Rev Bras Fisiol Exerc 2021;20(5):574-84
doi: 10.33233/rbfex.v20i5.4428
REVIEW
Home training recommendations for soccer players
during the COVID-19 pandemic
Recomendações
de treinamento doméstico para jogadores de futebol durante a pandemia de
COVID-19
Angelo
Melim Azevedo1, Gregory Halle Petiot2,
Filipe Manuel Clemente 3,4, Fábio Yuzo
Nakamura5, Maxwell Viana Moraes Neto1, Gabriel Rodrigues
Garcia1, Rodrigo Aquino1
1Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo,
Vitória, ES, Brazil
2Université Laval, Québec, Canada
3Instituto Politécnico de Viana do
Castelo, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
4Instituto de Telecomunicações, Delegação
da Covilhã, Lisboa, Portugal
5Instituto Universitário da Maia (ISMAI), Maia, Portugal
Received:
October 27, 2020; Accepted:
September 8, 2021.
Correspondence: Rodrigo Aquino, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo,
Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514 Goiabeiras 29075-910 Vitória ES
Angelo Melim
Azevedo: angelo.melim.azevedo@gmail.com
Gregory Halle Petiot: ghpetiot@icloud.com
Filipe Manuel Clemente: filipe.clemente5@gmail.com
Fábio Yuzo Nakamura:
fabioy_nakamura@yahoo.com.br
Maxwell Viana Moraes Neto: netomax03@gmail.com
Gabriel Rodrigues Garcia: gabrielrod.garcia@gmail.com
Rodrigo Aquino: aquino.rlq@gmail.com
Abstract
This pandemic of the COVID-19 has a major impact on
people's lives, and several governments ordered extended quarantine and
requested social isolation to contain the spread of COVID-19 and flatten its
contagion curve. Soccer practice was also severely affected by these pandemic
effects, including the postponement of several championships, which involve
large audiences. In Brazil, the professional leagues restart the official
matches (e.g., Brazilian National Fourth, Third, Second, and First Divisions
Leagues). However, some youth academies have not yet restarted their professional
activities. Therefore, home-based training can be a good option in these cases.
Here, we outline the benefits of home workouts using a multidimensional
approach. First, we provide practical recommendations for physical,
psychological, and tactical training. Next, we propose an example of a home
training program spanning one weekly microcycle for
soccer players, using load control based on the rating of perceived exertion.
We highlighted that is crucial to make all these exercises fun and entertaining
during the self-isolation period. The home training recommendations discussed
and proposed in this research can and should be adjusted by the coaches
according to their own ideas and athletes' access to equipment (e.g.,
treadmills, flywheel training, virtual reality).
Keywords: viral disease; coronavirus;
sport; COVID-19; prevention.
Resumo
A
pandemia da COVID-19 tem um grande impacto na vida das pessoas, e vários
governos ordenaram a quarentena estendida e solicitaram o isolamento social
para conter a disseminação do vírus e reduzir sua curva de contágio. A prática
do futebol também foi gravemente afetada por esses efeitos pandêmicos,
incluindo o adiamento de vários campeonatos, que envolvem grandes públicos. No
Brasil, as ligas profissionais reiniciaram as partidas oficiais (por exemplo,
Campeonatos Brasileiros – todas as divisões). No entanto, algumas academias de
jovens ainda não reiniciaram suas atividades presenciais. Portanto, o
treinamento domiciliar pode ser uma boa opção nesses casos. Neste artigo,
destacamos os benefícios dos exercícios em casa usando uma abordagem
multidimensional. Primeiro, fornecemos recomendações práticas para treinamento
físico, psicológico e tático. A seguir, propomos um exemplo de um programa de
treinamento doméstico abrangendo um microciclo semanal para jogadores de
futebol, usando o controle de carga com base na percepção subjetiva do esforço.
Destacamos que é fundamental tornar todos esses exercícios divertidos durante o
período de isolamento social. As recomendações de treinamento em casa
discutidas e propostas nesta pesquisa podem e devem ser ajustadas pelos
treinadores de acordo com suas próprias ideias e o acesso dos atletas aos
equipamentos (por exemplo, esteiras, realidade virtual).
Palavras-chave: doença viral; coronavírus; esporte;
COVID-19; prevenção.
The new
coronavirus (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered
virus (SARS-CoV-2). On September 21st 2021, the World
Health Organization (WHO) presented in its report that the cumulative number of
cases reported globally now is fast approaching 228 million and the number of
deaths exceeds 4.6 million [1]. This pandemic has a major impact on people's
lives, and several governments ordered extended quarantine and requested social
isolation to contain the spread of COVID-19 and flatten its contagion curve.
Soccer practice
was also affected by these pandemic effects, including the postponement of
several championships, which involve large audiences. For instance, this
resulted in shutting down national and state tournaments around the world.
