423888766 Balancing Physical And Tactical Load In Soccer

BALANCING PHYSICAL & TACTICAL LOAD IN SOCCER: A HOLISTIC APPROACH

A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR SOCCER PRACTITIONERS EFTHYMIOS KYPRIANOU • FRANCESCO FARIOLI

BALANCING PHYSICAL AND TACTICAL LOAD IN SOCCER: A HOLISTIC APPROACH // KYPRIANOU & FARIOLI |

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BALANCING PHYSICAL AND TACTICAL LOAD IN SOCCER: A HOLISTIC APPROACH BY EFTHYMIOS KYPRIANOU STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH, SPORTS SCIENTIST FRANCESCO FARIOLI GOALKEEPING COACH

Published by:

Complementary Training Belgrade, Serbia

2019

For information:

www.complementarytraining.net

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CONTENTS Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART A’ - WE TRAIN AS WE PLAY (WHY) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1) Game Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2) Moments of the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3) Integrated training & Tactical Periodization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 4) Monitoring Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 5) Training Session - Drill Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 6) Worst Case Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 PART B’ - BUILD YOUR OWN METHODOLOGY (WHAT). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1) Planning and Periodization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 2) Level of Structural Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 3) Training Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 4) Drills Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 5) Training Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 PART C’ - BRING IT ALL TOGETHER DESIGN YOUR WEEKLY PLANS (WHEN). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 1) Steps to consider when you design your weekly plans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 2) Exercise Complexity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 3) Setting Up Your Targets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 4) Recovery Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 5) Strength Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 6) Endurance Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 7) Speed Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 8) Reaction Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 TAKE HOME MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

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BALANCING PHYSICAL AND TACTICAL LOAD IN SOCCER: A HOLISTIC APPROACH

By EFTHYMIOS KYPRIANOU

AN ALL TIME CLASSIC QUESTION; How

Strength & Conditioning Coach, Sports Scientist

FRANCESCO FARIOLI Goalkeeping Coach

to achieve and manage the balance between physical and tactical training? Where does a fitness coach’s work end and where does the work of the football coach start? To begin with, training to enhance physical performance is an adaptive process that involves progressive manipulation of the physical load (Manzi et al, 2010), which is the sum of the fitness coach and football coach’s work. Monitoring training load is therefore essential (as all practitioners attest to), in managing the training ‘’dose’’ to ensure the desired improvements in performance are attained whilst minimizing the incidence of load related injuries (Akenhead & Nassis, 2016; Weston, 2018). Furthermore, in modern football, match analysis and technology provide coaches with important information on the physical, technical and tactical demands of the game, highlighting each player’s performance (Sarmento et al 2014; Rein & Memmet 2016). Every action performed in the game includes a decision (tactical part), an action or motor skill (technical part) that requires a particular movement (physiological part) and is directed by volitional and emotional states (psychological part) (Delgado & Mendez-Villanueva, 2018). How well are we taking into account this information? How do we implement this in our daily training process? Every football or fitness coach should always ask him/her self:

WHY

we have to reconsider our daily training process and game model?

WHAT

is our training philosophy coming from that game model?

WHEN

and how can we periodise all physical and tactical contexts?

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PART A WE TRAIN

AS WE PLAY (WHY?)

“Training is worth it only when it lets you make your ideas and principles operational. Thus, the coach has to find exercises to guide his team to do what it is intended to do in the game.”

(Mourinho, 2006).

WHAT ARE THE KEY ASPECTS THAT WE NEED TO KNOW WHEN DESIGNING OUR TRAINING SESSIONS?

A) Game Model

Football or Soccer (in European “sport glossary”), is an intermittent sport with a) physical demands, with changes in speed of movement and direction (e.g., walking, jogging, high intensity running, and sprinting), b) technical actions (dribbling, passes, shots etc..) and c) tactical principles of play (e.g., playing style, formation, positioning, etc.) which ultimately determine the outcome of the match and the overall team performance. Tactical Periodisation, is a contemporary training approach in football that was recently introduced where

the reference is always the GAME. Therefore, whatever you are doing in your training (physical & tactical training) should link to what you would like to see in the game. When devising your Game Model, you should consider several factors (FIGURE 1). Each team has a different game model according to their coach’s philosophy, the different profile of players that a squad has, any cultural specificities a club or country may have and so on. However, we can see coaches breaking the rules; for instance, Maurizio Sarri (current Chelsea FC coach) has the same Game Model and philosophy working in a lower ranking team as working in a big team. One of his game model’s characteristics is to find the depth playing short to attract the opponent and find the space at their back.

VIDEO 1. HOW TO ATTACK THE DEPTH – COACH MAURIZIO SARRI (EMPOLI – SERIA A 2015/15)

Coaches should always be prepared to adapt to the current conditions that they are facing. Moreover, we need to bear in mind that having a clear Game Model reduces the players’ uncertainty when they play and gives them more time to develop their creativity (Delgado & Mendez-Villanueva, 2012).

FIGURE 1

How to build a Game Model (Delgado & Villanueva 2012)

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PART A When coaches are building their team’s Game Model, they are building on collective patterns (team), sectorial (one line, e.g. defenders), inter-sectorial patterns (two lines between them, e.g. defenders with midfielders) and individual (one player) (Delgado & Mendez-Villanueva, 2018). Furthermore, learning from the coaching education courses, a coach’s plan consists of a) formation (system of play), b) tactics (individual-lines-team), c) special tactics and d) strategy. It is essential to analyze our team’s way of playing (formation/tactic) and identify what are the tactical demands of each position (a Right Back may have different demands from system to system). It is not suggesting, players doing individual “positional” fitness training. For example, it will not be beneficial for a Right Back to try simulating his game in the fitness training context without any tactical requirements. It would be better for him to do football training in his position, executing the same time all his tactical demands. Nevertheless, we have to identify the physical demands of that Game Model and try to train them first with football. Fitness training

should always be complementary to football training; primarily to target injury prevention and then to improve performance. In order to achieve this, positional (averages and max) and individual (averages and max) would be fundamental elements to start building the team’s profile; in order to help coaches adjusting the training prescription (FIGURE 2). When looking at players’ performance in a game, we should consider the high variability in players’ running performance from game to game (Al Haddad et al, 2017), especially in high speed running (Gregson et al 2010; Al Haddad et al, 2017). Moreover, we have to bear in mind that when using these physical parameters to analyze our Game Model, we only quantify the movement profile of our game, and not the non-locomotor activities such as tackling, kicking, duels, jumping that could metabolically influence the player’s performance. In the end, the most important is the ability to generate a high physical output during the game, without the significant compromise of the technical, tactical or psychological aspects of match play (Delaney, 2018).

