Gareth Sandford Profile picture
🏅 I help coaches maximize elite athletes speed & endurance 🌎 Olympic, Para & Pro sport🚀Accelerate your conditioning growth curve with weekly newsletter⬇️
Scott McGill Profile picture Axel🏔Sleebus.Coaching Profile picture 4 subscribed
Mar 4 5 tweets 2 min read
One of the most important aspects of⚽talent development is to understand the profile of future players.

As the game evolves, so too will the skills and physicality required to perform at the top level.

Here are 8 skill based characteristics players of the future must have...

(According to FIFA technical advisor, and ex Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger) 1. Taking in information before receiving the ball

2. Analyzing and evaluating this information

3. Using this information to think ahead and make quick decisions

No better example than Messi:

Feb 21 7 tweets 3 min read
🚨New pro athlete breakdown🚨

Giro d’Italia case study dives into the precise daily training periodization that powered a pro-cycling podium.

Here are the essential insights for squads with endurance-profiles. Proactive training density spacing of high-moderate intensity efforts:

• Didn’t perform 3000 kJ (units of energy spent) or an important amount of MIT and HIT for >2 consecutive days

• Following 2 consecutive days of HIIT or High- moderate, energy expenditure and intensity were capped on the third dayImage
Jan 14 10 tweets 3 min read
Latest on anaerobic power reserve prescription.

New high intensity training study compares the training response from:

30% Anaerobic power reserve vs 130% maximal aerobic power

Let’s dive in.

(For those who want more confidence in conditioning outcomes squad wide) 24 well trained rowers

Performed 6 weeks of high intensity training at

30% APR (MAP +0.3 x Maximal sprinting power)
or 130% MAP

The prescription was as follows… Image
Nov 20, 2023 10 tweets 3 min read
New research in ⚽ shows how to get more consistent improvements in more of your players.

Stay ahead of the game with the evolving science that is reshaping training prescription…

For those interested in:

• Anaerobic speed reserve

• 30-15 VIFT

• Maximal aerobic speed Image What was performed?

30 national level football players were

Randomly placed into ASR, 30-15 IFT, or MAS groups.

• 20 % ASR = (MAS+0.2) X ASR

•120% MAS

• 95% VIFT Image
Nov 16, 2023 6 tweets 1 min read
Here are 3 changes I made to middle-distance and team sport training,

When I got clarity on what anaerobic speed reserve is, and is not.

(That you can apply right away) Image #1 I lowered the importance of training anaerobic power/capacity year round.

e.g all-out 15-45s efforts.

In reality: you are 3-5 sessions from maximizing that adaptation,

And mechanically well prepared to do so,

If you are training maximal sprinting speed every week.
Nov 4, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
What are the primary adaptations you get from low + moderate vs high intensity training?

Here's are the targets emphasized with each method... Image Low intensity training and moderate, (critical speed)

Improves mainly;

• Peripheral adaptations (blood transport networks - capillaries, muscle machinery - enzymes etc)

• That target muscle oxygen extraction and efficient energy production
Aug 28, 2023 6 tweets 2 min read
The unbalanced scientific narrative around endurance performance has to stop.

It is not simply:

• Lactate threshold

• Running Economy

• VO2max

• Durability

Because having endurance but no speed is not enough to win at the top.

Both speed and endurance are required.

Examples from the last week ft Ingebrigtsen, Cheptegei, Kipyegon & Hassan. Women's 10km Budapest World Championship 2023
Aug 15, 2023 7 tweets 2 min read
‘Sport science runs the risk of being irrelevant to coaches,

If training research continues as it is’

A conclusion from a new international survey of coaches,

Here are the findings

(for those wanting to close the application gap) 105 international coaches were surveyed on the factors they felt drive training adaptation:

• 31% had 15+ years experience

• 58% worked with individual sports

• 32% worked at international level
Jul 16, 2023 8 tweets 3 min read
Want to maximize your muscle power?

Here's a breakdown of key factors that you can train,

In order to create you next performance breakthrough.

(Lessons from the frontline of elite cycling) Image Most important factors:

• Muscle size

• Muscle fiber type

But the relative influence change at slow or fast pedaling rates... Image
Jun 29, 2023 9 tweets 3 min read
Don't waste time testing anaerobic energy systems in running and team sports.