Consequently, stoppage can result in a detraining process (i.e., the principle
of reversibility of sports training), such as a decrease in physical
performance and competitive performance [2]. Moreover, this process will be
also dangerous for the players in the moment of returning to matches, mainly
considering the abrupt spikes in the load that may occur in a very short term
(from quarantine to competitive congested fixture periods). For this reason,
preventive exercises are recommended during the quarantine in
order to minimize injuries in the return to the training activities
[3,4,5]. Thinking of minimizing the abrupt return process and its associated
risks, players from several countries (e.g. Brazil,
Argentina) that have declared quarantine have adopted home training strategies.
In Brazil, most professional leagues restart the official matches (e.g. Brazilian National Fourth, Third, Second, and First
Divisions Leagues). However, some of the youth academies have not yet restarted
their professional activities. Therefore, home-based training can be a good
option in these cases.
Previous studies
provided home-based recommendations specially for non-athletes [6,7,8]. These
training sessions usually are performed with body weight and/or with little
equipment, in different spaces of the house like rooms, balconies and
backyards. Exercises include muscle strengthening, balance activities, motor
control/coordination, stretching or a mixed combination of these conditional
and coordinative capacities. However, these practices should be adapted for
youth and professional athletes, (e.g. soccer
players). Furthermore, home training should provide mental, psychological, and
tactical-technical stimulus for soccer players during this self-isolation
period. In this research, we outline the benefits of home workouts using a
multidimensional approach (e.g., physical, psychological
and technical-tactical stimulus). We first provide practical recommendations for
physical training (Table I) and for psychological and tactical training (Table
II). Next, we propose an example of home training program spanning one weekly microcycle for soccer players (Table III).
Home physical training recommendations for soccer players
Considering the
scientific evidence, practical and effective training approaches can be
conducted in-home aiming to mitigate the detrimental effects of quarantine.
More specifically in relation to soccer, the type of training that most closely
matches soccer’s specific physiological demands is high-intensity interval
training (HIIT) [9]. Despite HIIT training can be conducted in different ways
(e.g., running-based, indoor cycling), some researchers propose a training
model with body weight using HIIT [10,11]. Additionally, to prescribe HIIT
training for metabolic workout, other fitness variables as speed, strength and
power can be also developed in this quarantine context using adjusted
strategies (e.g., HIIT bodywork, jumps squats, straight-line run [5 m]) [11].
The metabolic responses of the immune system vary according to the HIIT
protocol, level of training and availability of energy reserves [12,13]. In
addition, after three sessions of HIIT, a positive immunological adaptation
occurs in 48 hours intervals of between sessions [13]. Thus, for
well-conditioned athletes, it is very unlikely that the HIIT protocols will
result in a relevant immune suppression.
One of the most
practical and beneficial strategy to use in “home training” is plyometric
training, since there is a great demand for eccentric force when performing
jumps and it is closely related with multiple benefits for sports-related
performance, e.g., speed, strength, and power [14,15]. There are a wide variety
of exercises for that demand, including jump against movement [CMJ], “dropbox” deep jump, with body weight, unilateral jumps, and
light load jumps [16]. The benefits of these training strategies are observed
for both young and professional players as they promote an increase in
neuromuscular strength, aerobic performance, change of direction, kick, and
sprinting speed [17,18].
Considering the
current unique scenario, we selected training means and methods with the
scientific evidence of their potential in maintaining intermittent endurance,
muscle power, muscular strength, and flexibility, which are specific for soccer
players during the self-isolation period (Table I). Therefore, coaches can use
this material to help players in some insights in the prescription of “remote”
training for young and professional athletes.
Table I - Home physical training
recommendations for soccer players (see PDF)
Home psychological and tactical training
recommendations for soccer players
We can assume
that self-isolation has changed routine and life habits of soccer players,
which would affect the components associated to tactics such as cognition and
psychology. In fact, it is more likely that self-isolation will have led to the
consumption of more medias for longer duration, and it can be detrimental to
decision-making performance of players. Previous studies showed evidence of
mental fatigue created by the use of smartphones or
similar electronic devices on the quality of decision-making [24,25]. Despite
the absence of these effects on actual play, we also recommend not to use
social networks in smartphones or playing video games prior to the exercises
involving perceptual and cognitive skills to optimize performance and limit the
usage to the videos related to past performances. Note that this also reflects
the opportunity to create this good habit in view of the moment competitions
resume. Despite the availability of many games or similar activities that
require mental activity, tasks in relation to training and playing soccer are
less likely to be performed. Happily, we can also see players and coaches
publishing soccer-specific exercises on social medias with limited equipment.
However, playing the game requires more than technical and motor training.
Given the
relation between action in the play and decision-making activated with
cognitive mechanisms [26], it is important to maintain cognitive-perceptual
skills alive throughout the period of inactivity. Exercises that require
challenge perception and cognition can be created with and without
technological or expensive material. For instance, it is possible to mimic
cognitive tasks activated with material as Fitlight TrainerTM (Speed & Agility Training | FitLight Trainer™ n.d.) using simpler material, aiming to
combine kinematic reactions to stimuli [27]. In its simplest form, a possible
corresponding exercise would consist in throwing objects (e.g.
balls, cones) of different shapes or colors and require catching/hitting the ones
of a same shape or color before they fall on the ground. The same logic can be
applied to technical drills where the movement is performed according to a
signal. The authors of the review cover more equipment that may be owned by
some families, but not by a majority. Hence, stimulating quick perception with
household equipment may be possible with a hint of creativity and could add on
the physical exercises previously listed.