FIGURE 2

Game model physical averages max tactical characteristics by position (random data)

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PART A

B) Moments of the Game

Another important aspect, directly linked with the Game Model, is the moments of the game. Analyzing a team’s game model, a key factor of a team’s success is to train the moments of the game which consist of, a) Open Play, with the four moments of the game, and b) Set Play, (offensive/defensive) consisting of kick-off, free kick, corner, throw-in and penalty (FIGURE 3). Building our Game Model, we should have a clear philosophy (from Macro-principles to Sub-principles) of what our team is doing in each phase. For example, in Offensive organization, our Macro principle could be Ball Possession, to attract the opponent and Sub Principles (how we could actually achieve the macro principle); Goal keeper distribution, passing between the lines, playing direct and good positional play. Similarly, we have to do the same for all four moments and Set Plays. At least one of these four moments of the game or Set Plays should always be present in every training exercise. In general, when somebody watches

FIGURE 3

Moments of the game – Open & Set Play

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PART A

your team’s game, he/she would be able to distinguish your philosophy; how you build up, your defending organization and what is the team’s characteristics when you recover or lose the ball. Ideally, a fitness coach should be able to apply the team’s tactical patterns to the fitness part and also adjust spaces and players involved in the tactical training, according to the physiological demands of the day. Which is the best fitness training? Just play the game! Don’t over- complicate things, just adjust the intensity and volume you want each day (with dimensions, restrictions, number of players) Mirror real situations in your drills, that players may face in the game, always with transition involved (always one more action after losing or recovering the ball) It is very important the exercises have continuity, with the players always able to think both offensively or defensively depending on the team in possession When does the offensive transition start? Some coaches would say when we recover the ball, however the answer is that we think offensively from the moment we start defending Similarly, defensive transition starts from the moment we start building up. Warm up / Activation (Make it count) Start working on moments of the game from the first minute of your session. Don’t lose your time, try always to be effective with any drill or session. Make every minute or action of your training count for your players and your team. After a general activation in the gym, your players can start

working with ball. Having as an example a session targeting the offensive organization (of course we don’t forget the other 3 phases), we can start with exercises that are simple and have lower cognitive-load (VIDEO 2), progressing to more difficult exercises – adding also opposition (VIDEO 3) and arriving in the last step with tactical and higher cognitive-load exercises (VIDEO 4)

VIDEO 2. OFFENSIVE ORGANISATION WARM UP DRILL (GENERAL)

VIDEO 3. OFFENSIVE ORGANISATION WARM UP 2 (FUNCTIONAL)

VIDEO 4. OFFENSIVE ORGANISATION WARM UP 3 (POSITIONAL)

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PART A

Transition phase Working on transitions (offensive or defensive) is essential for players’ continuity in the game. Training tips are: 1. Include transition elements in your fitness drills (VIDEO 5), 2. incorporate both transitions (offensive or defensive) in the same football drill (VIDEO 6),

VIDEO 5. MOMENTS OF THE GAME (TRANSITIONS – PHYSICAL)

3. use drills with specific actions and movements (e.g building up vs defending behaviors, third man moves, overlapping or underlapping) that you would like to appear more often and can be connected with your game model. (VIDEO 7). Keep the players’ mind busy and help them understand the game first and then to build their fitness. Fitness training should always be complementary to tactical training. Don’t forget that.

VIDEO 6. MOMENTS OF THE GAME (TRANSITIONS – FOOTBALL TRAINING)

VIDEO 7. MOMENTS OF THE GAME (TRANSITIONS – GAME MODEL)

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PART A

C) Integrated training & Tactical Periodization

Understanding the team’s Game Model (and moments of the game), coaches must work on finding the ultimate balance between Physical, Technical and Tactical load. The big question is how a football coach and a fitness coach can integrate their work? Start with planning your meso-cycle and micro-cycle before designing any session. In general, fitness coaches should guide football coaches regarding session design using volume (total work), intensity (m/min), density (space/players involved) and recovery (drills, sessions). Looking at the training methods (FIGURE 4) that can be used in our daily training process are: 1. Traditional training, where the priority is the development of one target (physical, technical or tactical), 2. Integrated training, where physical, technical and tactical targets are developed together and 3. Systemic training (Tactical Periodization), where our Game Model is the reference when designing a drill or session.

FIGURE 4

Head coach and fitness coach have to align their daily targets and try to prioritize them within the session. For example, when the coach wants to work on defensive organization in small spaces, a fitness coach can use drills during warm up that focus on acceleration/deceleration and change of direction. In addition, the fitness coach can stress certain energy systems without the ball, according to the day’s target, preferably in the end of the session. Nowadays, with the use of live monitoring technology, we can see the players’ performance in real time and can top up any component we target. Taking everything back to the beginning: What are the physical demands of a 90min game? If we try to monitor player performance at an elite level, we will find that a football player covers distances between 10-12km (depending from their position) with the majority of that being in low intensity (Di Salvo et al, 2010). Nonetheless, in the span of the distance covered, we have activities like tackles, headers, changes of direction and high intensity running of which Maximum Sprinting Speed (sprinting) constitutes 1-11% with 10-20 sprints (>25.2 km/h) (Di Salvo et al 2010; Haugen et al 2014). Let’s take the example of Maximum Sprinting Speed to see how can integrate both the physical and football part. Recent studies reported that before scoring 45% of their goals, the scoring player performed a sprint in high velocity (Fadue et al, 2012). Therefore, the ability of

Training Methods

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PART A a football player to perform (repeatedly) that aforementioned 1-11% of the game is crucially important and may be decisive in a football game. (VIDEO 8) Sprinting speed can be differentiated into acceleration (10m) and maximal sprinting speed or peak velocity (20-40m). Training wise, these two components should train independently as not all max accelerations lead to max speed (Haugen et al, 2014; Al Haddad et al, 2015). Training principles should definitely be applied (FIGURE 5), from simple to more complex, progressive overload and so on.

cal component, providing the players with time to recover and reduce fatigue (Delgado & Mendez-Villanueva, 2018). The tactical target is changing according to our team’s needs or to our next opponent’s way of playing, but the physical target could remain the same on a given day (Delgado & Mendez-Villanueva, 2018).

