Pushing The Threshold: Maintaining Soccer Performance Year Round
You're probably doing everything wrong. This year's performance just did'nt stack up to last years jaw dropping displays, and you're not to blame. Did you ever think to yourself, "If only I knew about that before hand, I would not be playing like this". Fact of the matter is that if you focus on what needs to be done on the park for "just today", without thought about the next couple of weeks, then you have this erratic pulse of high followed by an endless drought of lows.
Again, you're not to blame. Most of you whom read this blog are not in the 20% of athletes who play at the higher echelon of football successfully. Sure, you are aspiring to, but you are not quite there yet. So you make up the other 80% of footballers, quizzing yourself as to why you have sporadic performances week after week. My first ever blog post here at Keeper Skool mentioned that the best goalkeepers in the world are a part of the best training environments in the world.
So, does this mean that it is doom and gloom for all of us in the other 80% of the footballing population whom don't have the best training environments at our disposal? Nope. If you put a simple plan together, structure it around your hectic schedule, and do less with more, you'd be surprised at the results.
Some of the most meaningful training sessions I've ever had, never lasted more than an hour max. The mechanics of goalkeeping are totally different. Goalkeepers don't always move for 90 minutes. So, you're training session might last for two hours with the whole team, sure, but I'd much rather push the intensity in a short and powerful "goalkeeper specific" session, and focus on other strategies to enhance my performance over the rest of my training.
It's about getting the structure right from the start, and you know that goalkeepers are a whole different kettle of fish. What I mean here is that you need to push the threshold, and do it consistently the whole year round, and for those of you reading this, you can do it like the big boys at your local park and get similar, if not the same results as those big timers in the EPL or the Primera.
Make no doubt about it, the best goalkeepers in the world have the best sports scientists in the world at their disposal. Charlton Athletic's resident sports scientist opened up a window view recently into the performance of their senior players for a scientific review of the effect of seasonal fitness over a period of time (3 years). The key results in the research pointed to several interesting trends:
- Maximal aerobic power remains fairly stable across inter- and intra-season measurements.
- Anaerobic threshold appears more sensitive of training state confirming our earlier observations.
- The professional players tended to attain optimal performances at the mid-season interval over the 3 seasons, presumably prior to the development of accumulative fatigue.
(Source: SEASON-TO-SEASON VARIATIONS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL FITNESS WITHIN A SQUAD OF PROFESSIONAL MALE SOCCER PLAYERS; Clark. N.A; Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2008) 7, 157 - 165 )
So what does this mean in English? Being able to play like the pro's relies on the following:
- Maintaining high levels of aerobic power consistently over a long period of time.
- Maintaining high levels of anaerobic power throughout the competitive season and beyond, which adversely can be affected by the rate of games being played.
- Maximizing the effectiveness of training sessions during the mid season before fatigue sets in near post season.
Now the question is how can the above information help a competitive goalkeeper play to to the best of their ability throughout the season and beyond? It's quite simple.
- Train intensely but over a shorter period of time to maintain aerobic and anaerobic power, with longer recovery sessions and active rest.
- Make the most of mid season training sessions where the body has adapted well to training stimulus, by enhancing the intensity, without maxing out your body's energy stores. That is, do more with less.
So what's the difference between the best...and all of the rest? Consistency, maximal effort with less over a longer period and a structured plan with plenty of time to stay on track. Quite simple isn't it? But to maximize and maintain your training threshold, you have to be able to put in the hard yards like the big boys do and do it smart. With time and concentrated effort you will be training at similar if not, the same intensities as the guys in the upper pecking order of football around the globe.
Looking To Enhance Your Goalkeeper Fitness & Diet? Buy The G-Code Today, Only $19.95. Click Here.
John Stevanja
Post a Comment
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments