My fitness is of quite a good level at the moment because I am involved in numerous sporting activities and training sessions which consist of lots of fitness work so I can comfortably deal with the demands of everyday life. Present training demands: I am currently doing rugby training for around an hour after school every Monday. I then have a games session every Wednesday and I also do kickboxing training every Wednesday night. During the week I also have a few PE lessons in which I play basketball or hockey. On Tuesday nights I have football training. On Saturday morning/afternoon I have a rugby match for the school and then have a weight training session at the gym afterwards. On a Sunday morning I have a football match for my Sunday-league football club.
Football is a physically demanding sport and as a centre forward or whatever position you play on the pitch a good fitness level is needed in order to play at a reasonable standard except the goalkeeper perhaps. Every position needs a certain physical requirement if an individual is to perform well in that position. For example it is vital a goalkeeper has a good level of agility and flexibility to get in position to make saves and will need to have quick reactions if he is challenged by a surprise deflection of the ball for example. However a goalkeeper does not need anywhere near the same levels of aerobic fitness as an outfield player such as a central midfielder, who has to run up the pitch when his side are attacking and run back to defend when the opposition are attacking which is very tiring, so it is vital that outfield players have good levels of aerobic fitness to keep getting round a football pitch whether they are sprinting short distances, jogging or walking.
As a striker coordination is important as I have to try and make good contact with the ball as often as possible to give myself a greater chance of scoring or setting up a goal with a perfectly weighted pass. Speed is important in order to outrun a defender while running with the ball, or just to be able to get to the ball first so you regain possession for your team. Speed also helps as you don’t have to take so many risks in trying to get in an advanced position to get to the ball first so you wont get as many off-sides called against you because you will be able to stay comfortably onside and still get to the ball first.
Agility is important for changing direction quickly while moving at speed so defenders will find it hard to keep track of you and put in a tackle that wont be seen as a foul. Agility helps you to evade opponents. endurance is important for helping you maintain your bursts of speed throughout the match and this is essential for a striker to keep on getting into scoring positions as the striker wont be of much use if they have one quick burst of pace and then are too tired to go on anymore runs.
As a striker it is useful to be strong and tall because then you will be a main target for set pieces such as free kicks and corners. Leg strength and power is important to help you jump higher and therefore be more useful in the air when challenging for headers or trying to out jump a defender to get a scoring opportunity. However as football is such a physical game it is useful to have good overall muscular strength and this will also combine to help with the maintaining of good posture which will help to reduce the risk of injury.
Seasonal Factors Athletes need to plan a training programme suited to the sport that they participate in, including their capabilities and their reason for training. Many sports take place seasonally and may be classed as SUMMER or WINTER activities. Examples of seasonal sports are Hockey, Netball, Football, Cricket, Rounders and rugby. These activities all have a closed or off season for rest and recuperation.
Out of season- Light training with gradual build up to a good level of aerobic fitness. Light skills training with non-competitive games.(4- 6 weeks training) Pre-season- High intensity interval and weights training. Flexibility and skills training. Practice matches. (4-6 weeks) Closed season for rest and recuperation- complete break to help recovery from any injuries. Recreation and relaxation in other sports or activities. ( 6-10 weeks)
Playing season- Playing competitive matches once or twice a week. Maintenance and light weight training. Speed work, and quality rest and appropriate diet. ( 30-36 weeks) Most Athletes are likely to have a seasonal training programme which will make them look at 4 different factors which are: Out of season- light training, mostly aerobic and strength training.I play rugby for the under 16 As team every Saturday. I play football every Sunday in the Epsom and Ewell league for Walton Heath and we are currently looking to gain promotion to the top league for next season.