FA host Fitness and Conditioning conference

The eighth FA Fitness and Conditioning Conference, held at Holywell Park, Loughborough University, was attended by over 100 delegates from professional sport, education and business.

The keynote address was presented by Dr Inigo Mujika, Director of Physiology and Training at the USP Araba Sport Clinic in Vittoria, the Basque Country. Inigo, formerly Head of  Research and Development at Athletic Club Bilbao, (Senior Physiologist at the Australian Institute of Sport and trainer for the Euskaltel Euskadi professional cycling team) outlined the considerations for the planning and conditioning for club and international football.

Providing an overview from his recent publication ‘Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance’, Inigo provided an insight into the training process and the specific considerations required in team sports, drawing upon his experiences in football (male and female), swimming, triathlon, water polo and basketball.

Dr Marcello Iaia from Manchester United outlined the importance of speed endurance for the modern player. Based on his research conducted during his doctoral studies at August Krogh University, under the supervision of Jens Bangsbo (the former assitant to manager Marcello Lippi at Juventus), Marcello categorised the science underpinning the need for players to develop, with the appropriate training design, an increasing ability and tolerance to repeated high intensity sprint work.

Kelvin Giles, former National Coach for GB Athletics, Director of Performance at the Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Club and Director of Strength and Conditioning Services at the Queensland Academy of Sport, provided an overview of his involvement with a number of sporting programmes in Australia, where the promotion of Athletic Development has resulted in the achievement of international and professional sporting success and attainment of individual physical potential. Emphasising the critical transition period (16-23yrs) as a key phase in nurturing and developing English football talent, Kelvin provided an overview as to the physical qualities which require attention during this critical/sensitive period and the means by which the key traits can be trained.

Dawn Scott, FA Exercise Scientist, outlined the development of the Women’s Support Programme over the past eight years and then detailed the preparation and implementation during the recent European Championship in Finland. Dawn indicated the development of the Women’s Programme with the advent of the Club England culture, the increased emphasis on conditioning and increasing financial support all contributing to the teams continuing success.

Dan Kings, one of the country’s leading Sports Nutritionists, formerly employed by the Welsh Rugby Union and integral team member during their Six Nations Triumph and South African Tour, outlined the principles of his work with elite athletes and his work in professional soccer with Manchester United, West Ham United, Wigan Athletic, Swansea City, Newcastle United  and Portsmouth.  Dan detailed those supplements which have an empirical effect and can positively impact on soccer performance, emphasising those which can support the need for developing an optimal milieu for repeated sprint ability.

Chris Barnes, formerly Head of Sport Science and Fitness Coach at Middlesbrough FC provided an insight into the use of GPS and accelerometry (MEMS) to detail the training load. Providing a temporal template upon which the conditioning coach can more accurately begin to design individual training, Chris provided an overview of his work conducted at Middlesbrough. This included the description of training, hitherto unclassified, and from that detail how position specific profiles could be generated to delineate the required training requirement. More accurate rehabilitation of injured players will be one of the growth areas in which this relatively new technology will begin to impact.