Whether I am training professional footballers for the world cup or an 83 year old grandma,  the best results always come from an integrated approach. The mind and body are one, what you believe is what you become. From a survival point of view it’s a top down.

Now from a physical point, all movement transitions through the centre of the body. Pilates Practitioners will call it powerhouse, Yogis will call it bandhas and physios/movement specialist with refer to the centre as the core.

Everyone’s perspective in life is confirmation bias, in other words we are shaped by our own belief systems and opinions. Any great person or coach should always look at other perspectives. When we become better listeners to one another, we actually learn to problem solve better and reach a solution. As always: ‘Prevention is always better than cure.’

“For sportsmen or women who want to be champions, the mind can be as important, if not more important, than any other part of the body.” – Gary Neville

Footballers move and connect from the centre, they receive instantaneous feedback from the ground. The core when working optimally not only draws’ everything in, but everything is executed out. In other words distal to proximal, and proximal to distal. Force generation passes from the feet upwards. The feet are the first connection with the pitch and transmit a fascial reflex. Gravity pulls us naturally into pronation and flexion at a speed of 9.8m per square second.  Hence we are always working to maintain an upright position. Starting from the health and mobility of the feet of the footballer, everything else will follow. The Achilles tendon releases massive force up the bodies chain and absorbs up to ten times your body weight. The Achilles is critical for jumping, landing, speed, acceleration and change of direction. This means the ankle and foot are crucial for recycling energy.

The way we move, think and behave are collections of past behaviours, habits and belief systems. To build new motor patterning it takes 300-500 repetitions, but 3000 -5000 to correct a faulty engram pattern according to Dr.Schmidt.

The footballers job is to shield the ball against seasoned defenders, ride tackles without losing balance and accelerate, leaving his opponents in his shadow. Looking at optimal movement, elasticity and bounce with short ground contact is ideal. The pelvis is the junction box from the lower to upper extremity with the hips pressing forwards as we increase speed and become more upright. A 2018 research paper: ‘Kinematics of the thorax and pelvis during accelerated sprinting’,  aimed to describe changes in thoracic and pelvic movements during the acceleration phase of maximal sprinting, and to clarify which kinematic variable relates to better accelerated sprinting performance. Twelve male sprinters performed 60-m sprints, during which three-dimensional step-to-step changes in thoracic and pelvic angles, as well as the trunk quasi-joint angle, were obtained throughout a 50-m distance. ‘ Deeper inclination of the pelvis during the middle section (to the 14th step), and smaller trunk torsion and thoracic obliquity during the final section in the entire acceleration phase of sprinting were associated with increases in running speed. In conclusion horizontal to vertical body movement transitions through the pelvis. The footballers underneath leg swing transitions horizontal force, creating vertical force.

An integrated approach of a footballers typical training week should include active recovery and Dr. Quiet time for anabolic repair of tissues.

 

An example would be :

Monday – Lower body power

Tuesday – Upper body and core

Wednesday – Ball mastery and conditioning

Thursday – Lower body

Friday – Active recovery

Each day flexibility, mobility and daily rituals should be addressed such as saunas, ice baths, breathing/pranayama, meditation, reflective journaling/thoughts, hydration, eating single ingredient whole foods according to metabolic typing and sleep.

Hence an integrated system is required to keep the player at bionic, optimal ability. One deficiency in any of the areas will signal a chain reaction through the rest of the body.

You may not be a professional footballer, but anyone reading this blog can walk. Try to walk like a native American Indian. Native American Indians often walked toe to heel orientation, so they could navigate through the wilderness silently to avoid hunters and predators. Their gait pattern was described as light, springy and agile which helped them blend into their surroundings and maintain stealth. This unique style reflects their connection with mother nature, the land and adapting to the environment, which at the end of the day is what we are all trying to do in life.

“Listen to the wind, it talks. [T]o the silence, it speaks. [And] to your heart, it knows.” — Native American Proverb

 

Bibliography

Paul Chek media

Jonas Doodoo media