in sport?
I was a reasonably good student at school, to the extent that I felt my talent shouldn’t be wasted on studying sports. So, I decided to study telecommunications but in my second year I realized that I was being an idiot when what really liked was sport and handball so I dropped out of my degree course and went to INEFC (Institut Nacional d’Educació Fisica de Catalunya). It changed my life. I studied handball like crazy from the age of 20. I’m now 42, so in other words, I’ve been doing this for more than half my life. I played until 22 with Barcelona but I knew I didn’t really have a future as a player, so I decided to become a trainer.
Could it be said that this is your vocation?
I believe that each person’s vocation is to be themselves. Nowadays, being yourself doesn’t even seem to be an option. If you aren’t loyal to yourself, you’re wasting your time. Freedom is exercised to the extent of your involvement and commitment to being truly yourself. So, my vocation is being me; I like handball and I understand a great deal about it because I’ve studied it.
Given all the books written and studied carried out about sports, do they explain everything which can be found in the changing room?
You can find everything in books but there are also many more books than you think there are. Everything is also in teachers. I very much like personal development and I read a lot. I have always allocated 10% of what I earn to professional development. There have been years where I have spent more than 6,000€ on training for myself. I buy books, I attend seminars, I’ve studied in the USA and Europe…it’s important to speak languages too. This past Summer I was in Sweden attending a course about attitude trainers.
Sounds interesting. Can you tell us more?
Yes. Everyone has a certain performance quality. Attitude doesn’t add to that, it multiplies it. A player with a great attitude can increase his value but if you are multiplying by less than one, basically you are dividing – I learnt that in telecommunications! -. If a player doesn’t have the correct attitude, however good he might be, he is worth less. That’s why a person’s attitude to life is so important.
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| Profile |
| Francesc, Xesco, Espar (Barcelona, 1963) has led a life dedicated to sport. He has been a handball trainer for over 20 years. He started as trainer with the Juvenile team at FC Barcelona when he gave up practising the sport as a professional. He was physical preparation trainer for the Barcelona first team for seven years as well as being assistant coach to Valero Rivera, whom he substituted as first team handball coach in 2004. In his first season in charge of a top team, Barcelona won the European Cup. He has also had an extensive teaching career as University Professor at INEFC (Institut Nacional d’Educació Fisica de Catalunya) for more than 16 years. | |
The aspect of mental preparation must be vital.
The mental aspect, based on the premise that you have a value, is indeed fundamental: it’s what makes you what you are; a greater or lesser being.
 And does this have a natural application in the dressing room?
Sure. The players also participate in this philosophy. If Barcelona handball club won the European Cup last season it was because, apart from an awful lot of talent, the team had an extraordinary attitude.
What surprises you in the day-to-day activities of the dressing room? Anything that your studies didn’t prepare you for?
Maybe…you see, I believe the role of trainer is very important. In my opinion, 80% of the performance depends on me and 20% on the players; that’s not true but it’s what I tell myself to demand the best of myself. On the other hand, the players need to think that only 20% of their performance depends on the trainer and the other 80% on themselves. Like this, you add together a lot of synergies. For me, the dressing room surprised me pleasantly in that I could see the commitment and courage they possess. It is easy to maintain that because they are all highly dedicated players and immensely proud to be here.
Do you find the intrinsic values of sport, like comradeship and sacrifice, in handball at its highest levels?
The players recognize that if they do not possess the values which we are talking about, they don’t win. If you want to have a good time, the players have to be friends. If you want to win, there has to be sacrifice and team spirit because when someone isn’t playing well, they need encouragement. You may or may not find that in top-class handball but what I want is for the players to reflect that when we do have these values, we win. The person who doesn’t develop those values is not truly practising sport.
There are many who say you are a ‘sports philosopher’. Can I ask you to define sport as a concept?
For me, sport is a manifestation of human conduct where all the values in existence come into sharp relief. Because it is a competitive event normally practised as a team, it is watched by many people and it is immediate. It’s a microcosm of what society is, where many elements manifest themselves. Nowadays, great movements and gatherings of people are only generated by a few rock groups and sporting events. They are the two most important magnets to which people are drawn.
You teach a lot of sport. Is sport still of value to you for your own education?
Yes. I find I can improve a lot when watching the players train because the feedback in sport is very fast and you learn immediately. High-level performance. The Peter principle: a person does his job well, so they promote him; when do they stop promoting him? When he doesn’t do his job well; in other words, when he reaches his level of incompetence.
Do you think you have reached your maximum level?
As a handball trainer, perhaps yes. I’ve won the European Cup, the biggest trophy for the club, in my first year. Strangely, it’s not such a good thing because it’s one of those objectives you want to fight and struggle to achieve, and for me maybe it’s a slightly ‘excessive’ prize.
Isaac Lluch
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