Principles and practices of training for soccer

The complexity of the physical demands of soccer requires the completion of a multi-component training programme. The development, planning, and implementation of such a programme are difficult due partly to the practical constraints related to the competitive schedule at the top level. The effective planning and organisation of training are therefore crucial to the effective delivery of the training stimulus for both individual players and the team. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the principles of training that can be used to prepare players for the physical demands of soccer. Information relating to periodisation is supported by an outline of the strategies used to deliver the acute training stress in a soccer environment. The importance of monitoring to support the planning process is also reviewed.

Daily heart rate variability of Paralympic gold medallist swimmers： A 17-week investigation

Objectives： Heart rate variability （HRV） can be a simple, non-invasive method of gauging cardiac autonomic nervous system fluctuations across periodised training workloads and taper in elite athlete populations. The purpose of these three case studies was to examine daily cardiac autonomic variations in Paralympic athletes leading in to the Paralympic games. Methods： Three Paralympie gold medallist swimmers were monitored daily for their resting HRV over a 17-week monitoring period leading up to the Paralympic games. Specific time- and frequency-domain measures, along with non-linear indices of HRV were calculated for all analyses. All HRV data were analysed individually using daily values, weekly average values, and average values for rest and training phases. Results： A significant difference in HRV was seen for all variables between athlete 1 and athletes 2 and 3 （amputee disabilities） during the entire monitoring period. Conclusion： Despite minimal long-term changes, both swimming classification and disability type significantly influence HRV during athlete monitoring. An increased understanding of individual responses to training, travel, and other outside influences affecting Paralympic athletes could potentially lead to improved management and monitoring of training workloads for enhanced nerformance.

An Off-season Plyometric and Resistance Training Programme to Improve Vertical Jump Height in Adolescent Female Volleyball Players

Plyometric training has shown to improve vertical jump height,but the design and implementation of a plyometric training programme for adolescents requires consideration of several variables as well as the time of the season.The purpose of this study was to implement a pragmatic programme that improves vertical jump height,and to monitor the effects of a 15 week off-season plyometric and resistance training programme on the vertical jump height in adolescent female volleyball players.Ten adolescent female volleyball players(age:15.1±0.9 years,height:1.71±0.04 m,body mass:63.6±6.0 kg,volleyball training experience:5.1±1.4 years)underwent 15 weeks of plyometric and resistance training(twice and once a week,respectively).A single-targeted block periodised approach and a linear periodisation model were applied.Vertical jump height was assessed before the programme(T1),after 4 weeks(T2),after 12 weeks(T3)and at the end of the programme(T4).Jump height significantly increased by 8.8%over the full time of the investigation.No significant difference was found between T1 and T2 but for all other pairwise comparisons.Similarly,leg power was observed to increase by 6.5%(P=0.001).The 15-weeks training programme showed to improve jump height and leg power.In consideration of its practical nature and its results in comparison with similar intervention studies,the programme suggests practical relevance for coaches.