My proudest sporting moment would be the time I played at Roots Hall and won the Essex Cup with my football team, Rayleigh Boys. The call-ups for trials sessions with both West Ham and Ipswich Town closely follow at second place.
Components of Fitness
- the extent to which muscles can exert force by contracting against resistance, e.g. holding or restraining an player
- the ability to exert maximum muscular contraction instantly in an explosive burst of movements. The two components of power are strength and speed
- the ability to perform a series of explosive power movements in rapid succession in opposing directions e.g. Zigzag running past a player
- the ability to control the body's position, either stationary or while dribbling
- the ability to achieve an extended range of motion on a specific body part
- a single muscle's ability to perform sustained work
- the heart's ability to deliver blood to working muscles and their ability to use it e.g. running long distances
- a muscle's ability to perform a maximum contraction time after time e.g. continuous explosive tackling through an entire football game
- the ability to perform complex motor skills in a sequence such as those listed above.
Periodisation
Is having a training programme which may be viewed as a year long process and can be divided into specific periods designed to prepare the athlete for optimal performances.
There are three cycles which can exist in the athletes training programme, these are:
Macro-cycle - The long term training programme. This is usually based over a period of one year; however it can vary depending on the athlete’s needs.
Meso–cycle – The macro-cycle is subdivided into periods of 2-8 weeks, known as typically four meso-cycles in one macro-cycle. There are stages of Preparation 1, Preparation 2, Competition and Transition.
Micro-cycle – The meso-cycle is further divided into parts, these are called micro-cycles. A micro-cycle can be split into weekly or individual training sessions.
The type of cycle I will be using for my Personal Profile log book is the meso-cycle, this is because I will be training for 10 weeks and during the course of my training sessions I will give mid-term evaluations to ensure my progress is identified.
Week 1
Weight Training
Weight training is a vital aspect of my training programme; I will need to devise a weight training programme which I should aim to complete at least once a week. This is an area which I should always seek to improve because on some occasions there are some very physical games which require power and muscular endurance. I am well built, and reasonably tall so I am not at a disadvantage in those terms, it is important however that I try to build my muscle strength.
I have recently joined the Virgin gym which has excellent resources as well as a top class gym, full of weights equipment. I have also asked for advice of how to set up a weights training programme and I sought the help of a fitness instructor, who advised me to use the progression overload method as I was just beginning to use weights after a couple of months. I organised a new training programme which involved sets and repetition. There are a variety of different weights equipment that are available to me, such as the bench press, the dumbbells, the rowing machine, the leg/calf press, the shoulder press (trapezius) and an abdominal crunch station. I trained for an hour to using the weights and after 20 minutes resumed training on the multi-gym.
I have also been told to be conscious of the food that I eat. Carbohydrates are a good source of energy and do not contain much fat, a small amount of lipids and proteins which helps with the growth of muscles. When I have trained for a certain period of time then my muscle fibres will break and will gradually heal again to make them stronger, this process is speeded up by proteins.
Fartlek Training
The Fartlek Training is a method of training which improves the speed of the trainer and it is a form of endurance conditioning which means that it allows improvement of the aerobic system. These are attributes which are a very important part of football. A player needs to have good speed and aerobic system to be able to make an impact on the game, especially outfield players, moreover midfielders and strikers.
Improving my aerobic system is vital as my fitness level has decreased dramatically over the summer, for me to improve it I must commit myself and regularly use the Fartlek method of training; I did so at the park with a few friends, some took part and others did not. The session lasted around 45 minutes and in that time I had to vary my pace, by working at a high intensity in some periods and working at a low intensity in other periods.
The training plan I devised was, running at a normal pace for about 70 metres, the jogging over the same distance, and walk for a further 70 metres, then I sprinted the next 70 metres and during the last stretch I sprinted the last 70 metres. I repeated this three times then rested for 5 minutes then resumed to finish four more laps.
