Fats – They make up about 30% of our daily diet. They are the biggest source of energy although they are very hard to burn off, so obviously not ideal for an athlete. They provide energy and keep us warm. They are found in things like olive oil and margarine as well as saturated fatty acid found in meat and animal products.
Vitamins – These make up a small amount and are not as valuable to our body as the previous three, however, they are needed to help our bones, teeth and skin grow. They are also needed for many of the body’s chemical reactions.
Vitamin A…This is handy for growth and night vision and found in eggs, vegetables and liver.
Vitamin C… This is good for your skin and gums- you get scurvy without it. Can be found in fruit and veg. Especially citrus fruits e.g. Lemons and Oranges.
Vitamin D… This is good for strong bones and prevents you getting Rickets. Can be found in milk, fish, liver and eggs but mainly made by the skin in sunshine.
Minerals – They are needed for healthy bones and teeth. Help build other tissues and are needed for many chemical reactions in the body.
Calcium… This is needed for bones and teeth but also muscle contraction. Can be found in milk, green veg, cheese and sum fish.
Iron… Good source of haemoglobin in red blood cells (you get anaemia without it) There’s lots in liver, beans and green veg.
Note: With a properly balanced diet you don’t need vitamin supplements and my athlete will not be using them.
Vitamin C cannot be stored so you need to eat it on a regular basis.
FACTS
- An average 16 yr old needs 11, 000 kilojoules (kj) per day!
- There are 1.4 kilojoules (kj) per gram of apple
- There is 4.2 kj per one kCal
Below is a table showing the energy values in food.
SUBSTANCES
There are some things that are not going to do the athlete any good at all. However alcohol in moderation and at the correct times (see pg 3) may not cause too much change to their performance, and in terms of overall morale and attitude may be good for the athlete.
Alcohol – This is not recommended 72 hours before a game and best consumed on a Saturday night after a game not in a large amount.
Smoking – This is not going to do any good at all to any athlete, it affects the lungs and can cause long-term effects such as cancer and other diseases.
Drugs – This is also a very bad idea, the only drugs that are going to enhance your game are the banned ones and the other type are mainly illegal so there is very little point in taking any drugs.
It is important that an athlete gets enough sleep and rest, especially before a game. A good nights sleep will make you feel sharper and less tired during the game. The reaction times of the athlete will be quicker which is a very important thing in football and might make the difference between scoring, or missing a goal. The average person needs 8 hours sleep!
Below is a table showing the advantages of a good nights sleep with an example of a benefit next to it.
Below is a table showing the disadvantages of not getting enough sleep with an example of how it might affect you.
A good sleeping pattern for a footballer is shown below. It is based on the match day being Saturday and that they have to be up for training and matches at 9am
Before starting the main exercise and skill of each training session, it is important that you warm up properly. There are many ways to warm up but the main aim is the same for each method. Getting the muscles warm before exercise and doing some stretches so that our body is used to working a bit harder and our muscles are suppler. Doing this makes us less likely to have a pull or strain and means we can perform at our peak right from the start of the main session.
I am going to make 6 different warm-ups so that during the six weeks there is something a bit different.
The six different warm ups are below
The warm up above is intended to warm up the muscles and open out the groin whilst at the same time giving the footballer a touch of the ball. It can be changed to warm up other parts of the body. The server can give different activities to the athlete. E.g. headers and volleys off the thigh.
This warm up gets the heart rate up and warms all muscles. It is to be followed up by stretching. (See page 10) The warm up intensity can be changed by the number of laps completed.
This is designed to warm up all parts of the body. It also is a good fitness session but the speed can be changed. The speed for the warm up will be half pace.
They athlete runs around the pitch at a steady pace. Somebody on the side shouts numbers to him. The athlete is told before the exercise what each number means. This warm up warms the body and sharpens the brain. Below is a table of what the athlete will do for each number.
The warm up below is very simple. The athlete runs around the pitch twice at a steady, slow jog. This is then followed by a stretching session for all parts of the body from the bottom muscles upwards. Then a more intense jog is started for two more laps. This is followed by more stretches especially to the hamstrings and quadriceps muscles. Then a final two laps are completed at a high pace with a final length of the pitch sprint to finish. (See stretching section, page 8)
Stretching is a very important part of a footballers preparation before the main training session or game. If you don’t stretch then the muscles are more likely to pull or strain. If you imagine the muscles are a length of blue tack. When a long piece of blue tack is stretched while cold, the fibres split and turn white. It cannot be stretched anywhere near the amount as when it has been warmed in your hand for a while. This is exactly the same as your muscles, when your muscles are warm they are more supple and less likely to pull or strain.
The aims of stretching are to gently lengthen muscles before any exercise and to improve tissue elasticity/flexibility. If done correctly, stretching will help prevent injuries and increase athletic performance.
Different sports require different stretches, in football more attention is focussed on the leg muscles but in boxing it is more important for the arms to be stretched.
It will be important for my athlete to stretch all parts of the body, close attention will be paid to the legs but also the back and shoulders.
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Make sure you warm-up prior to stretching.