However, the
game is played in cooperation with – and opposition against more players [28].
According to this concept of the game, players need to perform tactical actions
in the play, making the game itself the only most representative context of
play to train these actions. However, in the contemporary literature in this area,
there are various activities that have the potential to bring small but
valuable improvement to actions in the play and to their tactical accuracy
[29]. Different from the physical training, tactical exercises performed out of
the field would consist in: 1) criticizing his own
actions; 2) enacting experienced actions; and 3) debating “ideas of the play”
using team organization, game model and strategy references. Such activities
require mental imagery or video, which are two mediums accessible to everybody
in home.
Both the
self-confrontation and explicitation interviews are
usually guided by qualified researchers or professionals. Although, it is
possible to offer to a companion a satisfying experience and lead him to bring
back significant information back to consciousness. The principles of
interviews are to describe the lived experience as if you lived it again
without deliberately seeking for details or memories [30]. This practically
helps focusing on actions, including thoughts or even perceptions. As the name
suggests, the interviews are interesting to do in tandem, where a companion
will question the interviewee. In contrast, debates can be done with more
persons as long as everybody stays involved [31]. It
is also important to keep a clear reference throughout the conversation, which
in that case can be the objective that the team must pursue. For instance, the
group could focus on how to reorganize in transitions in respect with
principles of play.
Table II
presented some recommendations for home psychological and tactical training for
young and professional players. Tactical exercises can bridge with coaches’
analyzing duty. Thus, it is important to keep the exercises fun for players
whilst making them as useful as possible. A way to make sure of this is
following mental imagery with corresponding technical exercises. This may pay
more than just imaging as in line with embodied cognition/decision-making
frameworks, it is more useful for learning to perform actions. Plus, it gives a
context to the rehearsal of technical movements. In addition, enacting past
experiences and performance during imagery may help more than emulating fictive
experiences as it reinforces social links through memories and makes the
activity. Accordingly, it is crucial to make all these exercises fun and
entertaining during the self-isolation period.
Table II - Recommendations for home
psychological and tactical training in young and professional soccer players
Despite a lack
of scientific data related to the effects of home psychological, tactical, and
physical training in soccer players, relevant insights can be gained through
discussions between previous ideas reported in Table I and II, and expert
coaches who resolve this scenario in their clubs. Also, coaches must calculate
the training load (e.g., rating of perceived exertion [RPE] * session duration
[min]) and week monotony (average weekly training load / standard deviation of
weekly training load) [40]. Usually, monotony values should be between 0.8-2.0.
Here, an example of home training programming over one weekly microcycle is provided in Table III.
Practical application
1 - Home physical
training recommendations for soccer players should consider intermittent
endurance, muscular power, muscular strength, accelerations/decelerations, and
flexibility (see Table I).
2 - Perceptual-cognitive
skills, technique, cognition, own performance, judgment in complex situations,
and debates are excellent options to home psychological and tactical training
(see Table II).
3 - Rating
of perceived exertion (including week monotony) should be considered to load
control during microcycles. Here, we provide an example of a home training
program spanning (see Chart 1).
4 - We
also recommend not to use social networks in smartphones or playing video games
prior to the exercises involving perceptual and cognitive skills to optimize
performance and limit the usage to the videos related to past performances.
Note that this also reflects the opportunity to create this good habit in view
of the moment competitions resume.
Chart 1 - Example of home training
programming over one weekly microcycle for soccer
players (see PDF)
The training
recommendations described in this research are only suggestions adapted from
scientific evidence. Coaches must be creative and adopt a holistic view of
workouts home intervention (e.g., physical, psychological, and tactical
stimulus). In addition, coaches can adopt a video meeting with the players with
the purpose to maintain the relationships and clear possible doubts about the
workouts. Such as aforementioned, is crucial to make all these exercises fun
and entertaining during the self-isolation period. We also recommend not to use
social networks in smartphones or playing video games prior to the exercises
involving perceptual and cognitive skills. The home training recommendations discussed
and proposed in this research can and should be adjusted by the coaches
according to their own ideas and athletes' access to equipment (e.g.,
treadmills, flywheel training, virtual reality). Finally, these recommendations
do not apply to athletes showing any symptoms of COVID-19; in such case,
self-isolation and complete rest are mandatory.
Potential conflict of interest
No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article have been
reported.
Financing source
This
study was funded, in part, by the Secretaria Nacional de Futebol e Defesa dos
Direitos do Torcedor (Programa Academia & Futebol - Edital nº 1 de
2020), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (código
de financiamento – 001), Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa (FAP; Universidade
Federal do Espírito Santo), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do
Espírito Santo (FAPES).
Author’s contributions
Conception and design of the research: Azevedo AM, Petiot GH, Aquino R,
Writing of the manuscript: all authors; Critical review of the manuscript : all
authors; Publication of the document : Aquino R.