Professional conduct

Amongst the practical skills I have learned during my internship at Burnley FC one of them has been professionalism and how to communicate with others.

Punctuality is a necessity as sessions often require extra time to set up prior to the players arriving. Being late could not only look unprofessional but the insufficient time to set up could jeopardise the sessions due to poor organisation.

Presentation is also a key factor. On the first day at the club I was provided with full kit which all staff are to wear when at the club. The way you present yourself reflects the club and its your responsibility to ensure that you present yourself in a professional manner. This doesn't just mean physically but also how you address other members of the team, the players, the staff and visitors at the club.

Communication is vital within the field as coaching requires effective verbal or visual communication in order to provide proper instruction as to what the players are to do. Communication needs to be clear, concise to provide the players with the appropriate information needed in a short space of time. Good delivery of instructions demonstrates confidence and instils trust into the players to know that the information given is of quality from a specialist within the area. In contrast, poor communication could be cost effective in terms of time management as explaining sessions or exercises could take time when this is often limited.

In order to effectively deliver aims to the players, written, verbal and visual forms of communication are utilised during gym sessions at the club. The session plan is written on a whiteboard for all players to refer back to if unsure, whilst exercises are individually demonstrated to the players with verbal coaching cue's. I feel this method of instruction thoroughly explains what is asked of the players and seemed to work very effectively from session to session.

Burnley consists of a large multidisciplinary team highlighting the importance of communication across the disciplines. As each discipline works closely with each other communication is crucial to ensure everyone is up to date with the current situation. Such team work is also a desired attribute for most careers within the industry and experience within such an environment will help me in my future career.

Communication within such an environment is priceless, asking questions can expand your knowledge greatly as generally other members of staff have followed the same route as you and can offer valuable information which could help you in future. I was speaking to a physiotherapist at the club who explained how he was currently undertaking his masters, which has always been an interest of mine. Through conversing with someone in a position where I wanted to be I gained information on pursuing further education which I otherwise wouldn't of known.

In contrast, although a good relationship  with both staff and players is good, it is important to remember that you are there to do a job. Some of the other interns socialise with the players and although this may build a stronger relationship it isn't a working relationship which could possibly effect the way you perform your job, in particular with the players you have friendship with. This could lead to favouring a certain player or changing the way you look at the role of your job which could lead to diminished results.

Although practical skills are necessary for the strength and conditioning profession, my experience at Burnley has highlighted the importance of professionalism and communication which are vital components to developing a career within the field.

Player testing

Three times a season player testing is undertaken to assess posture, injury and a number of desirable attributes required for the sport. Player testing enables the sports science staff to analyse each player at different times throughout the season.

This is useful as it highlights any performance effects that training has had when compared with the previous test dates and enables the sports science staff to make informed decisions on what improvements can be made in order to further develop the squads.

At the club each player is reviewed during the last few months of their contracts. As a result the information from such testing is helpful in making such important decisions as it can highlight a players potential which could lead to further scholarship or professional contract.

Testing differed throughout the academy with the Under 21's Development Squad receiving more priority than the younger age groups.

Testing undertaken by the Sports Science staff was more performance based. Each squad throughout the academy was to participate although testing differed as for the younger players testing was only staged to allow the players to become familiar with the procedures rather than the importance of the actual results.

Testing format for the squads under 16 and below;

- 10m Speed, 5m Sprint, Arrowhead Agility Left, Arrowhead Agility Right

The testing for 16's, 18's and 21's was more concerned with results and consisted of;

- 10m Speed, 20m Speed, 30m Speed, Arrowhead Agility Left, Arrowhead Agility Right, Counter movement jump and the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 2

Testing  always remained the same and ran in the same order throughout. This helps standardise the results encouraging greater reliability when performing follow up testing
as performing follow up tests in a different order could possibly give different results, due to factors such as accumulative fatigue, etc.....

Following a thorough warm up the first test was the countermovement jump.

 

Using the Bosco Ergo Jump System, each player was to perform a countermovement jump, as shown above. However, a broom handle was placed across the shoulders which Alex incorporated to further standardise the test to avoid any inclusion of the arms.


Sprint times were also recorded using Brower timing gates.

Arrowhead agility testing for both left and right directions were used.

Finally the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test.

Each of the chosen tests assess football specific qualities which closely resemble the attributes required for the sport. This is an effective way of testing and gaining valuable information using repeatable and valid methods. These results can then be compared to that of previous testing undertaken by the players along with measures reported throughout the literature.

