S B Coaches College - Demanding Analysis: Conditioning for Soccer, Part II




		Demanding Analysis: Conditioning for Soccer, Part II *Joe Bonyai, CSCS* Share \|

The final part of this series will review the most appropriate types of conditioning strategies for soccer athletes.

Maximal and repeated sprint training

If you were divide the total match length by the number of sprints over the course of the match, you’d end up with a work to rest ratio that would be unlikely to produce considerable fatigue if applied into a conditioning program. Therefore, along with maximal sprint training (with considerable rest), coaches should program repeated sprint training that is more likely to preserve power capacity, increase specific-aerobic capacity, and simulate competition-specific fatigue conditions. A few guidelines when developing repeated sprint protocols:

· 3-7 consecutive sprints with <20 seconds of rest in between appears to be an appropriate range for field-based sports. 6-7 repetitive sprints may be considered an upper-limit, high intensity set (2).

· The majority of sprints should remain between 2-3 seconds or cover 10-20 meters. Longer sprints lasting up to 4 seconds may be included as well.

· Extrapolation from professional, male field hockey data suggests that athletes will endure up to 4 repeated sprint bouts per game (3). Although not perfectly accurate, field hockey and soccer display similar demands-profiles.

· A 40x15m sprint protocol with a 1:6 work to rest ratio induced perceived-fatigue similar to competition as reported by professional soccer players (1). Shorter sprint-distance protocols induced greater fatigue as compared to longer-distance sprints with similar work to rest ratios. The reason for this may be the need to stop abruptly following shorter sprints in order to reset for the following sprint.

The goal of repeated sprint training is to maintain maximal speed over short distances. Interval training is characterized by longer runs or shuttles aimed at developing anaerobic endurance.

Interval training and aerobic capacity

As I outlined in Part I, the consequences of long distance running outweigh any benefit for team sport athletes. In addition, there is growing evidence that short-duration, high intensity interval training is equally effective in improving aerobic capacity (4-6). Conditioning for field sports, such as soccer, should be focused around repeated-run activities, not continuous jogs.

· There are various ways to design interval type runs. Shorter runs with more change of direction (75, 150 yard shuttle) may be more appropriate once a foundation has been built using longer intervals and tempo runs.

· Staggered-shuttles may provide even more of a specific stimulus or can be used as effective testing tool. An 80 yard shuttle in which athletes start by running 10 yards and back (total 20 yards), and finish by running 30 yards and back (total 60 yards) incorporates both quick changes of direction and longer runs.

Skill-based conditioning programs

As a general definition, skill-based conditioning drills follow work to rest ratios similar to competition, incorporate rapid starts, stops and changes of direction close to game speed, and also include technical skills (kicking, dribbling, passing, etc). These types of drills can also include “open-chain” activities like small-field scrimmages and different types of competitions.

Limited research has been conducted using soccer players and skill-based conditioning strategies. Most studies have used rugby teams; which I consider an acceptable alternative, so extract what you may. Here’s a review of the potential benefits of skill-based programs as opposed to traditional conditioning methods.

· Skill-based conditioning games were shown to significantly improve heart rate recovery scores over a 9 week training period in high-level rugby union players (7). As the competition level of athletes increases, so does the need for increased specificity of conditioning programs.

· Skill-based conditioning games improved 10-m, 20-m, and 40-m speed, muscular power (vertical jump), and aerobic power, compared to a traditional training program (max effort sprints, repeated sprints, and agility drills) which was shown to improve only 10-m speed and aerobic power (8). This study was conducted over two seasons, each season consisting of a different conditioning strategy. It’s interesting to note that during the season using skill-based conditioning, the team averaged more points in attack and averaged a greater point differential, although the record was exactly the same between seasons (75% winning percentage) (8). The fact that this study used elite rugby players may demonstrate that metabolic-specificity is critical when designing programs for high level athletes.

· A study evaluating training-induced injuries over one season revealed that 37.5% of injuries sustained occurred during traditional conditioning protocols (linear runs with involvement of technical skills), compared to 10.7% that were sustained during skill-based conditioning drills. Over 50% percent of the injuries that resulted in time lost from competition occurred during traditional conditioning protocols (9).

