feature
football medicine & performance
AVAILABILITY EQUALS WINNABILITY: THE EFFECTS OF A PERIODISED TRAINING MODEL ON PLAYER AVAILABILITY IN ELITE SOCCER – A CASE STUDY (PART 3) FEATURE / DAMIAN RODEN INTRODUCTION In the first edition of the Football Medicine and Performance Association Magazine (issue 32), the structure and rationale behind the training model implemented during Seattle Sounders’ MLS Cup Winning Season in 2019 was discussed. It detailed the intricacies of a typical training week, how this contributed to the highest player availability in the club’s history and more importantly, how the team started and finished the season so strong. Whilst the structure of a typical week from a training and loading perspective was significant, the decision-making process and the management of individuals within the framework of the model was of equal importance. In the second edition (Issue 33), the assessment processes that were carried
out during the training week, together with the logic behind such assessments were discussed in order to determine each and every players ‘readiness to train’.
games through the various ‘readiness’ assessments, it is important to recognise how to prepare players to optimise performance and further prevent any unnecessary injuries.
In this final edition, this article discusses the rationale behind the daily ‘preparation’ of players, the type of exercises that were commonly used and the key non-negotiables of the training week. This is all carried out in an attempt to prime players for the demands of the game and ensure that critical parameters were observed to keep players healthy and available.
Given both the multi-directional nature of the game of football in addition to what happens following each training session or game and leading up to the next, preparation and more specifically preparation exercises are an essential part of performance and injury prevention.
PREPARATION TO TRAIN Having determined whether each player is primed and ready for training through testing and identified how to assess each players’ response to training and
Whenever a player performs football actions, there is a lot of stress placed on joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles so it is not uncommon for players to report inflammation, tightness or discomfort somewhere in the body after training or prior to training the following day.
FOAM FOAM ROLLER
ROLLER
FUNCTIONAL FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT MOVEMENT
BACK BACK MOBILITY MOBILITY
PREPARATION PREPARATION TO TRAIN TO TRAIN
CORE CORE STABILITY STABILITY
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GLUTE GLUTE ACTIVATION ACTIVATION
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