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Posted by
Richard Bucciarelli,
September 7, 2011
Email Richard Bucciarelli
Richard Bucciarelli, BKINE, CSEP-CEP, CSCS, CK, is a soccer fitness coach and President of Soccer Fitness Inc., a soccer-specific strength and conditioning company in Toronto. Richard has an extensive background and experience in both training and coaching soccer players of all ages and levels of ability. A certified Kinesiologist, Richard also holds certifications with the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology (CSEP-CEP), National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS), and the American Council on Exercise (CPT, CLWM). He also holds the distinction of being the only trainer in Canada to attend and present research at both the 6th World Congress on Science and Football (Antalya, Turkey, January 2007), the First World Conference on Science and Soccer (Liverpool, England, May 2008), and the 7th World Congress on Science and Football (Nagoya, Japan, May, 2011).
In addition to his many qualifications in soccer fitness training, Richard is also an avid soccer coach. A graduate of York University's Coaching Certification Program, he also currently holds an Ontario Provincial "B" License, as well as United States National "B" and "Y" Licenses, in coaching.
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Preparing for the Bundesliga (in 2 weeks)
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I was contacted by Bennett Jull on Monday, August 22, at 10:00am. He is a 16 year old soccer player I had coached and trained previously, and I had not heard from him in over a year. We had a brief conversation, in which he explained his present soccer situation, which was as follows:
“I’ve had a bit of a slow summer, been off for more than a month recovering from some knee injuries, and now I have arranged trials with three German reserve teams in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. I leave in two weeks. Can you help me out?”
My initial response was to congratulate him, which was followed almost immediately by a sense of panic – how was I supposed to get this guy in shape for the Bundesliga in just two weeks’ time? I told him I could not work miracles, but would do my best to ensure he was physically prepared for
his trials.
His training program consisted of 4 days per week of high speed / incline treadmill running, plyometrics, and strength training. Because gains in aerobic endurance, as well as muscular size and strength, are difficult to make in such a short amount of time, I decided to try to focus the training on improving the neurological aspect of muscular strength. If the proper stimulus can be presented to specific muscles, forcing them to activate and contract more muscle fibres, as well as speeding up the coordination of these contractions, small increases in both the overall strength and speed of the muscles can
be achieved.
A good example of this type of training stimulus is ‘contrast training’ on a high speed, high incline running treadmill. An example of this type of training is presented in the video below. Here we see Bennett performing a “Run / Hold / Run” exercise, which consists of the following:
24 seconds in total
- 8 second of running, at 11 miles per hour and 25 % grade
- 8 seconds of holding the bar and running, at 11mph and 25% grade
- A final 8 seconds of running, at 11mph and 25 % grade
Several of the key lower body muscles in soccer (hip, knee, and ankle extensors, as well as hip flexors and abdominal muscles) are challenged during this exercise. The 8 seconds in the middle, when the athlete is holding the bar, is easier and allows the muscles to contract with slightly less force than in the initial 8 seconds. This provides the first “contrast”, a time in which the speed of muscular contraction is kept constant but less force is required. It is the final 8 seconds, when the athlete is already fatigued, and lets go of the bar to run, that provides the final “contrast”. If you look closely you will see that Bennett actually slides back slightly on the treadmill (away from the centre of the treadmill) because his muscles have become accustomed to producing slightly less force from the previous 8 seconds.
Immediately following this backward movement, however, we can see him explode to a more central position on the treadmill. The muscles in his legs have responded to the “contrast” by producing more power (slightly more force in the same amount of time). This increase in power has occurred because of a neurological effect within the muscles themselves. They have recruited a larger total number of muscle fibres, and have also increased the speed of the coordination of the recruitment of these muscle fibres, in order to ensure that the resulting muscular contractions are powerful enough to enable the athlete to keep up with the speed and incline of the treadmill.
Contrast training using high speed and incline treadmills is very useful for soccer because it helps athletes develop the ability to change speed (by recruiting more muscle fibres and increasing the speed of recruitment of those fibres) something which is crucial to optimal performance on the field. If the overload stimulus to the muscles is presented adequately, these gains in explosive qualities of muscles can be achieved in as little as 2-3 workouts. Ultimately, the choice to focus on contrast training in Bennett’s program was made because it seemed like the most productive and efficient use of the limited training time we had. Only time will tell if the decision had a positive effect on his performance in Germany.
The High Speed Treadmill Exercises seen here are part of the programs offered at The Soccer Fitness Training Centre, located inside Trio Sportsplex, at 601 Cityview Blvd. in Vaughan.
Soccer Fitness will be holding 2 Open Houses: Saturday, September 24th (1-4pm), and Monday, September 26th (6-9pm), where you can see the high speed running treadmills, as well as other state-of-the-art equipment and programming, in action.
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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