Professional and amateur footballers don\u2019t have too much in common but pre-season is a vital period for players at every level of the game as they strive to get fit for the new campaign.
\nPro players typically undergo 4-6 weeks of pre-season training prior to the new season as they gradually build up the fitness required to play several games a week for the next 10 months.
\nPre-season training is also essential for players to build robust bodies capable of running, jumping, twisting and turning at high speed without succumbing to injury.
\nMany players dread the hard yards of pre-season, but Jamie Carragher wasn\u2019t one of them.
\n\u201cI used to enjoy pre-season,\u201d he said on episode 10 of the From Paper to Podium podcast.
\n\u201cYou hear a lot of scare stories about players being sick after runs but I loved getting fit, training twice a day, eating the right foods and looking after my body.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the end of a hard season rest is vital to allow your body to recover from any niggling injuries and refresh your mind from the stresses and strains of competition.
\nBut if you put your feet up for too long and consume more calories than you\u2019re burning then your fitness will quickly decline and it won\u2019t be long before you start to put on weight.
\nExtra weight will make it harder for you to get fit during pre-season and you could be more vulnerable to injury. For Carragher, there was a simple solution to ensure he started day one of pre-season in good shape.
\n\u201cI used to do a few bits before I went back,\u201d he told the From Paper to Podium podcast. \u201cI think it helped psychologically as much as physically – knowing that I\u2019d done a few runs and got my diet back on track before I started.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before sports scientists, nutritionists, physios and strength and conditioning coaches became commonplace at Premier League training grounds, players would undergo primitive fitness training to prepare for the new season.
\n\u201cWhen I started at Liverpool we would do running in the morning and play five-a-side in the afternoon,\u201d says Carragher. There were no heart monitors, you\u2019d run around a pitch so many times and basically the aim was to not come last.\u201d
\nNow, the emphasis is on getting fit by using player-specific sessions tailored to the needs of each individual and by incorporating a football from the first day of pre-season.
\n\u201cIf there\u2019s one area of sports science that has evolved it\u2019s the approach to pre-season,\u201d says Professor James Morton. \u201cIt\u2019s become a lot more scientific and planned. Every player will have all of their minutes scheduled so they\u2019re all working to get to a certain level.
\n\u201cThere is a misconception that to get fit you need to get fit by running in straight lines but you can get fit with a football. Everything is done with a ball and the balls are out on day one. That\u2019s probably the best bit of advice we can give them. On day one, get the balls out.\u201c<\/p>\n