The main ways the exercise could improve the aerobic system is by firstly completing the long-term high intensity exercise. The long-term effect that it has on the heart is it increases in size, the rest rate becomes lower, the stroke volume (pump of blood per stroke) increases and returns to its resting rate faster after the activity. The long-term effect that it has on the blood is it increases the amount of red blood cells which improves the oxygen transport around the body, it is supplied to the muscle fibres quicker so more capillaries are made for the blood to flow through and the return of deoxygenated blood to the heart is more rapid.
Skill-based Training
I have begun skill based training which allows me to develop my football technique; my current manager at Rayleigh Town hired a trainer who helps us by planning drills and allowing us to ask questions which help enhance our skills. The team’s philosophy of play is the passing game, which mainly involves one touch football, our coach helps us improve our ability to control the ball first time and pass and move quickly. The team mainly try to play this way but it is not always possible although I thoroughly enjoy doing so.
We are also taught to create space for each other, this enables us to split defences more effectively and almost anyone in the team would be capable of making a good run on goal, apart from the central defence. Even the full backs would be able to cause problems on their wings which prove we are an attacking side.
Week 2
Circuit training
Circuit training will help me to increase my cardiovascular fitness and my strength; it is an activity where I will complete various mini tasks such as sit-ups (x15), push-ups (x15), shuttle runs (x10), climbing (x3), squat jumps (x15), star jumps (x8) and knee ups (x10). The advantage of using the circuit training session is that it allows me to train anywhere I want and it gives me a variety of choices so that prevents it becoming tedious.
It took a while to set up the circuit in the gym but it was very effective. The shuttle runs that I set up were approximately 11 metres apart from wall to wall. The climbing was done on a climbing frame that is the type in typical school gyms and was possibly 6 metres high; I went up and down three times. The knee ups were done on a bench and meant I had to do five steps starting with my right leg and the other five steps with my left leg. I completed the three laps of the circuit and did so in 15:57:00 minutes.
Weight training
I basically followed the same training programme that I completed last week but I applied overload to it, using the training principle of overload will be essential in helping me enhance my muscular strength. This is because the more weights I lift will allow my muscles to break then heal to become stronger, the progressive overload increases the intensity rate of which I work at. At the moment I have decided to change the amount of repetitions I have to complete.
Skill based training
In training we were practicing varies of techniques, long shots, crossing and free-kicks. The team were split into two groups and the players worked in different goals. One player had to stand on the edge of the area and lay the ball of for an onrushing player who drove the ball as hard as possible, while the goalkeeper attempted to save it. It then progressed and was put into a game situation where the player received the ball but had to shoot under pressure, meaning they either had to beat the player before shooting or just shoot and hope for the best.
The free kicks were easy to arrange, the more talented players took them, there was a wall to beat and it was taken 22-25 yards out. The wall contained four players which made it very difficult for a player to score and not many did. We started to practice crossing, we were split into pairs and the player with the ball had to cross the ball too his partner head height. The process rotated and everyone had the chance to cross the ball.
After the technical training was over we organised a game, this was a good exercise, but initially rules were brought in, such as two touches only which later reduced to one touch and no kicking the ball over the manager’s height which then become play it on the ground. A few minutes towards the end we were able to play freely with no rules and that made the game more interesting.
After football practice a few of the players stayed behind to compete in a crossbar challenge, we all did this on the edge of the box and it was a fun way to end the training session, I managed to hit the crossbar twice.
Week 3
Weight training
I have trained in the gym for two weeks now and I my muscles have started to feel the strain, I used the multi-gym, this includes a variety of different weights equipment such as the bench press, the dumbbells, the rowing machine, the leg/calf press, trapezius and abdominal crunch station. I decided to change the amount of pounds I was supposed to lift during this training session. After I completed the weights training session I took part in a little competition my friends had made which was to hold the dumbbells upwards on the side, testing the strength of your limbs and remain in that position for as long as possible. it was a good exercise but I did it for about half a min with 8 lb dumbbells.
