Sleep and the Professional Athlete by Marc Lindsey
In a highly physical and psychologically demanding, results-based industry, football players are required to train and compete on a regular basis, whilst conditioning coaches strive to preserve performance, prevent injury and promote physical conditioning. However, how much do we really understand this habitual aspect of our lives and how this essential process is part of […]
Context is Key by Paul Walsh
Across all teams and all levels of the game we now see and hear all about teams’ physical data. Big data has never been more relevant/more exploited? In football, the reporting and recording of physical data is certainly not new, but it’s important to try and add some context to the numbers we see pinned […]
The effects of detraining over the summer off-season by Marc Lindsey
The plasticity of skeletal muscle tissue means it can change its characteristics and structural composition to adapt to various functional demands, neuromuscular activity and hormonal signals (12, 18, 25). Football conditioning over the preparation period and throughout the season, is a structured process, consisting of a series of physiological stresses/responses that allow the player to […]
FSCR Off-Season Training Membership 2019/20
Working in Sport? You need a Plan B! By Mick Byers
‘Unfortunately, I think your position working with the coaches will no longer be tenable’. I had been called to the CEO’s office that afternoon, and my ‘gardening leave’ started straight after that conversation. One week out from Round 1; Only a pre-season in the role. Sure, I had a contract, but what did that matter […]
Small-sided games are a good indication of football talent! A research review by Dan Bernardin
The use of small-sided games to asses skill proficiency in youth soccer players: a talent identification tool by K. Bennett, A. Novak, M. Pluss, C. Stevens, A. Coutts & J. Fransen in Science and Medicine in Football Abstract: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24733938.2017.1413246?instName=St+Mary%27s+University+Twickenham Background: Talent identification is an important component at any successful football club. It typically includes the […]
An Introduction to Triphasic Training for Football by Jamie Mackay
Triphasic Training is a method of applying specific stressors across the three phases of dynamic movement; eccentric, isometric and concentric, in order to drive specific adaptation. This training method delves deep into the depths of efficient power production and focuses on the body’s ability to absorb force before training the ability to expel it. The […]
The Importance of In-season Strength and Power Training in Football (Soccer) Athletes. A Review of the Literature by Claudio Altieri
ABSTRACT Football (soccer) is a sport that requires a diversity of physical attributes, such as jumping, walking, running, sprinting and change of direction. An elite aerobic and anaerobic capacity is necessary for a football athlete to maximise performance for the duration of a match, but sometimes strength and power attributes can be overlooked. The purpose […]
Managing Congested Fixtures by Marc Lindsey
Nowadays, many players perform in domestic, European and international competitions throughout the year, with teams amassing 50-60 games over a season. Because of this, the number of fixtures can increase drastically with two matches often being played per week (11). For this reason, we must understand, observe and interpret, the physiological markers of fatigue, to […]
Applying the Bondarchuk principles to football training by Adam Burrows
Appropriate exercise selection is important in the design of an effective training programme. Athletes and coaches should consider how they classify exercises with the construct of their programme and with a training goal in mind. One of the well know writers on soviet sports training, Anatoliy Bondarchuk has devised numerous athlete training guidelines. The extensive […]