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Hold for a period of 20 / 30 seconds.
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Stop immediately if you feel any pain.
The following key points should be remembered whilst stretching:
- Begin with gradual mobility exercises of all the joints, i.e. simply rotate the wrists, bend the arm and roll your shoulders.
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Always warm up the body prior to stretching, as this increases blood flow around the body, which in turn makes the muscles more supple.
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After exercise, slowly bring your heart rate down before you begin stretching in order to avoid blood pooling within your muscles, which can lead to cramp and dizzy spells.
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If you’re wet and sweaty, take a bath or shower then stretch, as the hot water will help relax the muscles, and prevent you from catching a chill.
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Never bounce whilst you stretch, unless you are doing specific stretches for certain sports, i.e. ballistic stretching for martial arts.
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Hold the stretch until you feel the muscle loosen off, then repeat for a further 15 seconds.
- Whilst stretching you should feel some slight discomfort, if you don’t feel anything, then you may be doing the stretch incorrectly, or simply the muscle has eased off.
- Stop immediately if you feel any severe pain.
- Remember to breathe regularly and rhythmically, do not hold your breath.
- Start with your legs, and work up the body, in order not to miss out any stretch.
Below are the stretches my footballer will be performing. Starting at the bottom of the body and working the way up is the best method.
CALF STRETCH
Standing one foot in front of the other, feet comfortably apart, both feet facing forward, front leg bent (knee over ankle joint), back leg straight, back straight.
Press the heel of the back leg into the floor until a stretch is felt in the calf muscle in the back of the lower leg.
If no stretch is felt, slide the heel slowly backwards, keeping the foot on the floor.
For improved stability and a greater stretch, push against a wall.
HAMSTRING STRETCH
Lie on your back, bending one leg keeping that foot on the floor, to prevent you lifting your buttocks during the stretch.
Raise your other leg, holding it either side of your knee joint, to gradually pull the leg towards you. You should feel the hamstring muscle stretching at the back of this leg.
Concentrate on keeping your buttocks on the floor, and keeping the stretched leg as straight as possible.
QUAD STRETCH
This stretch can be performed either standing, or lying on your side. If standing use a chair or wall for support.
Grab one leg at the ankle, and slowly pull your heel up towards your bottom, whilst slowly applying a stretch on the quadricep muscles (The large muscles at the front of the upper leg).
If you cannot reach your ankle, wrap a towel around your ankle, and pull on that, do this version lying down.
Aim to keep your knees together and back straight throughout the stretch.
Push your hips forward to increase the stretch on the quadricep muscles.
ADDUCTOR STRETCH
Sitting on the floor with the soles of the feet together, place your hands
either around your ankles or lower legs.
Keeping your back straight gently open out the knees towards the floor, applying a steady stretch onto your adductor / inner thigh muscles.
The elbows can be pressed against the inner knee to increase the stretch.
Avoid pulling up on your feet during the stretch.
GLUTS (BUTTOCKS) STRETCH
Sit up with your left leg out straight, and your right leg crossed over at about the knee joint, placing the foot flat on the floor.
Using your right arm, pull the bent left leg slowly across, until you feel the stretch in the right buttock region.
Simply reverse both leg and arm to do the other side.
LOWER BACK
Lie on your back, with your legs bent up towards you.
Keeping your upper back firmly on the floor, gently lower your knees to one side, hold for about 20 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
Allow your lower back to rotate naturally to the side, however if any pain is felt avoid this stretch.
UPPER BACK
Whilst on all fours, look down towards the floor, then push your shoulders as high as they can go.
This stretch is often called a cat stretch, due to the motion made.
Aim to hold in the stretched up position for 10 seconds before repeating.
SIDE BENDS
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, keeping a slight bend in your legs.
Slowly bend over to one side, until you feel a stretch along your side.
Your arms can be on your hips, or in the air to increase the stretch.
Avoid leaning forward or back, and keep the movement smooth with no bouncing.
TRICEP MUSCLE STRETCH
Sit or stand tall, with good posture.
Place one arm behind your head, with your hand facing down your spine.
Use the other hand to gradually push down on the elbow joint, whilst slowly increasing the stretch on the tricep muscle.
Repeat again on the other side.
This is my exercise plan. It is based on a six-week period during pre-season for a full time footballer. Pre-season is a time for footballers to get fit for the new season, it is very hard work and involves a lot of running and fitness work with less concentration on ball skills until the required fitness levels are reached.
Before each exercise is started the previous two sections – warm up and stretches, pg 7 and 10 Should be completed. After the training session has finished a cool down should be completed to prevent the athlete being stiff for the next session/game. See page 19
If an afternoon session is on then it will start 30 mins after lunch (see pg 3) The times of arrival and training sessions are noted below.
The sessions below should be dome once a week, not more often and not less, they can be done on any day although the athlete will not be doing the more strenuous sessions before a match day
The athlete runs around an 800 metres track once. The athlete has 2mins 45 secs to do this. Then a rest period of 3 mins is taken and then another lap is completed in the time. This will be repeated 6 times. This will improve the athletes fitness levels.