VIDEO 8. MAX SPEED IN SOCCER

FIGURE 5

Maximum Sprinting Speed training principles

Here, we add the traditional to tactical method, with exercises focusing on pure Max Sprinting Speed development (Physical) (VIDEO 9), exercises integrating basic movement skills with ball (Physical & Technical) (VIDEO 10) and exercises incorporating tactical movement patterns (Systemic) (VIDEO 11). In modern training planning, it does not make sense working in traditional blocks with different physical aspects (aerobic capacity – aerobic power – anaerobic capacity – anaerobic power etc). Big clubs spend 2-3 weeks in pre-season doing friendly games in different places around the world. After the first week (adaptation), according to the tactical periodization we can work all fitness components in relation to a) the team needs (tactical) and b) the level of complexity. Based on the tactical periodization (principle of horizontal alternation in specificity), we could work on football-specific training models, where physical terminologies like Strength, Endurance, Speed and Recovery describe the session’s targets. In this model, the priority is to achieve each day’s target with football, according to the team’s game model, avoiding a large amount of stress on the same physi-

VIDEO 9. MAX SPEED TRAINING – A) ISOLATED (TRADITIONAL)

VIDEO 10. MAX SPEED TRAINING – B) FUNCTIONAL (INTEGRATED)

VIDEO 11. MAX SPEED TRAINING – C) TACTICAL (SYSTEMIC)

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PART A In another approach, in a recent study, Bradley & Ade (2018) have proposed an integrated approach (FIGURE 6).

In this approach, the authors used ‘High Speed Running in relation to key tactical activities’ for each position as an example (eg: overlapping or underlapping of wide defender) and then collectively for the team (eg: high pressing). Therefore, instead of looking at the absolute value of High Speed Running (traditional approach), they used this physical parameter in relation with coach tactics in a more holistic way. According to the authors, understanding of the physical performance in relation to the tactical roles and instructions given to the players, will enable coaches to efficiently incorporate match metrics into the training process. In theory, this approach looks to be what we all “dreamed of”, however this still needs further investigation, since it is time consuming, requires well-trained staff and also needs expensive equipment (computerized tracking technology).

FIGURE 6

Tactical Technical and Physical Integration (Bradley & Ade 2018)

D) Monitoring (Training) cycle

It is essential for coaches to understand how total match or training load of physical/ tactical stimulus can affect players’ readiness to train or play. A group of top researchers (Gabett et al, 2017), recently published a helpful guide to all sport practitioners regarding the monitoring cycle and applied steps to make the training process much easier. In our modified monitoring cycle which effectively is the daily training cycle (FIGURE 7), coaches have to understand how training stimulus can affect players’ readiness to train/play and to be ready to take decisions according to players’ needs. We have to be close to our players and be prepared to modify our plan according to their responses. In addition, looking at the monitoring cycle, it should be noted that the coach has to understand and feel what impact his session had on his players and if that was according to what he had initially planned or not!

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PART A FIGURE 7

Monitoring cycle (Adapted from Gabett et al, 2017)

STEP A To begin the cycle with the first step, Match or Training load is frequently described in terms of external and internal load. External load refers to the specific training prescribed by coaches (type and content of a training session), which includes the external workloads of the player, such as distance covered, or number of efforts performed at different speeds (sum of physical & tactical load). This can accurately be measured with global positioning systems (GPS). Numerous studies have reported that Global positioning systems are acceptable system for measuring players’ locomotor activity when compared with a gold standard system like a laser gun (Varley et al, 2012; Roe et al, 2016). There are plenty of GPS systems in the market, from low cost to expensive. As sport practitioners, you have to make sure that you tested the validity and the reliability of your system. Only then, you will be able to have clean data and apply any coaching interventions. STEP B Moving on to the next step of the monitoring (training) cycle, to plan an effective training stimulus, coaches need to consider the players’ internal responses to a given external training load (Gaudino et al, 2015). The

physiological strain resulting from the external training factors has been labelled the internal load (Viru & Viru, 2000). Thus, external training load is the training dose, and internal load is the players’ physiological responses to that training dose. As such, internal load elicits adaption to training (Malone et al, 2015). A combination of internal-external load monitoring, provides the most effective means through which to derive information regarding the players performance, fatigue and readiness to train or play (Malone et al, 2015; Bourdon et al, 2017). How can we measure Internal load? Heart rate monitoring is the most frequently used method across the last decade. Whilst heart rate monitoring is a valid method for monitoring training intensity in endurance sports, its validity is reduced in sports where the anaerobic energy systems are required (Impellizzeri et al, 2005). Session ratings of perceived exertion (sRPE) represent a simple and valid means through which to monitor internal load during activity comprising aerobic and anaerobic demands (Foster et al, 2001). Weston et al (2015), after reporting lack of sensitivity in sRPE, they proposed the differential ratings of perceived exertion (dRPE) which separate scores for breathlessness, leg muscle exertion and technical/cognitive exertion (FIGURE 8). Separating players’ load perceptions to central and peripheral ex-

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PART A

FIGURE 8

Differential method of Ratings of Perceived Exertion

ertion can provide coaches with information that would help them to prescribe better training sessions. Lately, interesting practical findings using dRPE were reported showing 1) positional differences after a soccer match game (full backs had higher scores) and 2) increased cognitive exertion when played with teams at the top of ranking in the league (Barett et al, 2018). STEP C Next stop in the cycle is wellness monitoring. After understanding how external load impacts on players’ internal responses, it is time to measure players’ readiness for the next session/game. Monitoring fatigue and understanding players’ status can provide coaches with useful information that can help manipulating training load, reducing injuries and improving players’ performance. Jump protocols, heart rate variability, biochemical/hormones measurements, sub maximal running tests are just few of the tests used to monitor fatigue in professional football players, however the simplest and faster way is the athlete self-report measures (Thorpe et al, 2017). Asking your players how fatigued or sore

they feel will provide you with all you want. Try to do the simple things well and efficiently instead of carrying out complicated and time-consuming practices that make your job difficult. STEP D After analyzing the players’ wellness and status, the head coach is deciding who can fully train, perform a modified session or stay out of the session completely. The head coach is the one that has to filter all feedback from sport scientists, physios and doctors and act accordingly. This is a quick process and therefore information has to arrive to the coach as soon as possible before the next training session. It is essential how coaches interpret the wellness data. Fatigue or Sleep is up to head coach to decide if it is better for a player to rest or do a modified session. Soreness should be assessed by the physio or doctor before deciding anything. In that moment of the cycle, coaches can evaluate their work knowing if they have achieved their objectives or not. Consequently, having that feedback, they will be ready to modify and improve their work in future.

