A study of physical demands based on a player’s position

The Physical Demands of the FA Premier League Soccer Player

In Britain an interesting study took place that was designed to evaluate the physical demands of English Football Association (FA) Premier League soccer of three different positional classifications (defender, midfielder and striker).

The English Premier League represents the crème de la crème as it is the top-level soccer league in England and many of its professional players also play for their respective countries in International play and the World Cup. The data collected and analyzed from this study arguably couldn’t have come from a better pool of subjects.

Computerized time-motion video-analysis using the Bloomfield Movement Classification (Motion Analysis of Individual Players in Dynamic Movement Sports) was undertaken on the purposeful movement (PM) performed by 55 players. These 55 players were comprised of 18 defenders, 18 midfielders and 19 strikers. The players were taken from 12 different teams, and all players had a mean number of 36.35 ± 25.21 full international appearances for their respective countries at the time of the study.

The Data

The data was collected during the 2003-2004 season from publicly televised matches (Sky Sports, British Sky Broadcasting Group, UK). An individual PlayerCam throughout the game observed each player. Each player had to have played the full 90 minutes without more than 30 seconds stoppage at any given time.

The Results

The final results of the study were interesting and may provide some useful insight on training for the 3 distinct position types in soccer. Less than half of ‘purposeful movement’ was performed in a forward direction. All the players executed the different types of movement with variations in intensity; they also perform many turns during maneuvers.

Notable differences exist between midfielder, striker and defender:

The Defender

Defenders performed the highest amount of jogging, skipping and shuffling movements and spent a significantly less amount of time sprinting and running than the other positions. As with strikers, defenders fall to the ground the most and are required to get up quickly. The defender especially the center back performs a high amount of jumping (heading the ball), though compared to the striker the defender is more often jumping backwards than forwards. Defenders also need to be strong to compete with the striker.

The Midfielder

Engaged in far less time standing still and shuffling, the midfielder spent the most time running and sprinting. It was previously found that midfield players covered the largest overall distances during matches (O’Donoghue, 1998; Reilly and Thomas, 1976; Rienzi et al., 2000).

It was also shown that there were lower levels of shuffling movements and high levels of possession actions in midfielders. This is in contrast to the strikers who had a high level of possession actions as well and nearly the same amount of sprinting but executed a significantly higher level of shuffling movements than midfielders. This observation may reflect upon the different spatial and time demands of game-play for these positions.

It was also noted that it is important for Midfielders perform vertical jumps well.

The Striker

Strikers may need to be the physically strongest players on the pitch as they were found to be involved in the most physical contact at high intensity. Effectiveness in pushing and pulling activities dealing with the upper body in addition to having the ability to withstand being pushed and pulled is advantageous. Strikers were also seen to have higher levels of sudden stopping at high intensity as well as weaving and slowing more rapidly. These activities produce shearing forces on the lower limbs and appropriate strength training and prehabilitation practices should be followed.

Soccer (or more commonly known as “football”) is easily one of the most popular sports in the world with a massive, global base of enthusiasts and practitioners of all ages.

For the longest time (and still today) a lot of the training done for soccer (aside from skills) have been centered around aerobic conditioning, while overlooking important aspects like, strength, speed and power, agility and flexibility. Most players on the pitch run a great deal in the game (estimates of between 11-13km during a 90 minute game), so endurance training is very important but should not be done exclusively at the expense of the other aspects of conditioning.

Train for the Position

Positions in soccer can be broken down or simplified into 3 groups. These groups are, Strikers, Midfielders, and Defenders. Each of these positions has different training requirements above and beyond the normal endurance regimen.

The idea that each position on the field requires different attention is a relatively new one and based on a study in England done on 55 top level professional players from the FA Premier League over the 2003-2004 season. Findings from this study showed that the 3 different groups of players do and would benefit from more specific attention on the various aspects of training based on their game play duties.

The Striker

Of all the players on the field, the striker needs to be the strongest physically as they are more often involved physical contact, dealing with pulling and pushing as well as being pushed and pulled during challenges with defending players. Good upper body strength is an asset to the Striker.

Strikers also have to start and start suddenly with explosive power more than most other players and this force causes a great deal of stress on the lower limbs so appropriate strength training and prehabilitation is beneficial.

The strength-training program for the striker (and for outfielders in general) is built around compound exercises. Examples are: squats, lunges, pushups, chin-ups, etc). Another important concept to consider is balancing opposing muscle groups such as hamstrings against quadriceps; an imbalance in strength could increase the chance of injury.

The Midfielder

Of all the players on the field, the Midfielder traditionally does the most running and jogging. Endurance training is obviously something to focus on, but using interval-training methods. The midfielder is also required to perform vertical jumps for heading. The midfielder will also benefit greatly from strength training as outlined for the striker, but to a lesser degree of focus.

The Defender

Perhaps second only to the striker, the defender (especially the central defender) needs to focus on strength in order to combat challenges from those strong strikers. Defenders also go to the ground a lot in the game, so training for getting up quickly and explosively is a benefit to the defender. A defender’s vertical is also important in order to challenge strikers for headers.