After 8 years of exploring this area, it's evident these tests don't show what you think they do, and can result in misguided training choices.

But it's not all bad, there's a better alternative. When I refer to the anaerobic energy system, I refer to tests that target:

• Anaerobic capacity

• Anaerobic power

• Maximally accumulated oxygen deficit

• Maximal anaerobic running power

These all target capturing the red triangle below.

And here's the issue...
Jun 16, 2023 6 tweets 2 min read
What is an energy system and why does it matter to you?

The body has 3 systems,

That combine to support your speed and endurance performance energy needs, as intensity and duration changes.

Here's a breakdown: Image 1. Phosphagen system

Produces energy at high rate,

But low capacity.

Example: in a maximal sprint (e.g 100m)
Jun 13, 2023 7 tweets 2 min read
Ready to asses your ⚽ squads aerobic fitness in pre-season?

Here's how to set up a 6-minute maximal speed time trial in just 5 easy steps:

1. Setting up the pitch.

Either use a measuring wheel around the outside of the pitch to mark out the distance.

Or ask your groundsman to paint an oval around the outside of the pitch. 500m would be a good distance.
Jun 12, 2023 7 tweets 3 min read
According to Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the current Olympic champion in the 1500m,

'Training too hard' is one of biggest mistakes athletes make.

This is just one of several profound training principles he shared in his interview with @Cathal_Dennehy

Here is a breakdown. twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Image 'One of the biggest problems is people train too hard.

Mostly because of a mentality that they don't believe in themselves, so they have to put it down in training to give them confidence.

That's the wrong mindset.'

(And a good reminder as championship season approaches)
May 19, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
Short term-plyometric training improves running economy in highly trained middle & long distance runners,

4.1% improvement @ 18km/hr, after 9 week intervention

Here is a breakdown of exercise selection & ideas of where to start ⬇️ Image Exercise prescription from 9 week training plan: Image
May 14, 2023 11 tweets 3 min read
Team sport physical preparation tension:

"Everything must be specific to the game."

You are correct on the importance of technical and tactical elements, and this drives about 90% of the training week.

But what is the risk with a sport-specific training ONLY approach? Image Technical and tactical sport specific training are the ‘centre piece’ of daily training design.

You should not be concerned about getting enough sport specific exposure.

The risk is that when you rely on sport specific work alone (e.g with the ball)...
Apr 16, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
High speed and sprint running distances in the EPL⚽2014-2019,

Have (on average) increased by a moderate amount across 5 seasons.

With clear individual differences below across season and playing positions. Image High speed running classified as: >5.5 m/s

Sprint running distance classified as: 7 m/s +

The important questions for a physical preparation teams are...
Feb 14, 2023 9 tweets 2 min read
Durability in world class endurance sport becomes a differentiator between the podium and the rest.

Here are some 1500m-5km training sessions with examples from senior athletes,

(And what to do if you are not in the world class bracket just yet) Image Example workout:

3*800 @ 1500m pace. 3-5 mins rest.

Performed once in the final training phase pre-championship,

10-14 days out from the peak race of the year.
Feb 11, 2023 7 tweets 2 min read
Is prescribing small volumes of sprinting speed often (4/week),

Better than two larger exposures per week?

New data for team sports, showing a 'bang for buck' training exposure. Here is the training they did:
Feb 10, 2023 7 tweets 3 min read
What is the role of fatigue in differentiating world tour and professional road cyclists?

(Featuring power profiles and durability in endurance performance). Population sample:

World tour (WT) riders on average had 2X the riding experience (and training age of pro tour (PT) riders) Image
Feb 9, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
Sprinting is like a hammer striking a nail.

Fast rotation + stiff collision upon impact.

Here are 4 characteristics contributing to 10+ m/s sprinting speed. Image • Large thigh angular velocities

• Fast vertical velocities of the lower limb at touchdown

• Stiff ground contact

• Rapid deceleration upon contact (to recycle for next step) Image
Feb 6, 2023 11 tweets 11 min read
Testing protocols are preferences.

But given the request from @feelthebyrn1 @theryandreyer @Jamie_langley1 @JonMackey14 et al,

For testing the essential endurance training items.

Here is where I would start in the field.

 (If you only have a stop watch and cones) @feelthebyrn1 @theryandreyer @Jamie_langley1 @JonMackey14 First, here are the 6 menu items: