1. By Tony Tompos Head of Academy Sports Science and Medicine. Accrington Stanley FC Youth Team Injury Audit 2013/14

2. Injury Audit 13/14 - Provided by Benchmark54 3. Player Availability Accrington Stanley Youth Team 13/14 ASFC Au g Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr % Training Availability 82 86 81 84 87 81 73 72 80 % Match Availability 96 89 84 88 98 87 73 78 78 No. Of missed matches 2 8 15 11 1 5 6 13 24 No. Of missed training 42 45 61 59 26 77 92 90 59 Severity of New incidents 1-3 days 1 3 2 1 2 2 4-7 days 7 4 2 3 4 4 1 8-28 days 2 1 4 4 2 2 3 4 +28 days 3 1 1 3 1 4. Match Incidence 5. Training Incidence 6. Elite UEFA Study over 7 seasons Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football - the UEFA injury study (2011) 7. Comparing ASFC Youth v UEFAs Elite ASFC: Match Injury Incident (per 1000hrs) = 41.237 UEFA: Match Injury Incidence (per 1000 hrs) = 27.5 ASFC: Training Injury Incident (per 1000hrs) = 5.396 UEFA: Training Injury Incidence (per 1000 hrs) = 4.1 Average Training exposure for ASFC season = 13,059 minutes Average Training Exposure UEFA in 07/08 = 12,360 minutes Average Match exposure for ASFC season = 2,523 minutes Average Match Exposure UEFA in 07/08 = 2,400 8. WHY? WHY do we have more injuries than elite teams? Youth nature of football? (being careful) (more risk in elite) Adherence to injury prevention programmes? Better facilities for recovery and strengthening? (Staff levels) TRAINING LOAD??? 9. Number of injuries/date/severity 10. Number of injuries/date/match 11. Training Load and Periodisation Periodisation It is widely recognised that appropriate periodisation of training is fundamental for optimal performance in sport. Until recently, it has been very difficult to quantify the training loads (TLs) completed by football players due to difficulty in measuring the various types of stress encountered during training. Fortunately however, in the last decade the session-RPE method for quantifying training has become popular tool for monitoring training periodisation in various sports, and several football teams have adopted this approach. This method allows coaches to monitor individual players perception of TLs and follow its periodisation. Scientific Rationale for Periodisation The rationale for periodisation are based on the effects that an increase in stress (i.e. A training bout) and a regeneration period can have on an athlete (Selye, 1956). When homeostasis is disrupted through exercise overload (Martveyev, 1982), a number catabolic events occur resulting in a breakdown of structural proteins and a depletion of energy stores (Viru & Viru, 2000). As a consequence of the catabolism, performance temporarily decreases and the body works to re-establish energy stores and increase protein synthesis in a process called regeneration. It is suggested that there is a supercompensation in performance as the athlete adapts to the stress imposed by the training bout (Bompa, 1996). Periodisation is based on this principle, and it is commonly thought that a cumulative overload of training will result in a more powerful stimulus for adaptation if appropriate recovery periods are planned (Martveyev, 1982; Bompa, 1996). 12. Training Load and Periodisation Training load There are three important assumptions that arise from the scientific rationale of periodisation (Rowbottom, 2000). These are: 1. An increase in TL will produce an adaptation in performance (Foster, Daines, Hector, Snyder, & Welsh, 1996; Rowbottom, Keast, Garcia Webb, & Morton, 1997), 2. There is a saturation point at which increases in TLs will no longer be tolerated and adaptations in performance do not occur at this point (Coutts, Reaburn, Piva, & Murphy, 2007b; Coutts, Reaburn, Piva, & Rowsell, 2007c); and, 3. A recovery period of low TL should result in a transient increase in performance (Mujika, Padilla, Pyne, & Busso, 2004; Bishop & Edge, 2005; Coutts et al., 2007c; Coutts, Slattery, & Wallace, 2007d). On the basis of these assumptions, it is now commonly accepted that training programs be systematically periodised with cycles of overload and recovery training. 13. Relationship between load, injuries, fitness and performance Pre-Season? In season training 14. Training Load = Session-RPE Explaining the session-RPE Method The session-RPE method of monitoring TL in team players requires each athlete to provide a Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) for each exercise session along with a measure of training time (Foster et al., 2001). To calculate a measure of session intensity, athletes are asked within 30-minutes of finishing their workout a simple question like How was your workout? A single number representing the magnitude of TL for each session is then calculated by the multiplication of training intensity by the training session duration (mins). TL = Session RPE x duration (mins) For example, to calculate the TL for a training session 40-minutes in duration with the athletes RPE being 5, the following calculation would be made: TL = 5 x 40 = 200 AU (arbitrary units) Football Examples TL = 8 x 90 = 720 AU (Performance) TL = 6.7 x 120 = 804 AU (Fitness gains) TL = 7 x 150 = 1050 AU (INCREASED RISK OF INJURY) 15. RPE The modified rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale used for athletes to classify their perceived intensity of each training session (Foster et al., 2001). Rating Descriptor 0 Rest 1 Very, Very Easy 2 Easy 3 Moderate 4 Somewhat Hard 5 Hard 6 7 Very Hard 8 9 10 Maximal 16. Periodising Training Load in Football It is widely recognised that the key to success for most athletes is a long-term training plan with carefully periodised cycles. For example, previous studies have clearly shown that training should be periodised to alternate hard-easy sessions on a daily basis, TL should be gradually progressive throughout the preparatory period and athletes should undertake a period of rest or taper prior to competition. It is widely thought that these fundamental principles of periodisation should be applied to both endurance and team sports. Eg - 31/03/14 However, ?still too high? Mon 670 AU Tues 910 AU Wed Off Thurs 900 AU Fri 450 AU 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 Training Load Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday 17. What can we as a MULTI DISCIPLINARY TEAM do to improve this next year. Monitor Training Load daily by using both Session-RPE and the newly acquired Heart rate Monitors. Plan and discuss during weekly meetings predicted/planned training load with the aim of improving performance and decreasing the risk of injury. REFLECT as an Academy Management Team at the end of each week. Discuss what went well, what didnt, and how everybody can improve on a daily basis 18. Pre-Season The pre-season training period is traditionally the period when players complete the most physical work, enabling them to cope with the physiological demands of the competitive season. During pre-season, coaches focus on rebuilding fitness. Adjustments in load are a direct attempt to deliver a training stimulus to promote specific training adaptations. During pre-season, the training load can be as high as 1 or 2 daily sessions(90-120) minutes per session for 5 days a week (Impellizzeri et al 2006). 19. Modern Coach Approach to Preseason Few managers know as much about injuries as Roberto Martinez, who has a degree in Physiotherapy, and who has always put emphasis on building up his players fitness gradually over the course of the season and not overworking them. I always believe every injury can be avoided, I dont believe in soft tissue injuries. If you get a soft tissue injury in football, a mistake has been made. 20. Modern Coach Everything is related to the way in which we practice. We dont have room for physical training; for traditional endurance, strength or speed training. Its really all about behaviour! We work on our playing model, we work on our playing principles and playing sub- principles, we ensure that the players adapt to ideas that are common to all, as a means of establishing the same behavioural language. We work exclusively on the match situations that interest me, we plan the week according to our thinking on recovery time, training and matches, progressiveness and alternation. We create habits with the 21. Modern Coach Raymond Verheijen All over the world in pre-season you see the pattern overtraining-fatigue- injuries. Always avoid accumulation of fatigue in pre-season. The main objective of pre-season is to have all your players available in training / friendlies every day so you can develop your best team Coaches like Roberto Martinez blaming themselves for injuries become unconsciously competent and suffer less injury crisis per year Coaches like Arsene Wenger blaming external factors for injuries stay unconsciously incompetent and suffer injury crisis after injury crisis 22. Preseason Aerobic Fitness Aerobic fitness is the keystone on which all further training builds upon. For this reason, aerobic fitness has to be given sufficient attention before other physical abilities can be trained. Respect Recovery If the club does not have appropriate facilities to allow players to rest and recover between 2 training sessions, it is advisable to avoid 2 impact-training sessions per day. When training twice a day, alternative training (cross training principle) can be included in the programme. Running, aqua- jogging, or cycling can be used to improve aerobic fitness and create overload without the risk of injury. 23. Preseason Match Load / Training Load Training should be as match specific as possible. The match itself is therefore good training in principle. After a hard training session though, the body needs time to recover and transform training work in to improved performance, so do not plan any tough sessions too soon before a match. Workload management It is important to manage and manipulate fatigue (fatigue management). This will be done in pre-season with objective parameters using Heart Rate Monitors, but it will also be important to measure subjective parameters such as Rate of Perceived Intensity, Rate of Perceived Muscle fatigue and Overtraining scale. This will be done on a daily basis with all scholars during pre-season to manage fatigue and reduce the risk of injury. 24. Preseason Variation / Monotony The greatest progress is made when there is sufficient variation in training. Variation also ensures that injuries are prevented. If monotony (the lack of variation in load or intensity) is too high, the likelihood of injury increases. Finish the session with extensive cool down Often in preseason, training sessions finish with intensive exercise to give the impression that the training session was satisfactory. However it is important to perform an extensive cool down to ensure that the body and muscle temperatures, heart rate, blood pressure gradually return to resting levels. The cooling down period is a perfect time to stretch and increase joint range of movement and flexibility Unloading week It is important to incorporate an unloading period of 5-8 days into the preseason training phase if possible. This allows dissipation of any accumulated fatigue arising from the first few weeks of preseason training and also provides time for players to recover from minor injuries. This unloading period is best planned in the third or fourth week. 25. Organisation of the Preseason There are 6 phases in this mesocycle and they comply with the concept of fatigue management. In preseason, loading strategies are therefore alternated with recovery strategies within each microcyle. At the end of the mesocycle, a microcyle of unloading tapering should be planned so the players can start the season fresh. The planned structure of the preseason mesocycle: Volume Phase Extensive Endurance Phase Intensive Endurance Phase Unloading Phase Intensity Phase VO2 Max Phase Interval Phase Speed Phase Tapering Phase Macrocycl e Preseason Macrocycle Mesocycle Mesocycle Volume Mesocycle Intensity Microcycle Extensiv e Enduran ce Intensiv e Enduran ce Unlo adin g VO2 Max Interv al Spe ed Taperin g 26. Friendly match planning Do not plan matches in the first week Players often return after the summer period with reduced fitness. They need time to adapt to the load of football training again. If a friendly match is planned, it should be against weaker opponents and players should play no more than 45 minutes. Vary playing time Start by getting everyone to play for 45 minutes. Then progress players up to playing 60, 75 and finally 90 minutes of match time before the season beings. Ideally, each player should have completed in at least 2 full games before the season begins Preseason is for all players If a player has a poor preseason, this will jeopardise the rest of the season so preseason needs to be developed for all players, rather than the just first choice players. 27. Varying intensity in preseason games Attempt to vary intensity during preseason friendly games. For example, players may be instructed to play a high pressing game for 15 minutes. This will boost the intensity, which in turn increases the load. This load can then be built up in the following friendly matches. Periods of ball possession can also be played in order to reduce load. Examples of build up: 45 minutes ball possession 15 minutes ball possession, 15 minutes pressing, 15 minutes ball possession 15 minutes pressing, 15 minutes ball possession with low defensive line, 15 minutes pressing 45 minutes pressing 28. Summary The objectives for preseason are to prepare the team technically, tactically and physically for the forthcoming season. Unfortunately, most coaches train players with too much intensity and volume during preseason training. This leads to players accumulating too much fatigue and sustaining injuries, even before the season begins! We should aim to gradually increase the intensity of training throughout the preseason period. It is also important for the coaches to prepare their teams tactically during this period and not place all the emphasis on fitness training. Friendly games can be arranged strategically so that players are exposed gradually to playing 90 minutes of match play. 29. Any Questions?