Strength & Conditioning for the Semi-pro Football Athlete – Why?
I’ll start this off with a statement that I think will resonate with many.
‘If you want to go to the next level, you have to train like you are already there’.
The semi-pro/amateur level of football in the UK is filled with many talented players who, may have dropped down from pro teams, are young players working their way up the ladder, or are players who have racked up appearances bouncing from non-league to non-league clubs. At step 3 or 4 of the non-league pyramid for example, you could have a 23-year-old player who has played at the top level for a number of years, at the same team with a 23-year-old who has never even trialled for a pro team.
The difference between the two players mentioned above is playing experience and training experience. We’ve all heard the phrase “when you play with better players, you get better”. It is clear to see that the player who has never trialled for a pro team has had his development stunted because he has never trained with or competed against higher competition. Whereas the other player has been exposed to a high level of training and games against top level players which has accelerated his development.
So, the question is, how can the player without the pro level experience make sure he is selected over, or at least be in the same conversation as the guy with over 100 appearances in league football? Be available for selection. The best ability is availability. As cliché as that statement sounds, it’s still a profound statement nonetheless. Of course I’m not saying this is the ONLY answer, and I’m certainly not dismissing all the politics that happen in non-league, but I can say that you being consistently available for training and the matchday squad on Saturdays plays a huge part in you progressing to the next level, which could be 1 league above or even 3 leagues above.
How do I stay available I hear you ask? By building your physical capacities and making yourself as robust as possible. Injuries are unfortunately a part of the game, so if you hear any S&C (strength & conditioning) coach saying they will “make sure” you never get injured, run very fast and very far away from them!
What can be pursued however, is decreasing the chance of injury risk. If you are not moving forward you are moving backwards. You shouldn’t just rely on your two training sessions a week to keep you in shape, especially if you are not being selected every Saturday and even more when it gets to regular Saturday-Tuesday games (only training once in the week). The player who has played at the pro level knows this, so on non-training days he’s either in the gym working on his single-leg strength, plyometrics, ability to produce force or working on acceleration and sprinting technique to prehab his hamstrings.
To bridge the gap it’s important to know and understand the demands of your sport and work on things you might not get through training sessions. Don’t go in the gym and have a bench press competition with your friends when you need to be looking after your tendons and muscles in your lower legs in the season. On the other hand, don’t over do it. You will get a lot of “sport specific” training by playing your sport, strength & conditioning is just to support and supplement what you may not be getting.
S&C is also beneficial because let’s say you do have a breakout season and “nick a move”, you’ll be way more equipped to deal the with higher level and tempo early on without breaking down into million pieces.
I’ll post a needs analysis and give you some help on what qualities you should be focusing on in another blog.
Key takeaways:
· The best ability is availability
· If you’re not moving forwards, you’re moving backwards
· Know the demands of your sport
· Don’t rely on just your training sessions to keep you fit & healthy
· Strength & conditioning should be implemented in your training regime to support and supplement your athletic development