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PART A

FIGURE 9

Main Objectives when design a training session

E) Training Session – Drill Design

Elite players do not necessarily require to be the fittest athletes but at least fit enough to cope with the demands of the match and execute their tactical role effectively (Lacome et al, 2017). Having that in mind, coaches should start designing their sessions and drills according to what the players will be required to do in the game. When preparing a drill or session, we should have a clear objective in our head for that particular session, week or cycle. There are 4 main objectives (FIGURE 9) that we need to consider: a) Session comparison with the same week type, b) Session comparison with the same day type, c) what is the percentage compared with drill/session and d) Drill spaces used in the session. The target is different when having Small Sided games (SSG) or Long Sided Games (LSG). In smaller spaces, we focus mostly on tension with low number of players involved and as we are going to bigger spaces we focus more on duration or speed with a higher number of players involved.

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PART A

All are fitted nicely in the weekly plan with the principle of horizontal alternation in specificity where physical terminologies like Strength, Endurance, Speed and Recovery describe the session’s targets (FIGURE 10)

Furthermore, according to Tactical Periodization we split the specific principles of the game to different levels of complexity: a) Main principles of play: related to collective behaviors as a team, b) Sub-principles of play: related to inter-sectorial (between lines) and sectorial behaviors (defense-midfield-attack) and c) Sub-sub-principles of play: related to individual behaviors (individual player). Managing the complexity of the exercises performed through the week in relative maximum intensity, we aim to have the players as fresh as possible (Mendonca 2013). We can achieve that alternating a) between Principles and Sub-Principles of the Game, b) muscle contraction level (tension, duration, speed), c) Complexity level (low to high) and d) Spaces (small to large).

FIGURE 10

Training session type

We need to remember that we have to create an environment in which physical, technical and tactical elements can be developed concurrently. Going deeper into the physical part and having averages/max from the game, we start building our sessions and drills. We should preferably train in a way to reflect the game’s intensity. Analyzing your games, you could identify strengths or weaknesses of your team that you could work in our training sessions. Try to go into the details, think out of the box and design drills and sessions that are helpful for you developing your game model and making your players understand it better.

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PART A

F) Worst case scenario

Details can make the difference! When competing at a high level, players should be ready for any given scenario: playing with less players (or more), winning (or losing), bad conditions and so on. It may be an extreme scenario of players having to run long distances or in high speed zones. Players should be trained to anticipate extreme behaviors or actions that they may face in a game. What should a coach do? Identify first which are these important “scenarios” for the team and train them accordingly. For instance, how many coaches work on throw ins? How many times did you see your team losing the ball from a throw in? What about a kick off? Have you ever trained a kick off? You have at least one kick off in the game. We could differentiate those actions in tactical-technical, physical, psychological and social. (FIGURE 11).

FIGURE 11

Worst case scenario classification

1) Tactical: Football is the sport of uncertainty. You cannot predict what it will happen in the game, however you can train scenarios that can appear during the game. It all comes to the way we want our team to play and our Game Model. The players have to feel confident and fully prepared for any given scenario during the game; it could be training the kick-off or a throw-in, playing in superiority or inferiority in a specific areas and time. Football is a game of surprising the opponent, creating numerical superiority in certain actions and taking advantageous of that. Hence, we need to duplicate these situations in our drills. Then, with our tactical strategy we could provide our players with possible solutions to these situations, but we need to keep them involved in the whole process.

2) Physical: The game is becoming more intense with possibly less distance covered but more high intensity running required (Barnes et al, 2014). Tony Strudwich (ex Man Utd, Head of Performance,) in a recent presentation referred to “critical moments” as preparation for the most intense phase of their sport; 10m maximal burst (acceleration), high speed running (max speed) and train quick (speed of play). It is essential to make athletes hard to break, build resilience through volume and ensure athletes can cope with these demands. We need to first identify the physical peak demands of the game. There are 3 ways to do this: 1) Segmental; with pre-determined blocks (e.g. 5min periods), 2) Moving or Rolling Averages (we choose the periods from the raw data) and 3) Longest periods of ball in play

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PART A (Whitehead et al, 2018). However, comparing all methods, the most appropriate method to use is Moving or Rolling averages as with Segmental we may underestimate the peak periods. Varley et al (2012), revealed much higher values using moving averages compared with segmental for 5 min peak periods of match play (177 ± 91m vs. 142 ± 24 m). Using rolling averages for a period of time (1-10min) and the match max values, we could have a reference for the players’ locomotor activities, which in turn will assist us in designing drills that will physically prepare players for any given scenario in the game. 3) Psychological: Lately, a lot of attention was given to this area. A lot of professional players are using sport psychologists to prepare themselves to perform better in the game. Wayne Rooney shared his visualization technique used to prepare himself for the game: “I always like to picture the game the night before: I’ll ask the kitman what kit we’re wearing, so I can visualise it. It’s something I’ve always done, from when I was a young boy. It helps to train your mind to situations that might happen the following day. I think about it as I’m lying in bed. What will I do if the ball gets crossed in the box this way? What movement will I have to make to get on the end of it? Just different things that might make you one per cent sharper.” Moreover, coaches are asking sports psychologists’ opinions before acting or taking decisions. We have to accept that this is another area that needs further investigation. For instance, mental toughness, which is acknowledged to be a crucial in football, coaches reported a relative lack of knowledge about how they can effectively develop this quality with their players (Cook et al, 2014). Jim Taylor has tried to help coaches and athletes prepare for the game with the 5 Ps:

Perspective – how important is the game for you? Process – focus away from process and onto outcomes. Present – focus on what you need to do to play your best right now, not think about the past or future. Positive: think only positive, as negative thoughts can affect the present. Progress – focus on yourself and the progress you’re making toward your goals. 4) Social: “Should I buy the new Mercedes or the new Ferrari?” / “Should I eat only rice or pasta? Cause I can afford buying meat” Those are 2 different players’ questions. Regardless the country or the level you are at, you will always have different players’ status profiles, from rich to poor, from easy going to hard going and so on. Coaches should be aware of all the possible scenarios that appear in their teams and they have to manage accordingly each player. Moreover, social media’s exposure is an issue that can affect players’ status or even the relationship between them. Solomon Asch (1951) conducted a very interesting experiment to investigate the extent to which social pressure from a majority group could affect a person to conform (Youtube Video). Your teammates’ pressure of conforming to the group will make people act in the wrong way. Similarly, this can happen in any team or group of people. In a football team, having several nationalities and different players’ characteristics, you may have someone that can influence the group’s power and cohesion. It is difficult for some individuals to be deviant and may go with the group. It is our job as coaches, to protect our players and take actions before any unhappy situations.

