I meant that before discussing strategies for athletic preparation we have to know the boundaries within which we are operating. That means that 10 months of play + 1 month of vacation leave 1 month maximum for a GPP phase (melting into the early stage of team training). I basically wanted to say that, nothing personal.
For a simple game.
Well it is… Its just that England in particular made it look very complicated.
How many peoples work really with soccer teams?
Just curious.
For sure, a very limited time to train for many. I did not take it personally I was just trying to be sure I understood the point you were making, thanks.
Instead of 1 month vacation then 1 month of training could one not take 2 weeks off and then have 6 weeks to train?
Are all or most of the professional leagues play 10 months or do some play less?
I would suspect that after 10 months of competition, a mere 2 week transition phase wouldn’t be enough for most of them to decompress and get ready for the next season.
Yes - if I were making 8 million Euros to play 10 months of the year, I’d probably take 6 weeks off with my super-model girlfriend(s), drive my Ferrari 458 Italia along the Mediterranean coastline, then start Charlie’s 10-day taper program in the last two weeks before the season started. This is all hypothetical of course…
Yes, seasons are exhausting, I would go for one month with nothing serious in the training department. Even if it is not readily acknowledged, burn out is in my opinion the prominent cause of sudden collapses in a player’s quality. There are guys, and I can cite many, that in a matter of few months passes from champions to medium. Doing the same thing competitively for years and years and years.
While I don’t work directly with soccer team, and I’m still playing, and given that he who knows plays and he who teaches doesn’t know (kidding), I’m pretty informed.
And many of the coaches don’t even ‘decompress’ the players.
In fact after long seasons many have had with so many games and training that a 4 week or 6 week break is not enough - but that’s all they’ll have.
You know me!
…
GPP in soccer is overrated, is it necessary?
season: about 10 months, with a little break on december (in Italy)
break at the end of the season: about 30-40 days , some soccer player do pre-GPP work of 10-20 days.
GPP: 20-30 days.
Uhm…
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A real GPP, would be a progressive introduction to the typical soccer week.
Or, as suggest a my friend, a “tournè” around the world, where the team play a lot of games.
Then, many soccer players pass from champion to medium for inadeguate physical preparation (many coach have no idea about the real soccer performance model) and low level, often crazy, recovery strategies.
(in example, some physical coaches at high level, during GPP, work every day with 10-15x 1000 m with short recovery and terrible gym work…argh!)
Soccer trend is toward specific training with ball on the field…gym is overrated and often not so well organizated.
Charlie’s approach is around the sunday game necessity, the best way to see soccer…
Jamirok,
I have similar situation with many of my athletes age 16+. They may play upwards of 4-8 games a month, at peak close to 10-12 a month, many full 90 minute matches.
Their season is March-mid June, off July and early August, then Play mid August until end of October, generally off October-Dec, and then start with mini games Jan and February before starting again in March.
I have been pretty successful at maintaining fitness, strength, speed during these competitions blocks while providing adequate recovery days and activities. This has allowed me to work them for a few weeks during the off times and then maintain again during competition. I’m sure it was mentioned previously in this thread, I incorporate recovery year round to be able to train them when we have time.
I am curious what you have seen and would recommend for those 10 month athletes for off-season?
I tend to see the trend in where I am at with the focus on the ball. I ask my players to spend an hour with the ball a day, but this isn’t in the form of structured practice, more like juggling, simple touch drills etc. It appears coaches just want their players to play in as many games as possible, as often as possible.
I have 2 girls from the same colleges, who have a coach telling them to play in a 60 minute 8v8 game (with 1-2 subs), then 1 hour later, play 90 minute 11v11 (with 2 subs), 2-3 days per week currently with their season starting in less than 14 days. :mad:
IMO the problem with GPP in soccer is the ‘G’
For players who have no off season worth talking about the ‘GPP’ is the only time to actually correct and improve the player specifically - NOT in a general sense.
Sadly it is generally resigned to performing generic training - or in most cases in bigger clubs it is about Tours to Asia or the US.
@ESTI: I organize with few friends a little training/recovery camp during off season for amateur and professionals where we work on various aspect of structural balance/strength imbalance, manual and physical therapy, mental training and general fitness work.
I’ve tested just this morning 8 high level soccer player and 3 goalkeeper, and after only 10 days of training, they have a really good physical condition, we have still 12 days of work and 4-5 matches.
Basically, technical and tactical aspect are most important at this time.
@no23: yes, “G” is the problem…
10 days of training.
Unless we both have very different definitions of really good physical condition, nobody gets in good shape in 10 days.
It takes months of dedicated training to get in great shape.
At this time?. If a player wants to be great (or reach his full potential), its all time (include a year round physical aspect into that).
Wayne Rooney is currently lounging at a pool side in Vegas getting fat. Wayne Rooney ain’t great & never will be great (only in the deluded minds of his biggest fans at Old Trafford.
God give me strength …
Yes, my clients walk on the field, others run…yes…yes…
Please, see the complete scenario, not only the 10 days of pseudo-GPP work.
We are speaking about season/off season work/approach in a general way.
Then…
Can 20 days of break from competition (after 10 months of regular season + cup) decrease the performance at a subzero level??? This is the question!
Please, speak about real experience, and not theories or armchair or supporter opinions.
PS: Rooney isn’t a my player.
Yeah, you made it just sound like they got good physical condition from just 10 days of training.
A coach can steer a player in the right direction but at the end of the day its all on the player.
At what level?.
You say 10 months of a regular season + cup; which usually is a high level source of competition in Europe but then you state; at a subzero level?.
A subzero level soccer player has only one direction to go when he starts training, physically & technically.
For me personally…
Even on vacation, I make sure of having a gym in the vicinity & do workouts (not to the standard during the season). After the vacation when I return home, I usually note a reduction in every part of physical performance than what I went away prior to my holiday. I have to reduce weight numbers, VO2 is down… Its not long before I start getting it back to where it was, 2 weeks, If I take care, eat, sleep & exercise ‘well’ offseason away from the sport). Again its on the player.
Them ‘10 day’ players you state have probably been at it for 3 months or all year.
For a soccer player, sprinting is GPP. Don’t you agree?