Plyometrics
For the first time during my training log book I decided to do plyometrics training, this will help me increase my strength and power. It is an exercise which enables a muscle to reach a maximum force in the shortest possible time. The plyometrics training I did during the week were designed to help me increase my power and speed. I did hurdling training, and I put 5 hurdles in 3 sets each, I jumped over one set and the turned round to jump over the next set and likewise for the last set. I then decided to increase the intensity I was working at by using one leg to jump over the hurdles; I completed the circuit again and completed it within 5 mins after doing 7 laps. Then decided to work on my lower body strength/power by doing side and squatted jumps and I completed 15 of each.
Skill-based training
This week for my skill-based training I decided to work on my long range passes, I asked my coach whether we could do so this week but he had other things in mind and decided to work on the teams defence/attack moves. This came after a poor result that had been cause by poor defending. We had five defenders and three attackers and they had to try and penetrate the defence, the lessons were to convince the midfielders that they need to track back and help the defenders out, it was a very effective training session.
Week 4
Weight Training
This week I again used progressive overload for my weight training I increased the no. of sets I needed to complete this time round, this by far was the most testing weights session I have had to do. I used the same equipment as I did last week which was the bench press, the dumbbells, the rowing machine, the leg/calf press, the trapezius and an abdominal crunch.
Circuit Training
I continued to do the same training program as I did the last time I did a circuit training session. I did this in the Virgin gym the tasks I completed are tabulated below.
Plyometrics Training
I did more plyometrics training this week and this was because the previous training session helped me learn that this was an effective way to increase my power and speed. I did my training session at the virgin gym, at first I was not sure what I should do as a plyometrics exercise, I asked a fitness instructor and she said I could use cones.
I put eighteen cones down and dropped six in a line and in three sets; after I had set up my field I started to hop in and out of the six cones and did the three sets, I did two laps of these.
Week 5
Weights Training
This week for my weights training session I went to the Virgin gym to continue my training, I followed my weekly training programme I had set up for myself to follow over the course of my entire training programme. This week I again applied progressive overload to it and increased the number of repetitions and sets I had to complete, this resulted in a heavy load of work to do and it had definitely increased the intensity of which I worked at.
Fartlek Training
The Fartlek training that I did this week was planned to help me increase my speed, I felt that the previous exercise that I did around three weeks ago was a good training method, so I used it again for this week but this week I had decided to use a shorter length of around 50 metres. I did so because I did not have enough time to do 70 metres or more and also because I did it by myself this time.
Running at a normal pace for about 50 metres, the jogging over the same distance, and walk for a further 50 metres, then I sprinted the next 50 metres and during the last stretch I sprinted the last 50 metres. I repeated this three times then rested for 5 minutes then resumed to finish three more laps.
Mid-Term Evaluation
Over the last five weeks I have been working towards improving my strength/power, speed, stamina and football skills. I have been completing various training methods to aid me to fulfil my aims, over the course of my Personal Log book I have done Fartlek training, Interval training, Plyometrics, Weights training, Circuit training and Skill-based training.
I believe the training methods which have helped me improve my strength/power are the Plyometrics and Weights training, the methods which have assisted my speed are the Fartlek and Interval training and finally the methods concerning my stamina have been helped by Circuit training and again Fartlek training.
The training methods which I have found most enduring are Fartlek, Interval and Circuit training; on the other hand they have been very effective in their function because I have felt an improvement in my speed and stamina. I believe, after completing these training methods I have undergone a process that has caused my slow twitch muscle fibres to be converted into fast twitch muscle fibres. Moreover as my stamina has increased my cardiovascular system has improved, my heart may have increased in size which is called cardiac hypertrophy and this enables it to work more efficiently.
The weights training programme is one which is reasonably easy to identify my progress, this is because I have achieved some kind of hypertrophy. From the time that I completed my first weights programme I felt very tired, my muscles were aching after being strained, however these were just short term effects and I know that at this stage my muscle fibres had been broken and overtime once they were healed they would become stronger.
I have regularly completed skill-based training, this is when I have trained most of the time, and in these training methods I have improved my shooting and passing skills. I have trained with my team; Rayleigh Town and also had the opportunity to learn my team-mates of good quality.
I believe that this meso-cycle has helped me reach my targets, to a certain degree although not to the standard I would like, this may be because I have not completed the full 10 weeks but I am pleased with my progress so far.