Testing also ran over a few weeks due to the amount of squads in the academy therefore time management would be a main priority and choosing the tests that would give the assessor the best information in the least time becomes apparent.

Also certain issues must be taken into account, such as time of season and phase of training, as this will have an effect on the results as highlighted during lectures based around testing parameters. If testing is undertaken during the competition phase where not as much gym based sessions are undertaken then the players strength and power could show reduced results when compared to a pre-competition training phase when the players training is more focussed around such parameters (Baechle and Earle, 2008).

Additional testing procedures are issued for the under 21's development squad as these are next in line to turn professional. The physiotherapists undertake additional testing which includes various postural, flexibility and neuromuscular analysis. Such testing includes; glute activation, faber test, single leg squat off a box, single leg triple jump, sit and reach test and calf flexibility testing.

Sit and reach;                                                                Faber test;

 

Testing is also used to assess injury possibilities as sporting injury are still relatively high in football which is of high concern.
Sporting injuries not only have negative effects on performance but also on an athlete’s future, as injury is a major factor for premature retirement in elite athletes (Knowles et al, 2006).

Testing for injury can identify the initial injury and magnitude of the problem along with possible risk factors. The data can highlight the people more vulnerable i.e. player position, etc.
Such information obtained can then enable the development of intervention programmes and can be used to determine the success of the intervention during follow up assessment.


References

Knowles, S.B. Marshall, S.W. Bowling, J.M. Loomis, D. Millikan, R., Yang, J.Z. (2006). A prospective study of injury incidence among North Carolina high school athletes American Journal of Epidemiology 164 pp1209–1221.

 

Internship role

As part of my role at the club I am to monitor the players through a variety of methods. As a key factor to physical performance hydration status is recorded for each player through osmolality testing each morning. This ensures the players are adequately hydrated in order to perform throughout the day while also teaching good habits in terms of self preparation for throughout their career.

Each player gives a urine sample each morning which is then tested for hydration status. A score of below 200 would represent over-hydration, a score of 200 - 600 represent hydrated, and over 600 representing dehydration.

This analysis at first didn't seem necessary but as the weeks have passed it has highlighted how many of the players were actually dehydrated before training and even match days. This will have a negative effect on their performance and such measures are not only made to target the ones who are dehydrated but educate them as many of them seemed to feel they were hydrated when in fact they wasn't. This can be attributed to poor knowledge on how much and what type of fluids to drink. This feedback enables the sports science staff to educate the players on how to properly hydrate and ensure everyone is following good habits.

As part of the monitoring process player wellbeing is also addressed through a self assessment questionnaire. This information is useful as it allows the coaches to make informed decisions on the training load, etc. for the day. Muscle soreness, area of soreness, sleep quality, fatigue, mood, total quality rest, recovery methods and rate of perceived exertion are all asked of the players.

I thought this was an effective way of monitoring the players as it addresses both physiological and psychological characteristics as the questions are based on the physiological aspects that could lead to poor performance but also as the players themselves complete the questionnaire it highlights how they are feeling psychologically. If the coach was to fill out the questionnaire based on the training undertaken it could give inaccurate readings as everyone would react differently to the training stimulus due to age, powers of recovery, and psychological aspects such as emotion, etc. One of the players seemed to report poor wellbeing scores in comparison to other players although participated in the same training. However this individual was from Australia and turned out to be homesick, which could of possibly gone un-noticed and acknowledged as poor ability where as this was a personal issue effecting performance.


Following monitoring the players travel to Gawthorpe training facility for football training. The players will first undertake a warm up instructed by the sports scientist in which I will observe and assist with. The warm ups are often based around certain attributes to the sport such as speed, agility, power, etc. so the players will not only be prepared for the session ahead but will also benefit from the training stimulus provided.

During all football training sessions Heart Rate is monitored with Polar heart rate monitors. Each players are individually assigned a monitor which is then uploaded onto a database using Team 2 Polar Software which allows the information to be saved and analysed to assess training intensity and duration. As conditioning is paramount to a footballers success such analysis is second to none.

The warm ups precede the training session and Conditioning drills are either incorporated during or after technical games, particularly during the preseason.

Using the heart rate monitors allows for sport specific conditioning drills to be formulated matching the heart rate intensity for a given duration. This would reflect over most sports and I feel is an extremely useful tool not only to assess the players fitness but to formulate training methods to specifically match the sport.

