Coaching Footy Skills vs Endurance

[footballfreak]

It's that time of the year. PRE-SEASON

I know that most clubs place a heavy emphasis on running drills. With absolutely no ball work done for the first month or so.

Surely the emphasis should be put on ball-work and getting the skills up to scratch, and how it is executed under pressure. Isn't the most highly skillful team at the end of the day that wins the match?

How much can you rely on guts and determination and out-running your opponents when you can't stick your tackles, pinpoint targets and kick it straight through the sticks.

Thoughts?????

 

[Jimmy1992]

Yes, obviously, your skills have to be up to scratch, but, chances are, over the off season, most players, if not all, will have been kicking the footy anyway, and will do so at pre-season training after the drills have all been completed. Also, you will find that these days many clubs running programs will involve heavy endurance worked mixed in with skills. I.e. Circle work type drills, where there is a great need for endurance getting to the right spots, but it is also mixed with ball use. It would be unlikely, especially at a suburban level to find a pre-season without ball use, as it is not as fun and immersive as when the ball is used, as, at a regional level, that is the main aim, to get people to training.

At a professional level, there would still be some ball work, although less, especially in the early part of the pre-season. My best guess would be this is because they don't need as long training to get there skills back to where they were at that elite level, and much the same, skills would still be apparent in early pre-season just not at the same level as late pre-season and in season training.

 

[hawks 09]

Yes, obviously, your skills have to be up to scratch, but, chances are, over the off season, most players, if not all, will have been kicking the footy anyway, and will do so at pre-season training after the drills have all been completed. Also, you will find that these days many clubs running programs will involve heavy endurance worked mixed in with skills. I.e. Circle work type drills, where there is a great need for endurance getting to the right spots, but it is also mixed with ball use. It would be unlikely, especially at a suburban level to find a pre-season without ball use, as it is not as fun and immersive as when the ball is used, as, at a regional level, that is the main aim, to get people to training.

At a professional level, there would still be some ball work, although less, especially in the early part of the pre-season. My best guess would be this is because they don't need as long training to get there skills back to where they were at that elite level, and much the same, skills would still be apparent in early pre-season just not at the same level as late pre-season and in season training.

Yeah spot on Jimmy. Have been coaching country level footy for a long time now and without introducing the balls early, players can lose interest pretty quickly.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

"Bring your sandshoes" on the training program may as well say "don't turn up."

Running by itself is the most boring thing in the universe.

Take any sport and remove all the fun, exciting and skillful elements and you are left with running.