The athlete starts at 1 and runs to 2 then back to 1 then to 3 then back to 1 and then to 4 and back to the start. This is done as fast as possible. This will improve the athletes speed, turning, fitness and build muscular strength in the thigh muscles
This is a simple weight circuit for the athlete to build muscular strength. Each activity should be carried out 3 times for 1min with no rest in between until a full circuit is complete. After each numbered activity there should be 30 seconds of skipping then back o the numbered activity. A 3 min rest follows then another circuit is completed until 3 circuits have been completed. The activities should be carried out to a good quality while doing as many as possible during the minute.
This exercise is intended to improve the fitness of the athlete. It is carried out on a running machine. The times and speeds are as follows
A six-mile run is set up and the athlete does this once a week to improve and test the fitness levels in comparisons to previous weeks. This will be done on a day not close to a match day and will be timed.
Sit up bleep test. This is an exercise on a tape which tests the athletes muscular strength particularly abdominal muscles. It gives a level out so if completed to the best of the athletes ability with training in between the athletes level should improve.
Press up bleep test. Very similar to the sit up bleep test in that it operates its self on a tape and works with bleeps. This is tests the athletes muscular strength of the arms particularly the biceps and triceps.
Sprinting test. The athlete runs the sprint as fast as possible then has 20 secs to get back to the start before they have to run the sprint again, this is repeated 10 times and the average time in between the start and finish of the sprint is recorded. This improves the athletes ability to sprint over short distances faster and more often. See diagram below
This exercise is intended to monitor the leg muscles. The athlete stands against the side of a wall and holds a piece of chalk in his hand. He jumps and makes a mark as far up the wall as possible. The height of the mark is taken down and after 5 repeats of the exercise an average is given. To improve the height of the jump see Exercise plan skills page 21. This skill is very important for jumping E.g. for a header.
After each training session or match, it is important that you cool down properly. There are many ways to cool down but the aim is the same for each method. Cooling the muscles down after exercise and doing some stretches so that our body is restored to normal and our muscles aren’t stiff and tight the morning after. Doing a cool down makes us less likely to feel the affects of lactic acid in the muscles and means we can perform at our peak the next day with out feeling the affects of the previous workout.
If we don’t cool down and stretch the muscles after exercise we will not get rid of the lactic acid in our muscles. This will affect our ability to perform the next day and make our legs feel tired. Lactic acid builds up when the muscles are performing without oxygen (an-aerobically). This happens in football a lot due to the periods in the game where you are doing more than your body can cope with, during this time lactic acid builds up and makes the legs feel heavy and contributes to the other factors already noted.
There are many ways to cool down but they are not long and therefore I haven’t designed many different methods. The two methods are below and can be used however the athlete wants although it is important one is completed after each game or training session.
The player jogs around the centre circle after the match at a slow pace for one circuit, this is followed by one circuit skipping and then a 3rd and final circuit of a slow walk shaking all the body off. Then a full range of stretches are completed. See pg …
This cool down involves running back and forth across the pitch, the athlete will do different exercises to cool down the body during the 4 sides of the pitch to be completed. These are shown below.
These are exercises which are meant to improve the footballers skill levels in all areas. After doing the main exercise session (fitness work see page 15) it is important to improve the skill levels E.g touch and game knowledge. The exercises below do this. They should be used after or can be used as an alternative to the fitness session.
Keep ups. This skill is designed to improve the footballers touch of the ball. This benefits the player during all parts of the game including shooting and passing. It is a good exercise to work on because it only requires a small area and a football. It can be done inside or out and on the individuals own. The touch is improved by keeping the ball of the floor using all parts of the body other than the hands. Restrictions can improve other parts of the bodies touch E.g heading only and thighs only.
Fast feet. This exercise (as shown below) improves the athletes speed of the feet. It will help the player move the ball faster and do tricks faster. It is a ladder which the player runs directly through putting both feet in each rung as fast as possible.
This is another fast feet exercise which is intended for the same reasons as above. It is slightly different in that the athlete runs side on to the ladders and goes into each running from the side placing each foot in as fast as possible.
This exercise is to practise heading. The object is to achieve height and distance on the clearance so that the ball cannot be intercepted and come straight back. It is good for all players especially defenders. The ball is delivered into the red area where the defender is by the 5 servers shown by blue areas. The type of ball they deliver is optional to the server as in a real match the defender cannot know. The skill improves the overall clearances of the footballer. It also improves the servers passing.
This practise improves the players penalty taking, no keeper is in net but there are areas to aim for. If the ball is not put in one of these areas it is not a goal this exercise helps improve the players shooting, passing, accuracy and overall penalty taking.
This exercise will improve the players passing. It is very simple and easy to set up. The player uses all parts of the foot and different types of passing and tries to get the ball between the two cones.
This exercise improves the shooting of the footballer and the first touch. A pass is played into the player who is 30 yards out. The player has two touches to score, one to control and one to shoot before he enters the area. The player is the blue circle and he must start and receive the ball behind the red line.