Conditioning being undertaken after technique corresponds with the fact that fatigue induces performance defects and therefore poor technique.

Player development

During my time at Burnley FC I have noticed all training is progressive whether it was the warm up or a gym session. Training has previously been planned out in 6 week blocks to form a progressive structure aimed to improve the players competency and performance of specific phases of training.

This method of planning is referred to as periodisation which has been covered throughout the Strength and Conditioning course. Periodization is the systematic planning of training, and encourages the best outcome through optimising both training and recovery.

Training is subdivided into days, weeks, months and even years depending on the training goal. Each training phase is often focussed around one training adaptation although isn't always the case. At Burnley FC training is focussed on one main outcome during each 6 week progressive phase of training.

Warm ups/training are based around certain themes, for instance speed or power, although incorporating other qualities. Progression could be introduced through a number of methods, increasing height of a hurdle, advancing the variation, decreasing the time to completion or adding a competitive element. This not only progressively improves the players but the extra challenge made what could be monotonous training methods more appealing to the players.

                        

The gym sessions followed 6 week phases of training also and had started with stability before my internship at the club, progressing to a max strength phase, while currently transitioning to more of a strength/power type phase.

However, it became apparent that the optimal training plan is not always available due to various restrictions and limitations.

The strength and power phase of training, currently being undertaken, followed a 2 week Christmas break meaning training had to adjust slightly to re-introduce the players back to strength training. For a couple of weeks strength training exercises and loads were to be utilised that the players were already accustomed too prior to the Christmas break to regain competence from any detraining effect. However, this would of been monotonous for the players as a 6 week programme had already been undertaken therefore Alex and myself thought it would be better to change the variation of the lifts to add variety to the introductory phase of training. Rather than the conventional squat and Romanian deadlift as used previously, unilateral variations were utilised such as lunges, single leg Romanian deadlifts, etc. which also incorporated a stability aspect which was ideal prior to a power phase, following the 2 week break. This kept the players interested in the sessions and worked well to set the foundation of the power phase.

Another limitation was that due to bad weather conditions training was reduced to one a week as the games missed on weekends where to be played on a Tuesday along with Saturdays games. This also highlights the problem of optimising recovery between games along with an increase in possible injury as match play has higher injury rates the training (Walden et al, 2010).

With this in mind, although training may be meticulously planned out prior, issues may prevent the optimal plan in which the strength and conditioning coach will have to adapt and adjust the session plans and programmes to tailor training to encourage the best outcome for that given time.

First day Intern

After successfully securing a Strength and Conditioning Internship at Burnley FC I had my first day last Tuesday 21st Nov. I was welcomed into the club, introduced to every member of staff and provided with full kit.

I was to assist the Head of Academy Sports Science on a Tuesday and Thursday, predominantly with the under 18 squad. The squad trained twice on each day, with a technical session in the morning and a gym based session in the afternoon.

The morning session consisted of technical games on the outdoor pitches. To begin the session a warm up was undertaken by the Alex the Head of Academy Sports Science in order to increase the players body temperature, blood flow and mobility prior to training (Baechle and Earle, 2008).

The warm up gradually transitioned to a more sport specific protocol consisting of various speed, agility and quickness training methods, while also incorporating sprint mechanics. All necessary elements of the sport.

Warm up plan;

1. In and out of 4 hurdles - different quick feet drills. 2. Dynamics in lines 3. Knee Drive and Arm Mechanics in hurdles. 4. Dynamic Stretch in Circle. 5. Back into Lines: A March, A March with Knee Drive, A Skip, A Run

2. Acceleration Drill. 6 Reps in TOTAL. 3 Reps Lead & 3 Reps Follow.

 

Following the warm up the players performed technical work with the football coach while one player from the under 21's could not participate due to injury (broken nose). Instead, Tom worked with us on developing aerobic conditioning through a sports specific protocol.
 

Tom was to run a specified distance of 80 yards in 15 seconds, and when he reached the end was to rest for 15 seconds with a work to rest ratio 1:1. This protocol lasted 8 minutes in duration and has been shown to improve VO2 max through maintaining heart rate levels at the correct intensity while preventing accumulative fatigue (Billat et al, 2000). I had previously encountered a similar method during a module in the 2nd year of my degree although the work to rest ratio was much larger (3-4mins). As footballers often perform short sprints at high intensity during training and competition this methods also addresses the concept of sport specificity. This method of training is also convenient in comparison to long distance running aimed at producing the same results. 

