How do you keep your warm-up long enough between 25 min rep intervals? There’s more to it.
Agreed, and besides, the movement velocities must be categorized relative to energetic demand as the increase in velocity quickly exceeds the aerobic system’s capacity to energize it
However, from the standpoint of aerobic capacity development that satsifies greater degrees of the biodynamic requirement- I have constructed drills that do the job that require only the most basic of training aids (ergo a partner, open space, and med balls). Though due to some products I’m working on I won’t go into specifics.
Indeed
Can aerobic capacity be regulated by heart rate in a situation with the yardage is too tough to keep track of such as the case of doing position specific movements?
Yes, however, VO2 max for that specific activity must be estimated in my view via the performance of that drill similarly to the method of assessing VO2 max in vitro but in the field setting. Take that value and use it as an approximate VO2 max from which to base sub-max percentages upon.
Additionally/alternatively, if you are able to more linearly quantify the effort via moving from point A to point B you can simply use a stop watch and divide the fastest time by .75 in order to get the upper limit tempo pace.
Use a bike for tempo or a hand crank bike to get the HR up. Also add a ton of medball work between the bike sessions to really tax the heart without adding additional stress to the lower body. You can overcome pretty much anything.
I would have thought that any high intense interval training with short rest in GPP would sufficently tax the cardiorespiratory system.
Then, speed endurance intervals (with approx 5-8 miutes rest) and SE performed in SPP would atleast maintain this quality if not improve on it.
Yes, there is much consideration done in respect to the volume in respect to all training - speed, SE, tempo, even the skill development & set plays, etc.
The pre-season is very arduous but well structured with recovery sessions well placed to ensure they are ready for the next session.
They have a specific drill called the “Goodwin run” based on the GPS tracking of one of its elite midfielders, Simon Goodwin. It is a gut busting run from cone to cone that replicates the heart rate fluctuations of an AFL midfield player. I’m prety sure it is done once per week in the pre-season conditioning. The cones are spread around in a rectangle shape.
In season of course it becomes more game specific with maintenance, recovery and concentrating on further skill development, set play tactics from stoppages, transferring play etc.
I don’t have anything to do with the structure of pre-season or the in season training program. My role is specific to running technique. We work on a Tuesday morning as Monday is a low key recovery day. Therefore they are relatively fresh by Tuesday. We don’t do too much at top pace as its designed to train and hopefully develop a more efficient technique that they can employ when running flat out in other training drills. Thus its done at sub max so they are in control and can execute the running ‘skill’. (I’ve been doing it for 6 years so I must be doing something right! 
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I’m not sure there’s a lot of an AFL pre-season that could be taken and used for American football (that isn’t already used). Aussie Rules is a far more endurance based, with plenty of non-stop action on a much larger field.
James you mentioned in the past that oneway to truly test if a player is progressing in terms of the oxidative system was to have them perform a drill or serious of drills with a HR monitor,train, and then test the drill again with the HR monitor with the goal being a lower HR. The drills must be position specific with specific work/rest interval and so for to be effect as well.
Yes this is one way. The caveat here, of course, is to maintain consistency with the intensity at which the drill is repeated as this is the only means of verifying that continued tests that illustrate lowered HR are, in fact, valid representations of increased bioenergetic capacity.
The alternative, of course, is only to use a stop watch and track the time it takes to complete each drill amongst a repeating series. Assuming, again, that the test conditions are matched time and time again to include drill particularities, work and rest intervals, etcetera we know that improved times/rates of work also indicate improved bioenergetic capacity.
Interestingly, regarding this type of assessment for drills relating to American football, the monitoring of HR during recoveries signifies aerobic capacity while the monitoring of the time/speed of the work intervals signifies alactic capacity and, indirectly, aerobic capacity.
The caveat here, of course, is to maintain consistency with the intensity at which the drill is repeated as this is the only means of verifying that continued tests that illustrate lowered HR are, in fact, valid representations of increased bioenergetic capacity.
As I was rehabbing a pro soccer player lately, first session’s average HR was around 160 and max was 180, 2’ recovery time got it down to between 120 and 130; last session’s average HR was 150, max was 170 and the 2’ recovery time got it down to below 100, despite volume being up of 33% and speed being up of around 5%.