Football is a sport played by many people. For both men and women. To excel depends on small details and on following a correct and concrete method. Football has undergone a big change. There are many specialists in every little area of the game. This is how they develop for the elite.
In a football academy, the figure of the physical trainer is fundamental. He plans, designs and directs the training sessions and ensures that the athlete’s physical skills progress. In this way, they give their maximum performance at the peak of the campaign and with a view to the player’s future.
What to study to become a physical trainer?
Many football physical trainers have studied a university degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. After that, they specialise in football and physical preparation. The football fitness coach must be a person with a strong scientific training base and be very demanding in his methods.
Importance of the studies
Elite football teams play almost 60 matches per season. To this must be added the almost daily training sessions. On top of that, there is the family load and personal life. The preparation must be thorough and have the necessary skills to solve all kinds of problems.
The physical trainer is usually a university graduate with a strong educational background that must be put into practice on the field of play. In many cases, a person who is still a university graduate is not allowed to act as an official physical trainer. Above all, it is impossible to work without even having studied.
Some well-known physical trainers are studying and implementing new methodologies in their studios in various training sessions to boost knowledge. But there are other ways to prepare to become a physical trainer. The professional must keep up to date with the new studies that are published and the advances in knowledge regarding the preparation of players.
Functions of a physical trainer
When it comes to the functions of a football physical trainer, the first one is vital. In each training session, he will be the top manager in the exercises to be carried out. They will be focused on working on aerobic and anaerobic endurance in order to reduce fatigue during the campaign and to resist the 90 minutes of a match.
The physical preparation must be correct for the players to be able to endure. Be it on the first day of the league or on the last few. It will be right at the end of the season when it comes to light whether the preparation has been well carried out and the physical trainer has done his job correctly.
The physical trainer is key to the player’s performance. But he must also plan the player’s recovery periods. It is his role to find and specify the time for rest and work. It is not easy to adapt the two tempos. All of this without exceeding the maximum number of training hours necessary for the athlete, something that could lead to injuries.
The functions of a football academy fitness trainer should be tailored to the individual player. They can include monthly plans or even quarterly plans. Always depending on the development and characteristics of each player. It should also be taken into account that there are team work sessions, active rest time and much more. The physical trainer has among his many functions to know the moment of the player on and off the field.
The physical trainer must know that the best way to avoid injuries is through physical preparation. Although it is impossible to control all risks as it is a contact sport. They always try to control aspects such as a good warm-up or the use of good boots to avoid complications..
Physical trainer in Valencia
The physical trainer is a highly trained and skilled professional to keep footballers in top form throughout the course. It is carried out with an optimal recovery after playing a match and when an injury occurs. The work of the football fitness trainer in Valencia begins with the design of the campaign and the study of the characteristics of each football player.
Before the start of the season, the academy’s players are reviewed to find out their characteristics. At the SIA Academy this is carried out at the Jaime I Clinic in Catarroja. The physical trainer must know that his work must be coordinated with the rest of the professional coaching staff. These are the coach, assistant coach and goalkeeping coach.
A success story of a physical trainer in a football academy can be found at the SIA Academy. This is a high performance football centre where footballers from 12 to 23 years of age develop to reach the elite. They also have a professional team for the academy’s best players in the Spanish Third Division, UD SIA Benigànim.
The SIA Academy also organises football camps and courses for coaches. In all these activities, the work of the physical trainer is key.