All Positions and Endurance

Developing a solid soccer fitness program should include working on a strong aerobic base, as the game for outfield players places a great demand on the player’s cardiovascular system and muscular endurance.

That being said, perhaps just doing blanket endurance training such as running isn’t the best overall approach as a lot of the outfield player’s movement isn’t constant, but relies on changing direction, shuffling, starting and stopping and sudden bursts of speed (sprinting) all of these done at various levels of intensity.

Bringing interval training into your fitness regimen will provide better results than longer duration or low intensity training will give. Interval training incorporates a mixture of high and low intensity training, this more closely emulates the physical environment a player would be faced with in a game situation.

Benefits for strength training

• • Resistance to injury

• • Better explosive power

• • Greater balance, stability, and agility

• • Quicker recovery

• • Competing in challenges with other players

Speed & Agility

Every player on the field will benefit from greater speed and agility. The pace of the game, especially at the professional levels is getting faster and faster all the time. Being able to get the ball first is very important.

Most professional players are required to perform a 30m sprint in 4.0 seconds. That’s very fast. You are doing well if you can do it in 5 seconds.

When you combine strength with speed you get power. Powerful players are forces to be reckoned with.

Training for power, you should consider movements that include explosive or sudden power moves like, power cleans, and jump squats, as well as plyometrics.

To build speed endurance, you should bring these exercises together in a circuit routine with high intensity intervals. Alternate power drills for lower body and upper body with plyometrics as intervals. Conclude your workout with some sprinting and agility drills.

Flexibility for the Soccer Player

A healthy range of motion can be extremely beneficial. Past and present models for stretching (pre-exercise stretching) have been proven to be relatively useless as well as potentially increasing the incidence of injury.

Doing dynamic warm-up drills like freestanding squats, butt kickers, arm circles, walking lunges before training or a match is far more effective. After the game is over then cool down with some stretching (try using your own muscular effort to hold the position).

In the end knowing your position and its demands will help you mold a training regimen that will help you improve your physical game.

Inline skating is a great way to get fit and stay fit. Not only does fast inline skating burn calories at about the same rate as running, it gives you the same great outdoor exercise experience as cycling without all of the costs of buying and maintaining a bike. Since it usually uses fluid, gliding strides, it’s also a low impact sport that places less strain on your lower body joints than other activities such as tennis and aerobics.

However, if you are already an inline skater, or if you are thinking of taking up the sport, then you need to take appropriate precautions to make sure that you don’t end up with a serious injury if you fall or run into another skater. While the sport can be both safe and enjoyable, there are over 16,000 inline skating injuries each year in the United States. A significant proportion of these injuries are due to skaters not wearing proper safety equipment. In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission found that up to 66% of inline skaters forgo safety equipment entirely.

If you are serious about staying safe when you are skating, then it is absolutely essential that you buy the right inline skating gear. Obviously, this starts with a good quality pair of inline skates that fit you well and provide the right level of support – otherwise, it is all too easy to end up with a twisted ankle when you fall. It’s also important to get the right type of inline skating gear for the type of skating you want to do. It’s most likely that you’re going to want to buy multipurpose skates, which are sometimes called “recreational” or “cross training/fitness” skates. Avoid buying inline hockey skates unless you really intend to play hockey on them, because they are not going to stand up to rough outdoor surfaces.

Once you have selected the right type of skate, make sure that it really does provide the proper level of ankle support. You can do this by trying to squeeze the plastic of the skate – if you can feel it give, then it’s probably not strong enough. Also, check that the skate rises well above your ankle. Also make sure that it is a good fit – your foot shouldn’t be able to slide around inside, but the skate should not be so tight that it is uncomfortable. When you try on the skates, remember to put on the same socks that you are planning to wear when you are skating – otherwise, you may find that the skates end up being too tight once you are actually using them.

In addition to a good pair of skates, you should also buy high-quality protective equipment – and this starts with a good helmet. If you fall when you are skating, you can hit your head in just the same way that you can if you come off a bicycle. If your helmet is tough and fits well, it can significantly reduce the chances of you ending up with a head or brain injury. Also remember to buy other protective equipment to avoid nasty bumps and scrapes – you will want elbow and knee pads, a light pair of gloves and wrist guards.

If you are just starting out inline skating, then it is a good idea to attend a local course to learn the basics. For instance, you will learn the right stance for skating, which is with your knees bent slightly and your body balanced on the balls of your feet. It’s also important to know how to stop – there is no point in coasting out into danger just because you don’t know any way of putting on the brakes. Also, before you start to get too adventurous, spend your first few times out skating exclusively on level ground so that you get a feel for skating before you take on anything more challenging.

Finally, once you are out skating, you need to observe some common sense precautions in order to avoid getting hurt or hurting others. Always make sure that you are aware of who is around, since it is likely you will be sharing the same area with pedestrians, cyclists and joggers. Also, if you are skating on sidewalks or bike paths, make sure that you only pass other people once you have warned them and there is enough room for you to get by safely. Finally, don’t skate on the street – you wouldn’t walk down the middle of a busy road, so don’t skate down one.