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PART B - BUILD YOUR OWN METHODOLOGY (WHAT)

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough’’ - Albert Einstein What does this mean? If anyone comes to your training and asks about your session or a given drill, you must be able to explain it in simplified terms. Sometimes, coaches tend to overcomplicate their work with fancy equipment and ideas but in the end, they forget their initial target. Coaches should know their strengths and weaknesses and adjust their philosophy way of playing according to the team they are working with. Coaches should have their training methodology written down. Then, explain it to staff, and later to their players. Nowadays, players’ buy-in is fundamental! Players are smart and ask a lot of questions; therefore, coaches have to be ready to provide answers! So, after understanding the necessity to train as we play (and play as we train), it’s time to start thinking how we can achieve that. Before going to our training methods and methodology, there are some important issues that we need to address:

A) Planning and Periodisation

Soccer periodisation is a planned variation in training load and fatigue levels and should be designed in order to keep players’ readiness across the competitive season as high as pos-

sible (Van Winckel et al, 2014). Thus, the main objective of practitioners working in elite football is to increase (or maintain) performance throughout the year and reduce the rate of injuries. A variety of periodisation models have been used in soccer, from traditional: Matveiev’s model & Pendulum model to contemporary: Verkhoschansky training blocks & Bompa’s extended performance model (Delgado & Villanueva, 2018). However, in an annual soccer season with 50-60 competitive games, the “windows” of opportunity to improve physical variables are short. Coaches need to find the way to have efficient training sessions covering the tactical and physical principles of the game. Tactical periodization model, integrates all these, and provides the coaches with the ability to work on a more holistic approach when preparing their team for competition. The key element is to keep the players fit on the pitch without injuries. Hence, the target should be finding a balance between loading the players in training sessions or matches to promote adaptation and reduce injury risk. Training your team in relation to competition demands, could be an advantageous strategy for coaches to use within their training periodization models (Martin-Garcia et al, 2018). Periodization of recovery plays a crucial role in keeping your players fresh and ready to perform. Don’t stick to pre-planned strategies, you must be prepared to modify your plans. Monitoring and analyzing your training ses-

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sions and your periodisation models can help you improve as a coach. Recently, researchers have attempted to quantify and study different periodisation models from elite teams (Malone et al, 2015; Martin-Garcia et al, 2018), however it is not ideal for coaches to adapt plans and training models from elite teams, as elite players’ characteristics are not the same.

standing of the game. As you can see at (FIGURE 12), training is a live process from pre-season to in-season. There aren’t any magic formulas and secrets, just be demanding with yourselves, discuss with your staff, always targeting players’ improvement as a priority. If you see that something is not working the way you wanted, just change it!

Kicking off early July (or earlier) in pre-season, the first thing you should do is to run a ‘needs analysis’ of each of your players. Identify their tactical and physical weaknesses and work on them throughout the pre-season training; testing their improvements with friendly games. A competitive game is always the best test for you as a coach and for your players’ under-

FIGURE 12

Training Process

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B) Level of Structural Organisation

An important aspect we need to consider before starting to design our weekly plans and drills is the structural organization of our players in the game. How does a player behave? How do a group of players behave? And in the end how does the whole team behave when we have the ball or when we don’t have the ball. According to Delgado and Villanueva (2018), we can categorize the levels to: individual responsibilities of each player. It may be a position/individual specific drill or how a player behaves in the collective structure. For example, how a Full-Back defends and close spaces. From amateur to elite level, players need to know their tactical role in the game. Invest time, educating your players on and off the pitch.

1. INDIVIDUAL (VIDEO 12):

three lines (defense-midfield-offense) or group of players (e.g. left side-right side). In this section, we are progressing from the individual level to how group of players in the same line/sharing close spaces can work together. A fundamental aspect of a successful team is how groups of players in the same line or same area can work together effectively. For example, in defensive organisation, our midfield line in 1-4-3-3, when one jumps to press, it is very important the other two how they will compensate in order to keep the balance in their space. 2. SECTORIAL AND GROUP (VIDEO 13):

3. INTERSECTORIAL (VIDEO 14): how the lines or the groups are connected between them. In this section, we work on drills and structures to connect defense with midfield and midfield with offense. Isolating moments of the game, we can create our own exercises which we can link with our game model. Taking the example of the sectorial-group level, we could say in the intersectorial level it is very important how the other lines or group of players will react when one player loses his position. Communication and awareness are key elements that can make the difference in this level.

how the whole team is connected through the individuals, lines, groups. In this section, from system of play to strategy, we need to prepare our players for any given scenario. Putting this all together, we are targeting specific ways of our team’s offensive and defensive organisation. 4. COLLECTIVE (VIDEO 15):

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C) Training Methods

Now, it is time to address the training methods we can use in our daily training process. As was mentioned in the first part of the article (we train as we play), we use 3 different methods: Traditional, Integrated and Systemic (Tactical Periodization). Sometimes, we need to improve certain physiological factors (e.g. Aerobic fitness, Max Speed) and we will need to isolate and overload this quality. Therefore, we should use traditional methods to build the foundation and then go deeper and use more integrated and tactical methods. At this point, we should know each method’s involvement (FIGURE 13) in terms of:

• soccer specificity (how close is to the game in general), • game model specificity (our way of playing), • decision making (how often players have to take decisions during the exercise) • physical, tactical, psychological aspects involved

FIGURE 13

Training Methods

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Most of the time this method is not soccer specific, however it could be used to stress certain physiological factors that are targeted in a session. Low complexity level exercises with high physical demands. Example on how you could train on acceleration/deceleration with traditional training method (VIDEO 17), with the use of ball or not. There is not specific tactical target and structure, but we can use the ball to help us achieve our physical or technical targets (passing drills or small space rondos). TRADITIONAL TRAINING:

The last few years this method has become very popular, especially after big clubs started doing physical related exercises (quick feet combined with passing drills or power related drills combined with finishing). Medium complexity level exercises with physical demands depending from the physical target of the day. Example on how you could train on acceleration/deceleration with integrated training method (VIDEO 18), from passing drill to possession and game. In this training method, we start introducing tactical aspects and specific movements that are connected with our Game Model. INTEGRATED TRAINING:

