Reader,
I’ve been speaking with a lot of coaching colleagues in recent months about what the appropriate amount of football is for youth players in a week.
I currently coach in a system where players play in multiple environments, from clubs, to schools and socially. The volume of football some players are exposed to can include (at times) 6-10 contacts per week – and frankly, I don’t think the players are better for it.
I also experienced the same challenge when coaching in Australia where at times, players were expected to train with clubs or academies, and their state – some might even be on a scholarship for football at school and be required to play school games.
Many of us who have been around for a while and grown up without the feast of technology young people are exposed to will remember a time when playing every day was the norm and concepts such as periodisation weren’t as widely understood as they are now. We want active kids, but not burned-out players.
So what is the optimum amount of football for a player in a 7-day cycle?
Many suggest that for an elite-level youth player, it may consist of 5-6 contacts (training and games) per week. Data released in New Zealand has suggested that two games and three training sessions or four sessions and a game is optimum for a 16-19-year-old player.
Of course, we need to consider each session’s context. In a professional environment where coaches will have more contact time, they can move up and down the practice spectrum, or individualise sessions more than those working in grassroots or amateur clubs where players may be playing in multiple environments.
While I am not an expert in physical performance, I have been testing different physical training loads in my environment this year thanks to a collaborative approach with the clubs of many players I am coaching.
I have certainly seen a negative impact on performance when players have more contacts than suggested above. However, I have seen benefits when the training load has been significantly reduced to cater for weeks when players might have additional games.
At times, I believe as coaches we all have a desire to ‘get the work in’ and train our players on tactical or technical concepts (because we want to best prepare our teams) that we often miss how much a player actually has to do in a week.
Beyond training and games, we need to consider other sports, school work, time to be with family, or allowing time just to be a kid.
Three things to consider
- Are you clear on what each individual in your care does every week? Have you surveyed the players or sat down to understand the demands of the week for your players?
- Do you measure or plan for different intensities in your sessions or utilise tools like RPE (rate of perceived exertion) to gauge how players feel?
- Don’t be afraid to cancel or reduce the volume (time, distance, demands) of a session if you sense that fatigue is creeping in.
One thing for you to try this week.
Consider using simple sizes of small, medium and large-sided games to plan your week.
If you have three contacts per week, experiment with different area sizes and physical demands. Consider the time between match day and your next session to plan.
One critical resource on the topic.
Physical performance can be a complex topic for coaches to understand, which is why we created a simple but comprehensive online course for coaches of all levels to gain all the tools and knowledge they need in this area.
Check out Physical Performance Through Soccer which features a range of global experts discussing all the considerations of physical development of football players.
