Evaluation of Sport
Movement Analysis
- Main football movements include kicking, sprinting, cutting, dribbling, jumping, heading and tackling.
- Football requires all major muscle areas, though mainly those of the lower extremities (e.g. gluts, quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscle groups).
- Football has a combination of uni/multidimensional and rotational movements.
- Football requires a combination of strength, power, speed, speed-endurance, agility, aerobic/anaerobic endurance, flexibility and core stability.
Physiological Analysis
- Primary requirements of football are strength, power and aerobic/anaerobic endurance.
- The dominant energy systems are the anaerobic alactic, lactic acid and aerobic energy systems (15% alactic, 15% lactic acid and 70% aerobic).
- Energy sources include Creatine phosphate (PCr) and glycogen.
- Football involves multiple short sprints (~5 s) with limited active recovery.
Injury Analysis
- Common football injuries include:
- Knee ligament/cartilage sprains and tears.
- Ankle and foot sprains.
- Muscle pulls and tears (e.g. gluts, hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, groins and calf muscle groups).
- Impact injuries (e.g. bone fractures, sprains, lacerations from studs/blades, and bruising).
- Stress fractures (e.g. navicular).
- Most injuries occur during competition (67%), with significantly more injuries occurring towards the end of each half (Figure 1; Fuller & Hawkins, 1999).
- Injury occurrence varies throughout the season (Figure 2; Hawkins et al., 2001).
- Played on grass in stud/blade footwear.
- No specific equipment.
Figure
1. Time of occurrence of injuries in football matches in English league clubs
over the period of 1994-1997 (Fuller & Hawkins, 1999)
Figure
2. Number of injuries found over the season in the study by Hawkins et al.,
2001)
Evaluation of the Athlete
GENDER: Male
AGE: 27 years
HEIGHT: 1.82m
MASS: 75 kg
SPORT: Football
POSITION: Right
Wing
LEVEL: International
SEASON: Start
of In-Season
Background Information
- Many years of experience using both free-weights and resistance machines, suggesting knowledge of good technique and form.
- Excellent performance in agility and reaction time tests, suggesting advanced experience of agility training, acceleration running technique and plyometric training.
- Poor core stability would indicate a lack of experience regarding core stability training, whilst poor performance of deep squat would also suggest poor flexibility in both the lower extremities and back.
- Currently free from injury, however did suffer from a grade II anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprain three years ago.
- Just completed pre-season training involving early pre-season aerobic training and late pre-season strength and power training.
Classification of Training Status:
- ADVANCED for strength and power exercises due to vast experience of using free-weight and resistance machines.
- BEGINNER for core and flexibility exercises as athlete has weaker background within these training areas.
Current Season:
- In-Season (Competition Phase)
Primary In-Season Resistance Training Goal:
- Maintenance of pre-season strength/power gains in both upper and lower body.
Secondary In-Season Training Goal:
- Improved core stability and flexibility.