Influenced by the tactical periodization and its principles, this training method offers coaches the ability to work on tactical related patterns whilst developing the physical, technical and psychological part linked with the team’s game model. Medium to high complexity level exercises (depends from the day and the previous and next game) with physical demands depending from the physical target of the day. Example on how you could train on acceleration/deceleration with integrated training method (VIDEO 19), from passing drill to possession and game. In this training method, we are trying to work closer to tactical game demands in any drill and at the same time we combine them with the physical targets we have. It is easy to write and explain it, however it needs a lot of planning and experience to get the maximum from that training method. It is suggested for new coaches to start with the fundamentals and clear objectives; understanding their players and the needs of the game. SYSTEMIC TRAINING:

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D) Drills Classification

“If you train badly, you play badly. If you work like a beast in the training, you play the same way” - Pep Guardiola The physical target of a drill can change when the space of the drill changes. Coaches should be aware of the physical demands that a tactical drill can have. In addition, you should categorize your drills in Small, Medium and Large sided games, rather than always according to the players involved. Width and length of an exercise can dramatically change its physical demands. For example, coaches can use more length (related drills) when they want to work on direct runs and more width (related drills) when they would like to work on positional play to break a compact defense (VIDEO 16). 1. SPACES/NUMBER OF PLAYERS INVOLVED:

VIDEO 16. SPACES / NUMBER OF PLAYERS INVOLVED

2. SPECIFIC MOVEMENTS & PATTERNS: As mentioned previously in our script, every drill performed in our sessions should be linked with our game model and our players’ specific movements in the game. Therefore, it is crucial, through our drills and sessions, our players gain confidence and are prepared to face any given game scenario. Starting from an unopposed passing drill to training games, coaches can work on movements and patterns. The coach’s feedback should target individual to collective behaviors, as it is important for our players to understand how a player’s movement can create space for another player. For example, when a striker moves to create space at the back for an offensive midfielder or a winger. (VIDEO 17) Another example is, players’ relationships on the pitch creating triangles and passing lines (VIDEO 18) .

VIDEO 17. SPECIFIC MOVEMENTS & PATTERNS

VIDEO 18. SPECIFIC MOVEMENTS & PATTERNS 2

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3. DESIGN DRILLS FROM THE GAME MODEL: What

is the best reference when we are designing our drills? What else other than the GAME. Analyzing our Game Model, we can easily come up with hundreds of exercises. Build your philosophy through the levels of structural organisation and work the moments of the game accordingly. It is very important to know the tactical and the physical demands of your game, in order to create drills that can prepare your players for a 90min game. In the end, we train as we play and we play as we train (VIDEO 19) / (VIDEO 20).

VIDEO 19. DESIGN A DRILL FROM

VIDEO 20. DESIGN A DRILL FROM

YOUR GAME MODEL (EXAMPLE 1)

YOUR GAME MODEL (EXAMPLE 2)

4) POSITIONAL GAMES: Positional game exercises have been gaining more and more supporters lately. Pep Guardiola was the pioneer, working successfully the idea of positional games in his training sessions. Positional games are drills in a smaller space than the full soccer pitch, involving tactical aspects – patterns and movements of the game. Some coaches may call them rondos or possessions. The only difference in this type of drills is that players work from their positions. Moreover, the offensive or defensive parts of the game are key elements when designing a positional game. Coaching the level of structural organization (as it was discussed above), from individual to collective, coaches should work on the organized structure of their formation, always creating the relationships between players that will generate numerical superiorities in certain areas (2v1, 3v2, 3v1, 4v2). Staring from a lower number of players involved and a smaller space (VIDEO 21 AND 22) to larger number of players involved, larger space and more complicated drills (VIDEOS 23 AND 24). Based on our experience so far, we advise coaches to be careful with the use of positional games, as in a lot of examples some players physically work much less than others. Consequently, a combination of physical drills (with or without balls), rondos (with no tactical aspects) and positional games should be used in training sessions.

VIDEO 21. POSITIONAL DRILLS (EXAMPLE 1)

VIDEO 22. POSITIONAL DRILLS (EXAMPLE 2)

VIDEO 23. POSITIONAL DRILLS (EXAMPLE 3)

VIDEO 24. POSITIONAL DRILLS (EXAMPLE 4)

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E) Training Methodology

After discussing for years and putting together our experiences and thoughts, we came up with our training methodology that we would like to share (FIGURE 14). The training methodology integrates physical and tactical part and it is divided in levels from the recovery up to a game. A) PHYSICAL • Recovery (Field, Gym, Pool, Mix) • Strength (Prevention, Core, Upper Body, Lower Body, Full Body) • Conditioning (Physical objectives with ball or not) B) FUNCTIONAL • Technical (Passing drills: Offensive, Defensive, General) • Small Space (Rondos, Possession, Positional) • Training Game (Offensive, Defensive) • Training Match (Application of the session in different pitch areas) C) TACTICAL • Positional work (Collective-all team) – Sectorial work (3 lines-groups) – Individual work (1 player) • Set pieces (Kick off – Free kick – Throw in – Corners – Penalty) D) GAME

FIGURE 14

Training Methodology (Kyprianou E & Farioali F, 2017)

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As you can see in this methodology, there is a progression from easy to complex, from traditional to systemic, from physical to the game. Each category is linked and connected to the next one. Starting from Physical, drills are mostly physically isolated and move to football oriented drills (remember the speed example). Then, going to the Functional part, we start applying Game Model objectives in our drills. A Functional drill can also be a Physical (Conditioning) drill. This is up to the fitness coach to set objectives for each session/ week/period and then decide which method to use to achieve them. Next, in the Tactical part, players are learning specific tactical patterns direct linked with the team’s Game Model. Positional/Sectorial work could also be a Functional drill (Small Space or Training Game or Training Match). Lastly, before the Game, we train in Set Plays. The “beauty” of this methodology is that all parts are interconnected, always prioritizing football training which is directly associated with the Game Model. In the end, there is no fitness coach or head coach part. It’s just one thing! Fitness coaches have to study at least the basics in terms of coaching education (at least Uefa B’ diploma) and head coaches must have an understanding of the training load management and how each energy system training session could impact players’ readiness. Then, they will be able to speak the same language and prepare high quality sessions that will be enjoyable for the players and help them accomplish their targets.

