Corpore sano
{mb_sdlf_jugador_SDLF-jugador_frase-destacada}Before and after an intensive course, it’s essential to prepare beforehand to be able to enjoy each day and avoid injuries..
During the holidays is an ideal time to take part in an intensive summer football course. What’s better than spending the whole day with the ball at your feet and alongside many others who share the same passion? But to be able to enjoy these intensive training sessions to the fullest, you have to be prepared beforehand.
According to Vianca Ferrando, physiotherapist at Fundación Marcet, “It’s very common for a player to come and train for two hours each session, three times a week. When they come to our intensive courses they are suddenly training for many hours every day for the length of the course. It’s an immediate change in rhythm. It’s good, a few weeks before starting the course, to get prepared by gradually increasing their physical work intensity”, she explains. Ferrando adds that the body adapts much better and quicker the younger the person is, but it’s always more convenient to make the change more progressively.
Harsh changes in rhythm are the main causes in the majority of the visits that the physiotherapists have. Especially on the first day of the intensive course. “They tend to have fatigue, which elevate’s the aches and pains suffered by typical knocks received in football”, she confirms. For this reason, it’s vital to respect the breaks and to have a good night’s sleep to ensure the enjoyment of an intensive course.
It’s also important to know how to react to any small symptom. “It’s very good to show them how they should feel after a training session. If they have an ache or pain in the knee, for example, the best thing to do is put ice on it when they get home. It’s so they can start looking after themselves, so that they don’t wait until they can’t run anymore and then see the physio”, advises Ferrando, who also highlights the importance of a good and healthy diet.
If the key is to gradually increase intensity, it’s also equally as important to decrease it bit by bit. “It’s better to get into something steadily than getting into a dynamic that is 0 to 100 within seconds ”, concludes Vianca Ferrando.
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