Authors - Christian Beguer Baigorri

Strength training may be one of the training contents with the greatest interaction between the elements that characterize development in soccer. In accordance with the epidemiological context and the existing relationship between injury rate and performance, it is considered that neuromuscular training may be the content that best approximates the movement conflicts required by the activity.

Considering the physiological and physical demands of competition, strength programs have a positive impact on individual performance, not only because of their prevalence with respect to other content, but also because of their ecological value in involving different movement patterns.

The method for functional strength training described here is based on scientific evidence, having been simplified for this study and shaped according to professional practical experience. It is an open and live methodology that feeds back from the constant observations made about the athlete, being a proposal adaptable to the relevant context.

The model consists of 4 blocks:

Preventive / Recovery / Structural / Specific actions

Example: Preventive work: This type of work is intended to deal with the most casualties of Football, in this case pubis, hamstrings, knee and ankle. It depends on each football player and their harmful history, certain parameters are treated.

Below is an example of work for individual treatment of Hamstrings, pubis, buttocks and core. In Pre-session, 10 exercises, 2 series, 10-15 minutes with a moderate intensity.

Today, the trend of most coaches is to find smart players who are able to interpret the logic of the game. Taking into account the idea of ​​football today in terms of training intelligent players, capable of performing at a high level based on the logic of the game and motivated to continue evolving, it is necessary to use a motivating and attractive training model and methodology that Bring together all those structures that contextualize soccer and that to a greater or lesser extent will be present during the competition.

SMALL SIDE GAMES. YES or NO? HOW?

• Advantages offered by this type of work (more participation, more repetition, proven conditional utility, request for different efforts, delimitation of sector behaviors ...)

• Each game space involves different conditional, tactical and emotional adaptations, which is why using one type of task in front of others can make us fall into limiting reductionism in the development of our team.

• Adaptation and Reflection to avoid that our training will become a mere procedure not in accordance with the responsibility that is demanded from us and for the performance of our group of players.

PROGRESSION OF EXERCISES

7v7 POSSESSION TASK OF PRINCIPLES

Description: Possession with 2 teams of 7 players each in a space of 45x40 meters.

Principles and sub-principles:

Attack: Give good passing lines, mobility of players without the ball, open spaces etc.

Defense: Aggressive pressure on the ball keeper, reduction of pass lines etc.

7v7 POSSESSION TASK OF PRINCIPLES

Modification of the playing space but not of the dimensions

Description: Possession with 2 teams of 7 players each in a space of 45x40 meters. Division of space into 4 zones. You can only play in the area that marks the ball and in the adjacent one. Players are placed in a 3-3-1 game system but without the need to limit their movements to the players.

Principles and sub-principles:

Attack: Give good pass lines, mobility of players without the ball, wide spaces etc.

Defense: Aggressive pressure on the ball owner, reduction of vertical spaces, respecting the distance between lines etc.

7v7 POSSESSION TASK OF PRINCIPLES

Modification of the playing space but not of the dimensions

Description: Possession with 2 teams of 7 players each in a space of 45x40 meters. Division of space into 4 zones. You can only play in the area that marks the ball and in the adjacent one. Players are placed in a 3-3-1 game system but without the need to limit their movements to the players.

Principles and sub-principles:

Attack: Give good pass lines, mobility of players without the ball, wide spaces etc.

Defense: Aggressive pressure on the ball keeper, reduction of horizontal spaces, tilting, coverage etc.

POSSESSION 7v7 + 2p. TACTICAL TASK

Description: Possession with 2 teams of 7 players with 2 goalkeepers in a space of 45x40 meters. Simulation of a real game in reduced play, complying with the pressure standards in the opposite field, quick ball recovery,…

Principles and sub-principles:

Attack: Give good pass lines, mobility of players without the ball, wide spaces etc.

Defense: Aggressive pressure on the ball keeper, reduction of horizontal spaces, tilting, coverage etc.

The evolution of elite sport exposes players to ever-higher training loads, crowded competition schedules and shorter rest periods. This causes teams to thrive on the latest technological and scientific advances in the field of sports and medicine in their quest to reduce the risk of injury without compromising performance.

Monitoring workload has become a cornerstone on which to plan and periodize workouts, optimize fitness, and avoid the risk of injury. Training Load is usually categorized as external or internal, respectively defined as the conditioned work performed by the athlete (example: total distance, number of accelerations) and the associated physiological response (example: subjective perception of effort, heart rate, lactate concentration).

In this case we refer to the external load, through GPS, through which we can observe the behavior of the different variables that are analyzed to control the Volume and Intensity of the session.

The variables that we take into account are the following: Total Distance (T.D.), H.S.R., Acc-Decc, Nº Sprints, Peak velocity, H.M.L, Total Player Load,...

Once the variables are obtained, we can analyze what % of Volume we have obtained with respect to the MD, what % of Intensity and thus we can observe by graph the trend that the load has had (Volume and Intensity) during the microcycle. In this graph we can see the Variables of Volume, Intensity and Total Player Load and the references as light, medium or intense.

Another important aspect is the individual analysis of the players, what levels they have given during the micro cycle, and all this compared to the footballer's performance profile.

These values serve as a reference to adjust the training loads of the next day or the next micro cycle. In turn, it is important to activate the individual recovery or compensation protocols if any of the players has exceeded the established limits or is far below the stipulated work.

To finish, it is important to know the conditional profile of each task, in which parameters it is located in terms of total distance, accelerations, and decelerations to be able to introduce said task according to the corresponding day of the week based on the structure of the competitive micro cycle.

All these external load data, in addition to the internal load data (RPE, Wellness, ...) are necessary when rescheduling the training based on the level of fatigue of the footballers with the sole objective of reaching the day of competition. The most recovered possible and with an optimal level to be able to compete in the best possibilities.