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PART C - BRING IT ALL TOGETHER -

DESIGN YOUR WEEKLY PLANS (WHEN) In the last few years, one of the most debated subjects amongst football sport scientists and coaches is the importance of designing a weekly plan. Many suggestions and tips have been recommended by experienced specialists in the football field. In this part, we will outline and elaborate on the most essential aspects each professional must consider, when designing a weekly plan. What does every team competing in a match aim to accomplish? To win! How can that be achieved, one would ask? With good preparation; both tactically and physically. These two aspects have to correlate, but tactical periodization has to drive the physical aspect which, in turn, should be adjusted to our team-playing game model. It cannot be expected that with just a 4-6-week preparation our players would be ready to continuously and optimally perform for the next 10 months. We have to be ready and flexible in how we adjust our planning of our players and the overall team needs. Therefore, in the end, it all comes down to what our player (individually) and team (group) are missing from both a tactical and physical point of view. With regards to the team’s way of playing, we also must consider our opponents style of play. Conclusively, the most important thing is to design the weekly plan and try to incorporate all discussed above.

FIGURE 15

Steps when designing a weekly plan

A) The four most important parameters when designing the weekly plan. (FIGURE 15): BALANCING PHYSICAL AND TACTICAL LOAD IN SOCCER: A HOLISTIC APPROACH // KYPRIANOU & FARIOLI |

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Step 1 – The style of play, or Game Model of a team (formation, game plan, team tactics) First part and the most important aspect when designing a program. In recent years the principle of Tactical Periodization was introduced to soccer. This involves the four moments of a game, which define the key elements of every training session (with the game always used as a reference). Every coach and team must build their own Game Model. Starting with simple passing exercises, we must ensure our players actively think about their actions, rather than automatically performing them.

“To me, the most important aspect in my teams is to have a defined game model, a set of principles that provides organization. Therefore, since the first day our attention is directed to achieve that” - Mourinho, J. in Gaiteiro, 2006 To summarize, we train as we play, and we play as we train. This must be at the center of a coach’s mind when planning a training session. The Game Model and its principles have to be clear and defined from the beginning. The way we expect our team to play (system), moments of the game (mentioned above), player capability (what our player can reach and not what we would like to see from them) and the club’s structure and targets are some of the sub principles of how we should build our game model; and in the end, will have a crucial impact when we design our weekly plan. Additionally, video analysis, a new trend in football, comes to support the tactical analysis of the team and when designing our weekly plans. Big clubs around the world are investing a great deal in staff and technology in order to analyze and develop their team game, but also each player’s individual performance. Qualitative game observations are less objective and systematic, but also very slow in the analysis processes (up to 6 hours). On the other hand, Memmert et al (2016) showed that, using quantitative game observations, a high level of tactical competence is important for players’ effective performance in football. They demonstrated based on position data of a high level 11 vs 11 game (Bayern Munich vs Barcelona), a variety of computer science approaches that enable the teams to obtain and analyze parameters; inter-player coordination, inter-team coordination before critical events, and team interaction. All these metrics could help coaches to adjust their training methods based on recent game results. Therefore, coaches who have their own team’s game analysis as well as their opponent’s analysis can build a solid game model and can work based on that through their weekly plan to improve the tactical behavior of their players. Video feedback, in real-time or after the completion of training is crucial for player development. A number of coaches are using different methods to do that, but it is important to understand our players’ cognitive skills and how we could possibly make them understand the information we want. After a game (during the recovery session) coaches are now using video feedback and corrections on the pitch to explain to their players what they think went wrong.

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Step 2 – The physical capacity or Physiological factors (effective playing time, positions, experience of the players, ESD target) How can physical fitness targets be combined with tactical targets? A seemingly easy question. But the answer is far from simple. I personally find this to be the biggest challenge for a football fitness coach. The tactical target changes according to our team’s needs or to our next opponent’s way of playing, but the physical target could remain the same on a given day (Villanueva & Delgado, 2012). By knowing what our players did in the last match (with the help of Prozone or GPS system) and by having our players’ profiles, we can manage the load we are going to give our players for the specific period of time. Planning a periodization for more than a full week in football is not an ideal training scenario! It is fundamental for coaches to know the physiological threshold-specific training according to the intensity and mode of exercise (FIGURE 16). Afterwards, they will have to understand how the energy supply systems work, and how to target each system (using drills that incorporate/don’t involve the ball). Only then our weekly plans will be designed covering both tactical and physical perspective.

FIGURE 16

Physiological threshold-specific training according to intensity and mode of exercise (Shterjovski, 2015)

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The ideal scenario for a football team would be to work on these aspects individually. Having developed each player’s profile, we set the individual threshold and get the respective data for each player. Therefore, we know if we actually develop each of the desired training targets. For instance, the Maximum Sprinting Speed for a player is 32 km/h and 27,5 km/h for another, so both of them will be required to train according to their threshold. Similarly, in the cases of Maximum Acceleration, Maximum Aerobic Speed and Maximum Strength we have different thresholds for each player. When implementing speed drills; do we know if we are actually developing speed? The only way to achieve that, would be to set testing sessions (2-3 times per season) and track players’ performance, while recording each player’s maximum values. Additionally, as we build our sessions from a tactical point of view, we should build our players’ fitness according to our game model. Speed zones, accelerations or sprints covered in a game should work as references for us when designing the weekly plan. Similarly, moves performed in a game have to be added in our strength routine. Do not just stick to simple squats or bench press; think what your players are doing in the game and challenge their muscles with specific drills using bands, cable machines or iso-inertial technology. It is desirable to work individually on certain physical aspects (prevention routine, strength, power) before training sessions start on the pitch. It’s all about fostering an education from younger ages until senior professional level. If we clearly indicate to our players what the desired target is, they will most likely do the required work to achieve that target. Don’t adopt a dictator-like attitude (although at times it seems inevitable), but try to come closer to your players, educate them and help them develop.

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Step 3 – The season planning (pre-season, competition, opponent, breaks, matches) For tactical periodization, what’s mostly important is the game model and the team’s weaknesses. Consequently, separating blocks to just pre-season and in-season is not enough. The training procedure is something that’s alive and changes from week to week. It also changes according the next opponent and the tactical and physical demands of the game. Starting off from the pre-season phase coaches should try to develop their game model, try organizing friendly games with different objectives, so when the competition starts, players will be ready (tactically and physically). In-season, a teams’ planning should start from the time the match finishes, until the next kick-off. We can split the training weeks into long, normal or short depending when the next match is (FIGURE 17). In a normal week, the first 3 days, Match Day plus 1,2,3 (MD+1,2,3) are to recover physically but also tactically (video & pitch work), we concentrate to the next opponent during the last 3 days of the week, Match day minus 3,2,1 (MD-3,2,1).

