First off it is important to note some of the factors that go into planning the daily sessions. For the sake of this exercise we will assume the below factors.
- Last match was at home on the previous Saturday
- Next match is at home on the next Saturday
- MD+1 (Sunday) was an off day
- Roster made up of 18 field players and 4 goalkeepers
- Matches are 90 minutes and with FIFA Laws (3 subs, etc.)
We will break each session down into several different parts as listed below.
1. Goals for each session
2. Training variables and how to manipulate them
3. Example session with exercises included (including bouts, durations, rest)
4. Use of monitoring
Goals for Match Day -4 (Strength/Power)
The team will be back training in one group as the team should be recovered from the prior match. You will need to reflect upon your squad and any individuals who may need an extra day's recovery or an abridged session on MD-4. Not all players are the same.
This is the first day of the week where we will look to "load" the players. I prefer to say we are at full training without any concerns. We are four days from the next match so this is the best opportunity to train in tight spaces at very high intensities. The reason for this is that it take a significant amount of time to recovery from a session like this (around 72 hours) so we want it as far from the match as possible.
As you can see below we are at a point within the week where we can stress the players in all facets. From the psychological perspective we will look to purposely stress them from a team spirt point of view. We want to create situations which will force them to use the relationships with teammates on the field. We can achieve this by use of competitions and score keeping. From the physical side our exercises will have a strength/power bias and use basic scientific reasoning behind our durations. Most importantly this is the first day we can add tactical or cognitive stress. This is making sure each exercise requites decision making.
Training Variables for Match Day -4 (Strength/Power)
If you are wanting detailed definitions for each variable please refer back to some of my older work. In this post I want to talk about about the why behind each variable. Below are the variables and the reasoning for each.
Load: Moderate to High. We are looking to stress the players so they will adapt and increase their ability to perform.
Duration of session: Moderate (60-75 minutes). Due to the nature of intensity in the types of exercises within this session we cannot train too long or we will lose quality. Quality is the main focus within any exercise.
Duration of exercise: Very short to short. Again because of the nature of intensity and type of exercises we can only work for short periods of time. The more actions involved then the shorter the exercise.
Duration Rest: Long. This is relative to each exercise. Our ultimate goal is to give full recovery between exercises.
Density - Low. Because of the length of rest involved and the short nature of training the density is low. This is important as the session is very intense.
# of player per exercise: Low (1-4). We look to train at the individual or small group level within this session.
Size of space per player: As our focus is on change of direction and small group work we keep the spaces small. This also prevents sprinting or highs speed running which we want to save for later in the week.
Repetitive Finishing: Yes, this can be involved in the individual development time of the session. As with any repetitive finishing we need to practice common sense in volumes.
Isolated Running: No need on this day.
Example Session MD-4 (Strength/Power)
The above session gives specific examples of exercises that can be used and how to use the variables to control the amount of stress you expose the players to.
Using Monitoring MD-4 (Strength/Power)
The best use of monitoring technology (GPS/HR) is used as a series of check and balances. Did the training session meet my predetermined goals? We can use these excellent tools to find out if we need to adjust the session the next time we run it or if we need to make adjustments for the rest of the week. For example, if our goal was to limit sprinting but the GPS showed the team covered a lot of sprint distance in our passing exercise then we need to adjust. First we may need to change the work that was planned for the following day so we do not run into any issues. Secondly if this passing exercise is something we wan to repeat we need to make changes. This might mean making the spaces smaller to limit sprinting or shifting the exercise to a different day of the week.
For the MD+2 session we are looking for the below biases for GPS & HR. I have only used universally understand and easy to use metrics for the sake of simplicity. If we are seeing high volumes of total distance, high speed running, and sprinting then we need to make changes.
Thanks for taking the time to read. Tomorrow we will work through MD-3 (Endurance). Until then have a great day and reach out if you have questions.
Take care,
Josh
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