To start with it is important that
you know your players, or at least
get a feel for what they have been
doing over the last couple of
months as this allows you to plan
your starting point and program
your training accordingly. With a
general idea of the players levels
you should look to plan the
training for the entire period and
work towards the end point (first
game). One of the biggest
mistakes I see is the lack of focus
on the big picture and then
coaches adding more ‘stuff’ to
individual sessions throughout the
period, that means being aware of
days which are going to be easier
on the players. Have a plan and
stick to it!
In planning you need to be aware of 2 general considerations (1)
volume (how much) and (2) intensity (how hard). As previously
mentioned with the isolation/layoff period there is detraining
effect and the longer the break the greater the potential drop in
physical performance. Herein lies the first problem, which
physical attributes are we taking about?
We can separate these attributes into many different categories
with many different names but I like to think of them the lowing
way, We have cardiovascular fitness, which some would call
central fitness, and then muscular fitness which some would call
peripheral fitness. Think; can I (1) Jog, (2) sprint, (3) do repeated
sprints, (4) accelerate, (5) decelerate, (6) pass the ball short, (7)
shoot. Chances are that your players will have done (1) and (2)
and maybe (3) but the really high speed football specific tasks
have probably not been performed for a couple of months.
What’s the first thing players do when they arrive a at pitch with a
bag of balls? Try and hit the crossbar from the half way … then
wonder why there hamstring feels a bit tight!