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THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADULTS AND YOUNG PLAYERS
As children grow and mature, their physical needs and capabilities change. It is during the early and adolescent years of life that the body’s muscles and bones develop and grow. A young player may be more susceptible to injury during this period. Bone in young players is still not mature; it has not yet fully ossified or become hard bone, and is continually placed under considerable stress from strong maturing muscle action.
Injuries resulting from “overplay” usually affect the parts of the skeleton that constitute attachments of tendons and ligaments. In children and adolescents who participate in regular training and competition, the strength of muscles develop more rapidly than the strength of the skeleton. This may be hazardous due to the unusual stress it puts on the skeleton. It is proposed that bone grows faster than soft tissues such as muscles and tendons, which become tighter with growth, particularly during “growth spurts”. This loss of flexibility can be a factor in increasing the risk of injury. One well documented case of this happening is the growth spurt of Steven Gerrard for Liverpool Football club which caused him to suffer back and groin problems, reducing his playing time. Many of the
There are 3 phases in the long-term development of young players that coaches should be focusing their attentions on. The “Fundamental Phase” (6-11 year) of development is when the young player is least developed physically and therefore has limited endurance (stamina) and strength levels, therefore training should be focused on technique and playing rather than fitness and strength training. Activities should be of short duration developing ball skills including; passing, shooting, heading, controlling the ball, turning with the ball, etc. The “Training to Train Phase” (11-14 years) of development is when athletic formation begins to take place with the body and its capacities develop rapidly. Ensuring training is fun, varied and involves competitive elements such as 5-a-side matches will help maintain interest. Players should learn how to train including; physical, technical, tactical and ancillary capacities (e.g. warm-up, cool down, nutrition, rest, recovery, etc). Focus on speed work immediately after the warm-up and not when players are tired at the end of a training session. The “Training to Compete Phase” (14-20 years) are when the biggest changes in training occur and exercises undertaken are aimed at development, but with the intensity and volume of work gradually increasing. Key implications for coaches are; aerobic and anaerobic systems become fully developed and can be trained for maximum output, strength training can be maximised, and learning how to compete is important incorporating all technical, tactical and ancillary components into performance.
Football as a sport has many positive outcomes for those that regularly participate, including; Fitness, Teamwork, Competitiveness, Responsibility to others (i.e. teammates), and social skills. This is why we need to maintain the interests of young players (particularly in the Training To Compete age group) and the coach is central to this along with teachers and parents.
- If you’re a parent think about how much sport your children play and look at whether they allow time in their schedules to rest and recover.
- If you’re a coach of a team, ask the players how much sports they play and how often, in order to gain an insight in to the stresses they place on their bodies.