Stamina
Training in football Teams. A real insight to the science
behind football from an experienced Fitness Coach ,Paco de Miguel
(Newcastle United) ,very knowledgeable and well written.
1.INTRODUCTION
Performance
in collective disciplines is very different from what occurs in individual
disciplines. In team sports is really complex to design plans and workout
routines to improve analytically the sport man biological-functional system.
This is certainly the approach that any coach should have before to make the
planning. In a discipline where the continuous interaction of variables is
present at all times, is not possible separately stimulate cognitive components
with fitness or coordinative ones. Almost all tasks have to be planned taking
into account the internal logic of the game.
The
search for collective performance must be programmed from a broad knowledge and
analysis of the sport. This planning has to satisfy the energy demands and
overall performance. The program must have the highest number of overall
training structures that are sufficient to ensure an adequate adaptation,
through continuous improvement of the greater number of potential training
components. You need to plan tasks with multi-objective.
The
development of the methodology of endurance training without the knowledge of
the interaction of all the components that affect a football team planning,
would not be valid. It’s important to locate the specific development of
stamina in a global planning.
2. SUMMARY OF STAMINA REQUIREMENTS FOR A FOOTBALL PLAYER
According
to Bangsbo J (1994) during a football game the contribution of aerobic energy
is 90% of total energy supply. Despite this, still anaerobic energy production
playing an important role during football games. During periods of high
intensity in the game phosphocreatine and less ATP is used, both compounds
resynthesized in the respective periods of recovery. Blood lactate average
values are between 3 and 9 mM / l,
exceeding often 10mM / l in some game periods. The amount of ammonia and uric
acid in blood is high during the game. It appears that the main energy
substrate is muscle glycogen, thus being the most important. Similarly
triglycerides, free fatty acids and glucose are also used for oxidative
metabolism of muscle.
According
to Ekblom B (1986) during a football game average intensity is about 80% of VO2
max, and according to Reilly T (1997) is about 75% of VO2 max.
Heart
rate average during a game is around 85% of the MHR, but will depend on the age
of players, with variations ranging from 80 to 95% MHR. Lactic acid is between
3 and 12 mM / l, although it is noted that the measures are always taken during
breaks or at the end of games, but never in competition. The energy
contribution of the aerobic endurance in a game is around 70-80% of the
total.Caloric expenditure is consensus among various researchers between 4000
and 6000kJ for a player of 70 kg body weight (Casajús JA 2004).
In
the laboratory, the anaerobic threshold of professional football players in the
Spanish League, has been set at 83% maximum aerobic speed, 91% of maximum heart
rate and 79% of maximal oxygen consumption (Casajús JA 2001).
Run
intensity distribution in a football game differ little from one author to
another, but the one usedby Zubillaga A (2006) is the most reliable, in my
opinion, because it uses latest technology to measure and has a big data base
in which he has analyzed many games for many years. Players on average cover
about 11196 meters, of which 77.2% are walking, 17.5% in fast run and 5.3% in
sprint, making a 22.8% in high intensity.
It
has been shown that heart rate is a valid and reliable indicator of intensity
(Hoff et al 2002, Esposito F et al 2004) specially in some game situations,
like driving, dribbling and playing in small side games (Hoff et al 2002), but
honestly is not the best because it control cardiovascular stress but not
mechanic load, which in my point of view, the most important intensity marker.
We can control mechanic load using a GPS system provided by accelerometer, but
also we have to care about heart rate, specially for some stamina tasks.
The
generic-interval method and specific-interval method in small side games are
equally effective to improve stamina in youth soccer players (Impellizzeri et
al 2006).
The
development of specific stamina workout in a ball context is an effective
substitute for the generic stamina workout as a method for improving aerobic
stamina in soccer players (Little T et al 2006).
According
to McMillan K et al (2005) specific training for 4 minutes at 90-95% of MHR
through dribbling drills, plus a jog recovery period of 3 minutes at 70% of
MHR, coupled with the rest of the weekly soccer training is effective to
improve maximal oxygen consumption without interfering negatively in strength,
jumping ability and sprinting. Similarly specific intervallic aerobic workouts
like this one, increase the distance of meters recovered, increased work
intensity, number of sprints and ball skills during the game (Helgerud J et al
2001).
Dupont
et al (2004) saw that making a high-intensity interval training of 12-15
repetitions of 15 seconds duration at 120% of VAM alternated with 15 seconds
recovery, along with 12-15 40-meter sprints with 30 seconds recovery, improved
the VAM considerably during a season.
To
summarize we can say that football is an acyclic sport that requires
simultaneous participation of aerobic and anaerobic system. The aerobic system
ensures game continuity and the anaerobic system must ensure continuity of
high-intensity efforts (sprints, jumps, accelerations, decelerations, etc).
The
average heart rate during a game is between 80 and 90% of MHR. VO2max is around
60 ml / kg / min (T Reilly 1986, Ekblom B,1997, Tumilty D 1993) on average.
The
generic and specific interval training, those which are developed taking into
account the internal logic of the game and those who are generic in response to
specific loads (out of a ball context), both are valid and successful methods to
enhance soccer-specific stamina (FM Impellizzeri et al 2006, Little et al 2006,
McMillan K 2003).
The
supply of continuous aerobic and anaerobic energy during football games is
quite important to perform multiple sprints or high intensity efforts (around 6
seconds). The resynthesis of ATP is limited due to the high intensity of the
game and the short recovery period. It is true that this initial resynthesis of
ATP is covered by anaerobic sources (phosphocreatine degradation and
glycolysis) with a slight contribution (± 10%) of aerobic metabolism.
During
recovery VO2 remained elevated to restore homeostasis via processes such as the
filling of the stores of oxygen in muscle tissue, phosphocreatine resynthesis,
lactate metabolism, and elimination of inorganic phosphate accumulated
intracellularly.
If
recovery periods are relatively short VO2 remains high before next sprint and
aerobic contribution to ATP resynthesis increases (M Glaister 2005).
That
is why it is relatively important to provide the aerobic metabolism of the role
they need to contribute to the ability to resist maximum intensity and short
duration efforts. However it hasbeen shown that VO2 max is not correlated in
time with the improvement in sprint time of 40 meters, although there is a moderate
correlation with the total time, ie the sum of several repetitions (Aziz AR et
al 2000), thereby strengthening the theory that increasing stamina level will
help to perform repeated sprints.
3. TYPES OF FOOTBALL STAMINA
The heart rate fluctuates in
a game between 150-180 bpm and therefore using the standard values of
HRM (maximum heart rate) of player average age is 190 bpm, working below 142
bpm did not usually occur and this concept of aerobic efficiency (intensities
less than 75% MHR) has little role.
|
Aerobic Capacity
|
Aerobic Power
|
Lactic Maintenance
|
Lactic Production
|
Duration
|
6’-30’min
|
3-6’min
|
40’’-2’min
|
20-40’’
|
Intensity %
|
75-90%
|
90-100%
|
100%
|
100%
|
VAM %
|
75-85%
|
85-115%
|
105-120%
|
+120%
|
La mmol
|
2-4 mmol
|
4-8mmol
|
7-9mmol
|
+10mmol
|
AEROBIC CAPACITY
Duration of effort: from 6
to 30 minutes.
Intensity: 75 to
90% of MHR / 75 to 85% of VAM / +2
mM/l to 4 mM/l
AEROBIC POWER
Duration of effort: from 3
to 6 minutes.
Intensity: 90 to
100% of MHR / 85 to 115% of VAM / +4
mM/l to 8 mM/l
LACTIC MAINTENANCE
Duration of effort: from 40
seconds to 2 minutes.
Intensity: 100% of
MHR / 105 to 120% of VAM / 7 mM/l to
9 mM/l
LACTIC PRODUCTION
Duration of effort: from 20
to 40 seconds.
Intensity: 100% of
MHR / +120% of VAM / +10 mM/l
The type of stamina training at any time depends on two basic
factors:
1.
Player position: The position of each player on the field is crucial to meet
the requirements of specific stamina training. Each demarcation request
different energy demands.
2.
Game style: It is one of the most important factors for the development of
specific stamina. Not all the teams use the same style of play and every coach
should prepare their players based on what they will need to perform properly.
The needs of a team that plays continuously pressing are not the same ones that
a team which is dropped and trying to play
counterattack.
What
type of training will have priority? At the beginning all of them are
important. Training normally with the ball we are improving always the stamina
in different ways but but sometimes we must strengthen them with specific
training out of a ball context.
Based
on the principle of globalism, stamina training in soccer players is based on a
high percentage in the soccer specific development tasks raised within
technical-tactical exercises. Also it is important to know in any times which
are the necessities for each player as individual.
4. PERIODIZATION OF STAMINA IN A HIGH DENSITY COMPETITION FOOTBALL TEAM
Soccer
system competition is responsible for setting the periodization. The
performance results of a football team are analyzed at the end of the season,
so the periodization has a yearly basis.
Training
methodology in football today is aimed at increasing the level of team
performance from the whole and high integrity of the factors and elements that
are part of the competition and which are considered likely to improve.
According
to Mombaerts E (1996), the coach must train the technical and tactical skills
and physical and psychological qualities under the sign of integration and not
the sum, leading to a comprehensive and integrated training where they acquire
a multidimensional scale each variable of the training can benefit from
planning in a short and long term.
Given
that periodization is what you are trying to locate the contents of the
training time(a full season), these must be previously well-defined and
structured. Not all contents are likely to be periodized, since they depend
largely on the need to useat any given time. That need is a reality that
training plan precludes further in advance to 1-2 weeks. This is the key to
understanding the elementary and basic unit that builds on the annual
periodization are microcycles. There is a clear indeterminacy of content beyond
one or two weeks of training, but in most cases the limit is fixed in a week.
On
the other hand, the needs of the team coming from performance analysis after
their last games becomes in ideas and contents to be incorporated immediately.
That immediacy is what prevents planning longer in football.
Therefore
the technical and tactical content cannot be periodizated within the
competitive period, except in preseason where technical-tactical contents
construction is more predictable and also there is not excess of games.
We can say that approximately we can
do 80% of the stamina tasks in a ball context, but still we need to practise
another 20% without it.
In my opinion
we can improve aerobic power playing small side games, is more specific if the
players perform these exercises in high intensity, that means the players will
have the ability to get fast energy in a short time, but as we know, if we need
to keep this high intensity or medium intensity longer we still need aerobic
production (aerobic capacity). How can we improve this aerobic capacity? One
the methods to do it is improving the anaerobic threshold. To do that
inevitably because is an individual threshold we have to use analytic run,
working each player in their respective intensity. Can we make compatible this
run with another football fitness needs? Of course we can, in my point of view
is quite important as a part of the concurrent training in football. Obviously
it is important to adequate timing for these activities during practise and
also be sure that everything we do in a training session is done according the
main target that we have for it and not hinder the other tasks.
The
best way to manage and deal with this is try to control everything we do with
the ball and add the complement that in our opinion each player needs at any
time. For that reason not all the tasks will be practise for all the players
together and we can plan them in a general basis and make some changes looking
for improve each individual player.
Paco De Miguel,Fitness Coach -Newcastle United 
Date:07.09.2011
