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The importance of monitoring training, rest, and recovery in soccer
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In my experience as the Assistant Coach and Fitness Coach of the York University Women’s Varsity Soccer Team from 2009-2011, my greatest challenge was to try to devise a physical training program which was intense enough to challenge – and thereby improve the function of – the aerobic, anaerobic, and musculoskeletal systems, yet at the same time which would not cause adverse effects of overtraining and lead to injuries. With a short and intense (2 months, 12 games, 1 training session per day) regular season, preceded by an even shorter, more intense (2-3 weeks, 6 games, 2 training sessions per day) pre-season, this challenge seemed to get more and more daunting every day. I knew through fitness assessments that some players were in better shape than others, and also could see which ones were pushing themselves harder in training on the field. It also became evident as the season progressed that some players were recovering better – and thus were injured less frequently –than other players.
As the person charged with ensuring players were both fit and injury free, I also lacked both the resources (heart rate monitors, global-positioning satellites) needed to accurately quantify the training loads I was imposing on the athletes, as well as a way to accurately measure and assess their recovery and recovery activities between training sessions and games. These issues led me to the realization that two things were needed in order for me to achieve my goals of planning an optimal training stimulus while simultaneously minimizing the chances of overtraining and injuries:
- A tool to assess the players’ individual perceptions of the intensity of the fitness training sessions; and
- A tool to assess the players’ recovery – and their specific recovery activities – to see whether or not they were sufficient
Through research and collaboration with soccer fitness coaches presently working with elite U.S. College, as well Canadian Provincial and National teams, I have developed the following tools to help me achieve my goals:
1. The Soccer Fitness weekly Training Session Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale (PDF)
Originally developed by renowned sports scientist Gunnar Borg in 1982, the Rating of Perceived Exertion scale has long been encouraged by sports scientists and practitioners for use in monitoring exercise intensity in a variety of settings, including amateur and professional sports. Athletes must rate their perceived level of exertion during a particular session from 6 – 20, with a score of 6 corresponding to “very, very light” and greater than 16 corresponding to “hard-very hard”. In team sports this scale can be especially useful, as it will give coaches and trainers the unique perspective of comparing different players’ perceptions of the same training session, the feedback derived from which will allow them to tailor specific training interventions with individuals who perceive the training to be too easy / too hard.
The attached document is a copy of the one I used for the first week of the 2011 Pre-Season. Players must rate their perceived exertion at the end of every physical training session each day, then hand the completed / signed form back to the coaching staff at the end of the week.
2. The Soccer Fitness Weekly Recovery Scorecard (PDF)
Originally developed by Dr. Terry Favero, Professor of Physiology at the University of Portland and Strength and Conditioning Coach with their Women’s Varsity Soccer Team, this scorecard provides athletes with a tool to assess their own rest and recovery activities every day. Athletes must accumulate points in a variety of rest and recovery-based categories, including diet, hydration, stretching, and others. Points are totaled and a score for each day is given out of 20. Athletes with scores of 15 or lower out of 20 should be required to re-assess their recovery behaviors to determine which areas they may need more work and improvement in. This tool is especially useful for the short and intense university soccer season because the time between training and games is so short, making it difficult for players to find the time for mental and physical rest.
The attached document is a copy of the one I used for the first week of the 2011 Pre-Season. Players must record their recovery score at the end of each day, then hand the completed / signed form back to the coaching staff at the end of the week.
Taken together, the Soccer Fitness Weekly Training Session RPE Scale and Weekly Recovery Scorecard will provide coaches and trainers with a detailed assessment of each individual player’s perception and responses to both training and recovery. It will also allow coaches to determine when specialized, individual interventions may be warranted for certain players, either in training, in rest and recovery, or both.
Perhaps the most useful and important benefit of these documents is not in their value to coaches, but to the players themselves. Players filling out the RPE scale must reflect not only on the intensity of the training session, but also on their own individual efforts put forth in the session. Furthermore, players who find themselves with a lower score on the Recovery Scorecard will be directly confronted with the knowledge and information that they may not be doing enough to ensure proper physical and mental recovery, which can be a useful tool to influence a change in their behavior. All in all, these documents provide coaches, trainers, and athletes themselves with an efficient, cost-effective way to get the most benefit out of their training and recovery activities, and to ensure optimal physical performance in a short and intense interuniversity soccer season.
Richard Bucciarelli, BKINE, CSEP-CEP, CSCS, CK, is a soccer-specific strength and conditioning coach and President of Soccer Fitness Inc., a soccer-specific fitness company located in Toronto. For more information about Soccer Fitness Inc., visit www.soccerfitness.ca.
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