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Posted by
Richard Bucciarelli,
December 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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Speed Endurance Training – The Key to a Successful Training Camp
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In my role as Fitness Coach with the Canadian National Women’s U17 team, I was recently tasked with planning the physical component of their 8-day training camp in November, 2011. Upon reviewing the camp schedule, I saw that the plans included 2 exhibition games, 2 inter-squad games, and 2 training sessions per day over the course of the week. Even in a short (8-day) training camp, a physical component of training is required, as they players must be able to continually improve their fitness each month in preparation for World Cup qualification matches in the spring of 2012. The main problem encountered when trying to plan fitness sessions is the lack of time allotted during each practice (15-20 minutes), as well as the high overall fatigue level of the players throughout the week. In order to effectively plan fitness training sessions that provide adequate training load to the players, while minimizing the risks of overtraining and fatigue, I decided to use a relatively new and unique form of training, called speed endurance training.
Speed endurance training involves performing 4-8 sets of 30-second exercise bouts, at an intensity between 80-90% of maximum, with a work-to-rest ratio of 1-6 (i.e. 30 seconds of work, 3 minutes of rest). Over the past 10 years, speed endurance exercises using this protocol, both without and with the ball, have been proven to be as, if not more, effective at improving players’ overall endurance levels as more traditional continuous aerobic, and aerobic interval training. The main difference – and main advantage – of speed endurance training over the more traditional methods mentioned above is that speed endurance training achieves the same results, with 1/3rd of the total training time. Whereas conventional workouts of continuous aerobic training can take 60 minutes or more to complete, the speed endurance protocol mentioned above, performed in small groups, can be completed in as little as 12 minutes (with a little as 2-3 minutes of actual training time). The significant reduction in total training time of up to 75% is most useful in training camps where practice time – and the players’ level of energy – is limited. Furthermore, the ability to use the ball in these workouts adds a level of specificity which leads to better overall improvements in soccer skill, as well as aerobic fitness.
Below are two session plan diagrams of speed endurance sessions, with the ball, that we used at the Women’s National U17 team camp in November:
1. Speed Endurance: Passing/Receiving:
Set-Up: 3-4 stations, consisting of 2 red cones, placed 20m apart, with two white cones 3m inside them; stations include 4 players: 2 inside the station, without a ball, and 2 placed on the red cones, with a bal.
Activity: players inside sprint, at 90-95% intensity, towards the outside cones; once they get inside the white cones, they must receive a pass from the outside and play a one-touch pass back to the outside player, then sprint to the opposite side for the next pass; players repeat this sequence for 30 seconds in total.
Rest: after the 30-second work period, inside players switch with the outside players, and the activity starts again; once both groups of players have performed one 30-second repetition, both groups will rest for another 30 seconds, and then the first group moves back to the inside for their second repetition.
Summary:
- 1 set
- 4 repetitions
- 30 seconds
- 90-95% intensity
- rest = 1 minute
- work-to-rest ratio: 1:2
- total session time: 6 minutes
- total player training time: 2 minutes
2. Speed Endurance: Defensive Jockeying:
Set-Up: 3-4 stations, consisting of 2 red cones, placed 30m apart; stations include 4 players: 2 inside the station, one without a ball and one with a ball, and 2 placed on the red cones, without a ball.
Activity: player inside, with a ball, plays a long pass to the player without the ball (30m away) and sprints at 95% intensity to close the player down in a defensive posture; the player with the ball dribbles diagonally and forwards (at 70% intensity), while the jockeying player moves backwards, for the entire 30 m distance; repetitions should take 30 seconds in total, with the next group of 2 players starting their activity once the first group finishes; players repeat the sequence in the opposite order (i.e. attackers become defenders, and defenders become attackers) in their next repetition.
Rest: after the 30-second work period, inside players switch with the outside players, and the activity starts again
Summary:
- 2 sets
- 4 repetitions (2 at 95% - defending, and 2 at 70% - attacking)
- 30 seconds
- 70-95% intensity
- rest = 30 seconds
- work-to-rest ratio: 1:1
- total session time: 8 minutes
- total player training time: 4 minutes
Richard Bucciarelli is the President of Soccer Fitness Inc., and Fitness Coach for the Canadian National Women’s U17 team, which will be travelling to Mexico City on December 11th for their next training camp. For more information about Richard and Soccer Fitness, please visit www.soccerfitness.ca
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