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Functional Training for football


.......that is proper (association) football.

This is really following on from the last post and also continuing the theme of functional training - training in a way that mimics the motions and movement patterns/frequencies of your sport.

These studies are about football and look at how to set up optimal and appropriate conditioning routines. Both these look at how training can replicate what goes on in a match. A 10k run will not cut it, but these ideas will. (by the way blogger is annoying me and keeps on messing up the formatting when I try to format these abstracts....)

Effects of a new experimental training program on V.O2max and running performance. - .....the main intervention was performed in the conditioning phase where the control group performed traditional conditioning (straight-line running, with stretching exercises in the break) and the experimental group underwent a conditioning training program on designed polygon, very much akin to a real game situation; sprint-runs with or without the ball and rapid changes in direction. During the 20, 40 or 60m sprint-run the players had to perform specific ball drills depending on marked polygon station.

Physical load imposed on soccer players during small-sided training games. - the results of this study suggest that small-sided games can be used effectively to develop the specific endurance capacity of football players. The integration of these drills by coaches during the regular training schedule can help replicating the demands experienced during real match-play
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Comments

Dr Craig S. Duncan said…
Hi Chris you do an outstanding job. These are 2 good studies however I question why the first study tests players on the distances they did. Study 2 highlights small sided games and I think the combination of both is most effective. For example having 1 group perfom short intervals the other in small sided games than rotating. This allows the players to touch the ball and also allows us to work with players without the ball where we can puch further. If you view the average heart rate of study 2 it is not that high and in my GPS data my averages are much higher. I have an unpublished at present abstract of a study I have just completed using a sprint based protocol and would be happy for you to view it before I send it off if you want

Regards

CD
April 26, 2008 at 5:40 AM
Chris said…
Hi Craig and thanks for your comments.

I'd certainly be interested to read the abstract - I'd warn you of course that I am an amateur at all this and this blog is a record / file of things that interest me as much as anything.

chris AT conditioningresearch.com should get to me
April 26, 2008 at 8:41 AM
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