Although jumping into planning and organising training sessions are the things as coaches that are exciting and rewarding, taking time to assess your players needs and areas of weakness is vital to ensure players are improving and progressing. One main challenge that we as sports scientists have when advising coaches is bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and real-world sport (Ruddock, Boyd, Winter & Ranchordas, 2018), and this is no different in football. By producing a simple framework for both coaches and sports science staff to work through when working with a squad or player will allow both you as a coach and support staff to work collaboratively to ensure every aspect is fully understood and is being addressed.
Try out the framework that developed by leading practitioners with your players!
Ruddock et al., (2018) developed a simple but effective framework which if followed should ensure you and your team fully understand your squad of players which will then set you up to provide them with the best support you can. Let’s take a look at it!
- Athlete Overview: Goals, Weaknesses, Lifestyle, Finances, History
- Needs Analysis: Rules, Conditions, Equipment, Risk, Demands of Sport, Tests, Areas of Improvement
- Intervention Planning: Assessment Methods, Recovery, Techniques, Barriers
- Results, Evaluation and Conclusion: Findings, Achievement, Performance Improvements
Football Science 