Explosive specific force trough small sided games and few players?: part 6.

And we have arrived to this point, the end of 2012 and the start of the 2013 ...
Here you are the last video of this issue, in which I show you a simple analysis of the comparison of acceleration data demonstrated during simple and analytic maximum sprints (30 to 60m dash), measured with GPS system (Pro X2, GPSports, Australia), and some repetitions performed by the same player of a first maximum step with less than 3m, measured by a linear encoder (from Quasar Control, Madrid, Spain). In this comparison, you will see acceleration data from different systems, in order to better understand the mechanics of the sprint, from the first step (so the less expression similar to the maximum possibilities for sprinting in smaller spaces, to the longer ones (typical 60m or so).

And after this, logically the conclusion ... But ATTENTION!!! Remember the limits of all this information, specially important those related with the characteristics of the analysis: here we have analyzed JUST the acceleration phases but, what happens with DECELERATION phases?

This info will need much more time because software are not ready to deepen in deceleration data, and needs to be exported to Excel, so I have to develop and apply the algorithms, and believe me, for me, at this moment, is really a hard work and too much time spent.

Enjoy,

Explosive specific force trough small sided games and few players?: part 5.

Hope you have had a really nice and loving Christmas day.
Not planned like this, but as a gift of Santa, today it arrives the moment of visualize the acceleration data demonstrated by professional soccer players of a Spanish first division team. This data was recollected during a season (2007-2008) in all sessions where the same tasks where performed (in this case are small sided soccer games with 1 versus 1, 2 v 2, 3 v 3, and 4 v 4, all played with goalkeepers and standard goals.
The variable analyzed are basically two: the average of all the accelerations over 1 m/s/s demonstrated by each player participating in the task, and the average for all players of just the maximum acceleration demonstrated during the task (so just one maximum acceleration for each player for each task).
Also we include the average number of "maximal" accelerations per minute of play (during the task) per player. This is another important issue to understand: maximal absolute value of acceleration depends on the initial velocity ... we will deepen in it in the future. But at this moment you must know that we have applied this important aspect in the calculation of this variable.

Enjoy, and stay tuned!!!

Explosive specific force trough small sided games and few players?: part 4.

After the last post it's time to remember again one of the limits of this analysis, and it's an important limit (that we try to resolve in future posts ...): now we are paying attention just to acceleration phases during the specific tasks, but not yet to the deceleration phases!!!
So it will be very important to keep this in mind.
Directly related with this, is the relationship between acceleration and deceleration phases of any tasks with the "metabolic or energetic" load, and also with "mechanic" load. But this issue will be better developed in later posts.

In today video, we will add some insight about the relationship between triaxial acceleration demonstration and the GPS acceleration data of "maximum" sprints. This simple study was done some years ago, with data collected from training sessions of some professional spanish soccer players of a first division spanish "La Liga" club.
Following similar studies done with the relationship between horizontal force applied and speed demonstrated, this data corroborates previous one, but specifically obtained on the pitch and during specific training tasks, and directly related with acceleration of a sprint.

Enjoy, and merry Christmas!!!

Explosive specific force trough small sided games and few players?: part 3.

After seeing the relationship between the acceleration and deceleration phases of a near maximum sprint with hard change of direction (180º), and how it affects to the metabolic power (Di Prampero approach) and mechanic power (Bezodis approach), now is time to go one step forward.
In order to try to clarify this relationship between acceleration and deceleration phases of similar actions, I propose you this simple analysis in which we compare the impulse phase (acceleration) of a typical squat jump (just body weight, without extra load) with the braking phase (deceleration) of a traditional drop jump from 40 cm, as Verkhoshansky originally proposed it (fall down from a height and stop the movement as fast as possible, with no jump after). Both jumps has been performed by the same soccer player with maximum intensity (trying to jump as high as possible in an explosive movement, and to brake as fast as possible the falling down).
The intention is to try to show the typical characteristics of the relationship between maximal acceleration and maximal deceleration in a simple movement.

Enjoy, and stay tuned!!!

Explosive specific force trough small sided games and few players?: part 2.

In this second part, I will show you some data of the speed, acceleration, and also metabolic power (based on Di Prampero approach) and horizontal mechanical power (based on Bezodis proposal) demonstrated by a soccer player in a simple and analytic exercise of a 5+5+16+16m changing direction sprint, with some comments about their relationship.

Enjoy,

Explosive specific force trough small sided games and few players?: part 1.

After the introduction, we continue with this very interesting issue, in which after some more basic general data, you will see a first analysis of an ... better you see it!

Enjoy!

Explosive specific force trough small sided games and few players?: Intro

As commented in the last post, I have prepared a presentation about the issue of the development of the specific explosive force using small soccer sided games with just few players participating.
I think this is one of the usual mistakes we do when talking about specificity of the tasks for the development of the specific explosiveness: to interpret that as we are using less space (pitch dimension), we have less time to act, so less time means more explosiveness ... then small sided games with few players are the correct task for developing specific explosive strength. In fact this is clear for the decision making, but what happens with the force demonstration (as we are talking about explosive strength)?

On one side, we need the quality of the stimulus specifically oriented towards the explosiveness, and on the other side, we need the correct quantity of this stimulus, in order to be able to cause a change in the desired direction.

So lets start with this very interesting issue, in order to clarify not only the concept, but also to establish the correct basis for being able to progress in our understanding of how to modify and optimize our training methodology.

Enjoy,

Effects of an "extra" contralateral mechanical load and its detection, based on triaxial accelerometer data.

This is going to be the last video related with the contralateral acceleration pattern (for the time being), and in I will explain a recent personal situation in which I was acting as a player during a training session of the amateur soccer team of my city, FC Cambrils (Tarragona, Spain). During this session, we have done some traditional warm up based just on running (no comments at all, please), and then we have combined some possession game (6+6)x6 with some physical-technique circuit in which we have used some extra lateral side cutting step (so a lot of lateral and diagonal decelerations).

During the last part of the session and also later at home, and next morning, I have been feeling some "little pain" that I thought was caused by this "extra lateral load", so when analyzing the GPS data of this session I have going directly to see if it was any sign or possible relationship with A3X data, specially on the contralateral axis (you will see it in red color).

Here it is what I have seen. ¿What do you think about?

Moreover, and after some interesting debate with some colleagues (in a conference in Vigo that coach Victor Muñoz and myself have been doing two days ago) and friends also working in different soccer teams here in Spain and also abroad, and also after reading some positioning about the issue, I have prepare the next videos for the blog in which the title (so the issue) will be:
"Explosive specific force trough small sided games and few players?"

Stay tuned!!!

Detecting functional contralateral deficits in acceleration (force) pattern in soccer players: hamstrings overload and knee pain.

We are going to see today more data from a veteran amateur player suffering from hamstrings overload (so feeling pain on the proximal insertion of his hamstrings) and also with some more pain on his knee (in this case coming from some articular problems).

After starting this issue on the last posts, I have receive quite a lot of questions about it. As I did advice then, the only thing I'm showing is just that in the cases in which I have been able to detect any short of contralateral functional deficit, there are also some relationship with different short of injuries or pain. But when colleagues and friends ask me if I'm able to detect possible future injuries, the answer is clear: NO.
But with some more time and more data, I'll try to analyze the possible relationship between triaxial accelerometer data and injury prevention. I'll keep you informed.

Enjoy,