FIGURE 17

Week type

It’s crucial for our sessions, to set objectives and be ready to work according to last and next match. Moreover, having our performance calendar in mind, we can accurately set peaks or more important dates on which we want our team to perform at a higher level. International breaks are a good moment to review and change our practices, having also the time to recover or train more (see players individually).

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PART C Step 4 – Management of the squad (players’ availability, wellness, load monitoring) Player availability is the key element to success (FIGURE 18). Managers and coaches have to choose the right personnel to treat their players. Recently, UEFA published a study showing the player availability of a UEFA Champion League’s team, where the most successful teams were those with a high number of player availability (free of injuries). Prevention routines and exercises according to player needs are performed by the clubs, reducing the possibility of future injuries. Again, profiling our player, would make our programs individualized and more specific to our player needs. Testing players (48h after or before a game), should provide us with useful information on our player’s recovery status and readiness.

FIGURE 18

Player availability and team success

Additionally, Thorpe and his colleagues (2016) investigated the use of the perceived rating of wellness (morning ratings of fatigue, sleep quality, delayed onset muscle soreness) versus heart rate. They concluded that in-season perceived rating of wellness is reliable, valid and a simple method to use to track a player’s fatigue. The above rating provides coaches with useful measurements that could help in their training procedure. The most important aspect of this study is that it was conducted with professional players from Manchester United and the data taken was analyzed throughout in-season with one game per week; exactly what all of us in the sports field are looking for in our practice. A high number of injuries that occurred in football, happened because of imbalances between recovery and training load. When you are planning your training programs, also plan your recovery period in the week, or in a mesocycle/macrocycle. Listen to your players, take feedback and be ready to adjust the load you have planned. Don’t stick to long term programs which don’t account for your athletes’ readiness. Training Load is a collective figure that derives from different anatomical, physiological, psychological and biochemical adaptations of a training session. Going back to the Monitoring Cycle, coaches have to be aware how their sessions impact players readiness. In a recent study (Frencken et al, 2014), the researchers found that coaches and players’ perceptions of training loads were totally different, therefore coaches should listen to, and take into consideration, how their players feel and how their bodies adapt to the training stimuli they give them.

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B) Exercise complexity

When designing a drill for a session, there are number of factors that we must take into consideration. The complexity of a drill is not only related to the number of players involved, length of time or size but also with the type of muscular contractions (tension, duration & speed of the actions) or the emotional load that a drill can stimulate. As you can see in (FIGURE 19), when you pick a drill you have to tick each of the boxes.

FIGURE 19

Exercise complexity components (Delgado & Villanueva, 2012)

It is essential to train relative to each day’s intensity; according to Delgado & Villanueva (2012), two days after a game, players are not fully recovered physically or mentally, with their concentration levels being low and for this reason, it is important not to train them too hard. The following two days can be your conditioning days; players are fully recovered (or not if you check from your wellness strategies) with the concentration levels being higher. You can train them physically and mentally harder. Consequently, the intensity of a drill is based on the concentration levels of your players and is always relative to their recovery and readiness to train (remember once again the monitoring cycle). BALANCING PHYSICAL AND TACTICAL LOAD IN SOCCER: A HOLISTIC APPROACH // KYPRIANOU & FARIOLI |

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FIGURE 20

Tactical & Physical weekly targets

C) Setting up your targets • Firstly, set the tactical targets in every training session • Secondly, set the physical target related with the tactical target • Priority to achieve physical targets through soccer (tactical) training • Know your players’ recovery curve their daily readiness to train (recovery testing) • Video feedback can support your training process • Players concentration levels & Exercises complexity level importance • Load or unload the team or individual players if needed

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PART C

D) Designing a weekly plan Considering the 4 important parameters (mentioned at the beginning), we put everything together to design a weekly plan. There is no magic or secret, but just a correct structure and factors that we need to take into consideration. (FIGURE 21) demonstrates this structure (one game per week).

FIGURE 21

Designing a Weekly plan (adapted by Tactical Periodization)

In order to achieve the ultimate performance from our players, we must cooperate as staff and work together closely. Coaches (with tactical periodization), fitness coaches (with fitness periodization), team managers (season planning) and sports scientists, doctors and physiotherapists (squad management) must be aligned and work as an interdisciplinary department. Of course, in the end, it all is driven by the head coach who functions as the big boss! He takes the decisions and manages the work of everyone in the team. The tip here –and our suggestion– is to have a solid plan and treat your players individually. Don’t train everyone together in big groups (leave this only for tactical exercises!).

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PART C

Let’s take an example of how we can design a weekly plan: • Our team plays 1-4-1-2-3 formation • Next opponent plays the same system • Offensively: Build up from GK • Defensively: High pressure • One game per week

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PART C

VIDEO

Strength Day Training Session

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PART C

VIDEO

Endurance Day Training Session

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PART C

VIDEO

Speed Day Training Session

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PART C

VIDEO

Reaction Day Training Session

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BALANCING PHYSICAL AND TACTICAL LOAD IN SOCCER: A HOLISTIC APPROACH TAKE HOME MESSAGES • Ask yourself why, what, how, when? • Know what your players are doing in the game (physical & tactical) • We train as we play • Integrated training / Game model • Prepared your players for the ‘’worst case scenario’’ • Create your own methodology • KEEP IT SIMPLE

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EFTHYMIOS KYPRIANOU ,

was born in Limassol Cyprus. He

holds a Sports Science degree from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an MSc in Sports Coaching & Management from Kingston University, London. He is currently a PhD student at John Moores Liverpool university. Efthymios also holds a UEFA A’ coaching diploma. He is a professional Sport Scientist and Strength & Conditioning Coach, mainly focusing on soccer. He has been working for years with major clubs and teams, such as the Cyprus National Soccer Team, AEL FC, Apollon Limassol FC and Apollon Ladies FC. He is currently working as a soccer physiologist for Aspire Academy and the Qatar Football Association. His research area emphasizes on testing and monitoring soccer players in relation to maximizing their performance. Email | LinkedIn | Instagram

FRANCESCO FARIOLI

is an Italian Football Coach, with a philos-

ophy degree. He started working as Goalkeeping Coach in youth and semiprofessional clubs in Italy, before becoming the youngest GK Coach ever in the Italian professional football at the age of 25. After he has joined Aspire Academy and Qatar National Team for two years, before going back at the age of 28 to Italian Serie A with Benevento (goalkeeper Brignoli’s head goal against AC Milan). This season he is working with Sassuolo Calcio (Serie A) in the Roberto De Zerbi’s Staff. Email | LinkedIn | Instagram

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