Most teams will benefit from a simple approach. During the off-season or preseason, program agility and sprint training early in the week when your athletes are fresh. Maximal speed and agility work (jumps, hops, bounds, cone drills, hurdle drills, etc) will be impaired if the athletes are too tired. Follow speed and agility work with repetitive-sprint training or intervals in the middle of the week. At the end of the week, skill-based games and scrimmages are appropriate when the cumulative fatigue is greatest. It is tough to quantify volume and individual effort using games and scrimmages, so using them as your only means of metabolic training isn’t adequate. However, at the end of the week, incorporating skill-games will separate “gamers” and “showcase studs”. No matter what early-week performance reveals, late-week competitions will prove to a coach who will be ready to perform when it matters the most.

A few notes on fatigue

Since a great conditioning program should help prevent fatigue during competition, it’s necessary to examine when and how fatigue occurs over the course of a soccer match. However, a great training program will only take your athletes so far. Check out the ways fatigue presents itself over the course of a match and some simple ways to combat it.

· Total distance covered during the second half of a soccer match is significantly less as compared to the first half (9, 10).

· It’s been demonstrated that the amount of high-intensity running is less during the first five minutes of the second half than during the first five minutes of the first half (9).

· Consistently, the amount of high-intensity running is significantly reduced during the final fifteen minutes of a match, independent of skill level or playing position (9).

· The performance decrement during the initial five-minutes of the second period may be caused by inadequate recovery and warm-up during half time and prior to the second half. An interesting study by Mohr, Krustrup, Nybo, Nielsen, and Bangsbo (2004) revealed that sprint ability was unaffected immediately following the first half of play; however, following half time (prior to the second half), sprint ability significantly decreased in athletes who had not re-warmed up adequately (as measured by a decrease in body temperature over the half time break) (11).

· Although the mechanisms remain unclear, fatigue towards the end of the game may be caused by a shift in substrate utilization towards increased free fatty acid mobilization as a result of decreased glycogen and increased catecholamine levels (10). This may be alleviated by adequate pre-game and half-time nutritional manipulation.

A few better decisions applied to many aspects of a training program may lead to greater results than just trying to create the ultimate conditioning program. Examples like simple nutrition solutions, and adequate warm-up routines may pay dividends come game time.

For additional information on training for soccer and a detailed program template, read Brijesh Patel’s article here .

References

1. Little T., and Williams A. G. Effects of sprint duration and exercise: rest ratio on repeated sprint performance and physiological responses in professional soccer players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 21:646-648, 2007.

2. Spencer M., Bishop D., Dawson B., and Goodman, C. Physiological and metabolic responses of repeated sprint activities: Specific to field-based team sports. Sports Med., 35:1025-1044, 2005.

3. Spencer M., Lawrence S., Rechichi C., Bishop D., Dawson B., and Goodman C. Time-motion analysis of elite field hockey, with special reference to repeated-sprint activity. Journal of Sports Sciences, 22:843-850, 2004.

4. Impellizzeri, F, M., Marcora S. M., Castagna, C., et. al. Physiological and performance effects of generic versus specific aerobic training in soccer players. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 27:483-492, 2006.

5. Gibala, M. J., Little, J. P. Van Essen, M., et. al Short-term sprint interval versus traditional endurance training : similar initial adaptations in human skeletal muscle and exercise performance. Journal of Physiology, 3:901-911, 2006.

6. MacDougall, J. D., Hicks, A. L., MacDonald J. R., McKelvie, R. S., Green H. J., and Smith K.M. Muscle Performance and enzymatic adaptations to sprint interval training. J. Appl. Physiology. 84:2138-2142, 1998.

7. Gamble, P. A skill-based conditioning games approach to metabolic conditioning for elite rugby football players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 18:491-497, 2004.

8. Gabbett, T. J. Training injuries in rugby league: An evaluation of skill-based conditioning games. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 16:236-241, 2002.

9. Mohr M., Krustrup P., and Bangsbo J. Match performance of high-standard soccer players with special reference to development of fatigue. Journal of Sports Sciences, 21:519-528, 2003.

10. Mohr M., Krustrup P., and Bangsbo, J. Fatigue in soccer: A brief review. Journal of Sports Sciences, 23:593-599, 2005.

11. Mohr M., Krustrup P., Nybo L., Nielsen J. J., and Bangsbo J. Muscle temperature and sprint performance during soccer matches – beneficial effects of re-warm-up at half time. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 15:136-143.

Joe Bonyai, CSCS, is completing his M.S. degree at Springfield College in Springfield, MA. Joe works as a strength and conditioning coach for five varsity teams at Springfield, and has completed summer long internships in Minor League Baseball, at Athletes’ Performance, and Velocity Sports Performance. Please email Joe at jjbonyai@hotmail.com