During the rest period Tom was also required to pass the ball to each of us during the 15 second rest interval further developing sport specific attributes and cognitive performance during high intensity activity.

Heart rate readings are recorded for all football and training as part of on-going analysis to manage workload, intensities and RPE in order to analyse the wellbeing along with the development of the players. The heart rate measures obtained from the morning session highlighted a sustained intensity that would lead to improvements in VO2max.

I asked for the journal articles of the studies in order to develop a further understanding.   

 
The afternoon session consisted of strength work at the clubs ground within the elite training centre.

I introduced myself to the team which could of been better and feel I need to develop my group presentation skills.

Session layout;
- Coach led flexibility session. Focus on lower back and lower extremity.
- Moving Plank + Press Up x 80 s 2. Rolling Plank x 90 s
- Clams with Band x 8* x 2 2. Lying Leg Adduction x 8* x 2

Stability group;
- Core Exercises: 1. Medicine Crunch Rotations x 40 x 2 2. Side Plank + Press x 10* x 2 Pre-Hab Exercises: 3. SL RDL x 4 Kg x 8* x 2 4. Lunge to Press x 7 Kg x 7* x 2 Balance & Stability: 5. SL King Deadlift x 8* x 2 Strength: 6. SL RDL x 8 x 3

Strength group;
- Back Squat x 8, 6, 5 x 3 (60, 70, 80 Kg) & (40, 50, 60 Kg) 2. RDL x 8, 6, 5 x 3 (35, 40, 45 Kg) & (30, 35, 37.5 Kg)

Both groups;
- Single Arm Dumbbell Press (Hold) x 5-6* x 3 2. Inverted Row x 8-10 x 3

The session began with flexibility, mainly of static stretching techniques, which was a surprise to me as static stretching has been reported to reduce strength and power output of subsequent work and has been highlighted in the modules across my degree (Behm and Ch   .

Activation exercises were utilised addressing  the often inhibited musculature often associated with injury in footballers (REF). Gluteus Medius and Adductor activation work using resistance bands were incorporated during this particular session.

Core stability exercises followed which consisted of press up planks and moving planks both adding variation to the basic plank positions making it more challenging with the added dynamic rotary component to an otherwise static single plane exercise. Core stability has been reported to improve posture and control and decrease injury risk.

Such exercises are often varied at the club in order to keep the players interested and to make sessions enjoyable which is a large component with adolescent teams.

The session was then split into two groups, a stability group and a strength group, as the lifts where new to some of the players the less competent undertook the stability training session to develop them for the future phases of training. Alex coached the stability group and myself the strength group.

The players were starting a new phase in their strength training and were asked to choose the load themselves in order to analyse each players confidence as well as competence. I feel this was a good coaching strategy to see the athletes own perception of their development.
Two lower limb exercises were utilised for the strength training, the squat and the Romanian deadlift. Such exercise selection enables the development of both the anterior and posterior musculature which is important as athletes are often subject to anterior loading and as a result develop postural differences such as anterior pelvic tilt which can lead to a number of possible injuries (   ).

The loading and repetition of strength exercises were aimed towards maximal strength, which is often used during the preparatory phase of training during a periodised programme, as greater strength can lead to enhanced power development during a subsequent power phase of training. Power, defined as the rate of force over time, has been correlated with increases in sprint performance and countermovement jump height (     ), both desired qualities of footballers.

Finally, upper body strength exercises were incoporated; dumbbell bench press and inverted row consisting of 3 sets of 8 reps. Again such exercise selection encourages well balanced development of the players with both protraction and retraction of the scapula

Through the duration of the gym session it came apparent that the players had little knowledge on the reason for utilising such training modalities as it was new to many of the players and many questions were asked as to why and how they would benefit their performance on the field. I feel this requires a coach not just to direct sessions and correct technique but to educate players on the benefits of the session to encourage better involvement.


References

Ve ronique L. Billat á Jean Slawinski á Valery Bocquet Alexandre Demarle á Laurent La®tte Patrick Chassaing á Jean-Pierre Koralsztein (2000)
Intermittent runs at the velocity associated with maximal oxygen uptake enables subjects to remain at maximal oxygen uptake for a longer time than intense but submaximal runs Eur J Appl Physiol 81: 188-196