Strength and conditioning has never been particularly popular in professional football but last week I was kind of shocked at the comments made by the Chelsea manager, Maurizio Sarri. Plenty of coaches have had their say on this topic but I’d also like to add my two cents. For those of you who don’t know, Sarri, new to Chelsea Football Club this season, has banned players from doing ‘weights’ because when has a footballer ever used a weight on the pitch. An incredibly naïve and backwards way of thinking in today’s world of scientific and practiced based evidence on the benefits, from an injury prevention standpoint alone, that resistance training can play in an athlete’s career. There are some fantastic coaches doing great work in the area of physical development in other premier league clubs and their academies. Comment’s like those from Sarri will undermine a lot of their work and put more doubt and resistance into young players.
Yesterday I made it 3/3 for the Autumn internationals much like the Irish rugby team I have been watching over the last 3 weeks. They put in a great display last night with a tonne of fringe players getting a chance to strut their stuff. Unfortunately, it looks like Schmidt is going to announce his planned departure from Irish Rugby but he’s left the green jersey in a much better place than when he took over. I was lucky to get to watch his team alongside some great friends and make the most of my time off.
“I’ve never seen a player with a weight on the pitch”. While this is 100% true, it doesn’t mean that players don’t experience greater demands on the field than their own body weight? For example, when sprinting, you can experience up to 2 times your body weight in forces when your foot hits the ground every single step. How can a physically weak player cope with that type of force through their body week in, week out? Think of a player who lands after jumping for a ball, they need to deal with the weight of their body and the additional pull from gravitational forces. Again, this means a 70KG player is going to experience a lot more than 70KG of weight when they land.
The two above examples are only two of many different movements that players do perform on a football pitch during a game, and not a single weight is in sight. Sarri needs to realize, or have somebody tell him, that just because they don’t bring weights on the pitch does not mean the body doesn’t experience overloads during match play.
Last season, in the premier league alone, there were 150 hamstring injuries with a collective days missed through that particular injury. A 2003 study suggested that elite footballers could reduce the likelihood and occurrence of hamstring injuries through eccentric and resistance training. So far this season, Chelsea have not experienced too many injuries, according to physioroom.com. However, one of the most demanding periods of the season is yet to come, I’ll be watching closely over the next 2 months to see how players deal with a demanding December and January, I wonder will their ‘natural’ gym work and aerobic training hold up?
So what would I like to say to Mr. Sarri if I got the chance? I’d like to tell him to open his eyes. I’ve said on this blog that the only coach that scares me is the one who says this is how we’ve always done it, that’s the coach who is afraid to takes chances on new techniques in an effort to improve.
Well guess what Mr. Sarri, strength training is not new and not a risk. It’s proven.
Do right by your players, put them in the best possible position to avoid injury, otherwise you’re not doing your job or showing the right duty of care.
Mr. Sarri, just read the research of injuries in the Premier League along with common interventions and ways you can limit them.
When I read his comments I was pretty deflated that this is attitude still exists in elite sport. There are a lot of professionals doing amazing work in the premier league to get their players on a level where they can compete with the more talented squads like Chelsea. For example, Everton football club recently refitted and resigned a high performance gym. Nothing fancy about the facility, they have squat racks, barbells, dumbbells, plates and cardio equipment along with some other gadgets for monitoring their players, but their S&C coach Matt Taberner, understands the game, it’s injuries and how to programme for injury prevention. Likewise, Arsenal Football Club put a lot of effort into physical development of their players and their academy with Irishman Des Ryan overseeing operations. Hopefully their good work continues to spread, which I’m sure it will because they are not alone.
Do I think Sarri’s methods are correct? No. Do I think they will hurt Chelsea in the long run? Absolutely. It might not even happen this year but if he lasts a couple seasons in the role I think we can expect injuries to be a regular occurrence. Hopefully someone changes his mind before then.
If you want more info on strength and conditioning for elite footballers and it’s role in keeping them healthy and on the pitch don’t be afraid to reach out.
Have a great week,
Rory.