My goal for improving my strength is to be able to maintain possession of the ball for longer period of time when being challenged. I would also say that I will aim to be able to lift heavier weights for longer periods of time, which does, in a way, relate to endurance and so will make a training programme easier to formulate.
Timescale.
To improve my tackling I believe that I would need around a month to a month and a half. I say this because even though the tackling will involve my physical abilities being improved, I will also have to improve my anticipation or reading of situations prior to a tackling attempt. The latter may take slightly longer than the physical aspect as I will have to learn new skills that I may never have taken into account before hand.
For defending I would estimate around three to four weeks, again because I would be adapting to new skills and learning how to process new and different pieces of information.
Availability would take around the same time as defending, again this is mainly because a majority of the skill is physiological and requires more of an adaptation in relation to processing new information that I am not used to.
Endurance, I believe, would take the longest time to improve. I would commit approximately three, maybe even four months to fully develop my cardiovascular system and improve my aerobic system to the point where I can play for a full 90 minutes with minimum fatigue.
My strength, like my endurance would take around three to four months to fully develop and improve my muscular strength. This would mean a large training regime would be set in place and I would have to constantly try and prevent atrophy occurring by training regularly.
Method of achieving goals.
To improve my tackling I would say that I will have to perform drills that involve more one on one, two on one, or three on one situations. This will allow me to familiarise myself with traits or manoeuvres that are common in an attack-defence situation. By having these various situations I will be able to practice and therefore build up schema and adapt to the different numbers of attacking players that I may have to deal with during an oppositions advance. The benefits of practicing the above are that I will be able to either anticipate or read situations in my own half a lot more easily and much quicker, thus hopefully preventing the opposition from getting any further than myself.
Improvements to my defending could be made by also by performing the above drills used for tackling. I could also work with the goalkeeper and the rest of the defenders in order to work out strategies or game plans that may raise the likelihood of us stopping an opposition’s attack. We could also change our positions in defence situations, i.e. if I played right back then maybe I could try swapping with the left back or the centre. This would vary the angles and would allow me to see what different situations are like in different positions.
To achieve my goal for availability I will probably have to work with the rest of my team and formulate a system by which we all know who is who during a match, i.e. having calls if I am in a potential goal scoring position or simply if I am unmarked and available for a pass. Another method of achieving my goal is to watch more football matches. This will enable me to observe how professional players act when in different areas of the pitch or when marked for example. Improving my availability would be of great benefit not only for myself, but, for my team, as I should be able to make myself more available and thus give my team more of a chance of scoring.
My method for achieving a higher level of endurance is to use continuous training, i.e. running over large distances or on circuits for a continuous period of time established before hand. Fartlek training would also play a park in my method for improving my endurance; this method is also useful because it allows me to train at different speeds, much like in a game situation.
Strength can be improved in a number of ways. I intend to use weight training to improve my muscular strength. I will use set training sessions integrated into my training programme to build up my muscular strength and ultimately to improve my game.
Record of implementation of action plan.
Training log.
This is a programme that will allow me to improve my abilities and skills in the areas that are causing me problems. The programme will be implemented on a cycle that will cover all the necessary areas.
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Method of evaluating action plan.
One way of evaluating my action plan is to get feedback from my coach, which I could use to help me with my action plan. Feedback from a person other than yourself is sometimes more useful as they can watch your possible improvements or set - backs. Another possible way to evaluate my action plan is to carry out a test of some sort, e.g. see how many tackles I win during a match before the implementation of my action plan, and then seeing how many more or less I complete after the action plan.
A method of evaluating my defence capabilities is to see how many goals were scored or how many time the opposition entered our sixteen-yard box. Again, this would be done before and after the implementation of my action plan.
Furthermore, a way of evaluating my availability skills are to either see how many passes I receive or to ask my coach how he thinks I have done on this particular area. This area is quite hard to evaluate as it is the one that can vary a lot from game to game.
My endurance can be tested using various methods. The first method I would use would be the multi-stage fitness test which effectively tests your VO2 Max, obviously, the higher the level that I achieve, the more efficient my Cardiovascular system. I would also say that the longer my action plan is implemented, the higher the level I should achieve in the multistage fitness test. Moreover, I could also use the Cooper 12 minute run which would test the distance I can run in 12 minutes but would also allow me to see how long I could endure a set speed. An additional method of testing my cardiovascular endurance is to do the Queen’s College Step Test. Here, you step on to and off of a raised box on the floor in time with a metronome. A way to test both muscular strength and muscular endurance is to use the ‘chin-up’ bar and see how many you can complete. However, this is only for local muscular endurance and strength but is an extra method of finding how different muscle groups are improving.
My muscular strength can be assessed in many ways as well. To begin with there is the hand grip dynamometer. This piece of equipment tests grip strength, which is not directly related to football but is one way of testing if there is any improvement in muscular strength. The only other way to see if my muscular strength has improved is to be evaluated by a coach in a game, i.e. see if I keep my ground more during a match etc.
Evaluation of action plan.
I believe that my action plan is one that will benefit my game if applied well and used to its full effect. Furthermore, I can also say that more attention can be paid to areas if they are not improving as mush as others quite easily as my method of achieving my goals and targets is quite flexible. Additionally, I can say that my goals are realistic and are achievable, because they are not set too high and are within obtainable reach of my capabilities. My timescales are also realistic. I feel I have an adequate amount of time and that my goals can be achieved in the set time periods. I can also say that my record of implementation of the action plan is suitable and is easy to follow. I have set it out in such a way that minimises tedium and if I follow it correctly reversibility should not cause concern. All in all, I feel that my action plan is a success and benefits the improvements that need to be made.
