As we venture into the last phase of the season it is important that there is a balance between work and recovery. In planning for a football season the basic structure is put in place prior to the onset of pre season. However, it is important there is room for flexibility in any plan so that manipulations can be made when required.
As we venture into the last phase of the season it is important that there is a balance between work and recovery. In planning for a football season the basic structure is put in place prior to the onset of pre season. However, it is important there is room for flexibility in any plan so that manipulations can be made when required.
This season began with day 1 of pre season on July 18 and since then the players have completed over 230 sessions and have covered over 1 million metres in training and games. These are just fun statistics but everything we do must be planned. If there is no plan that manipulates training intensity and volume injuries will increase and players performance will decrease.
In a team situation players should be treated as individuals from a physiological perspective. Some players may require more rest than others, some may need more work in specific areas and some may need to decrease on fieldwork due to fatigue. Our job is to get players to perform to their maximum come match day and to ensure that fatigue accumulation is not a factor that has a negative effect come the last phase of the season.
Planning is vital at any level and whether you are training children or adults you must plan and understand the implications of your sessions both in the short and long term. The human body is very resilient but if the work is too great then it will fatigue and injury will be the consequence.
The first step to a place in the final series has been completed. The win against Melbourne Victory was well deserved and it was great to see such a positive performance from our team. Our second step is against Melbourne Heart and this game is equally important. The players are positive and are determined to complete the next step in our season.
Our preparation began for Heart as soon as the final whistle sounded on Saturday evening. Our players will be ready for this challenge so that we can continue our march towards the finals and beyond.
As always if you need any advice on how to structure training or anything in the human performance field please just email me. It was a fantastic crowd on the weekend and the team lifts significantly because of our great supporters.
Dr Craig Duncan
(twitter) @drcraigduncan
(email) craigd@sydneyfc.com
(web) www.drcraigduncan.com
