Futsal - strength and conditioning: My PP presentation from UEFA coaching seminar in Bucharest, Romania (July 2015)

1. FUTSAL STRENGTH
&
CONDITIONING
Alan Sinovčić

2. Who am I
- Bachelor's degree at Faculty of kineziology in Zagreb
- Worked as a fitness coach in futsal, football, basketball, handball and boxing
MAJOR TROPHIES:
Croatian champion with Futsal
club Alumnus Zagreb (season
2013/14)
Croatian champion with
Football club Zadar boys u-15
(season 2012/13)

3. CROATIAN DERBY: FC NACIONAL – FC ALUMNUS (season 2013/14)

4. SOME KEY FACTS ABOUT FUTSAL
- Analysis of movement demands has shown that
locomotor activities in futsal match changing every
3.28 seconds
- One study reported 8.6 activities per minute of
play with a high-intensity effort every 23 seconds
- Futsal players at high competetive level cover 121
(105-137) meters per minute
- Aerobic capacity (Vo2Max) of professional futsal
players is 58 – 65 ml/kg/min

5. Futsal is a multiple-sprints sport in which there are more high-
intensity phases than in soccer and other intermittent sports
(Barbero-Alvarez, 2008.)

6. Distance covered per minute

7. Distance covered in the different categories

8. Percentages of time in the different activities

9. Percentages of time in the different activities

10. Mean heart rate and percentage of maximum HR during the first and second
half
PHYSICALLY BETTER PLAYER HAVE LESS DROP OF INTENSITY IN SECOND HALF!

11. Just a few benefits of quality strength and conditioning training:
- less injuries
- improved technical and
tactical performance
- better regeneration between
the training sessions and matches
- faster regeneration during
the match
- prolonged career

12. Futsal vs football
FUTSAL FOOTBALL
4.000 – 5.000 m covered distance 10.000 – 12.000 m
117 m distance per minute 122 m
0.0 % standing 14 %
400 m walking 3.500 m
1.700 m jogging 4.500 m
1.200 m medium intensity 1.800 m
570 m high intensity 800 m
350 m sprint 400 m

14. SOME BASIC TRENING PRINCIPLES
1. train movements, not muscles
Futsal don't need muscles, futsal need speed and movements
2. right progression, from simple to complex
Don't hurry, go step by step
3. individual approach
Every player has different characteristics
4. don't separate conditioning from technical and tactical training
It's all about the futsal!

15. FUTSAL CLUB ALUMNUS
Periodisation season 2013/14
First training session: 1.9.
Start of Croatian championship: 5.10.
First preparatory period: 5 weeks
Number of training sessions: 6 per week
(or 5+ test match) + individual trainings
Duration of trainings: 2 hours

16. TESTING
Standing broad jump
4x5 m agility

17. TESTING/RESULTS

18. FIET TEST
Developed by Juan Carlos Barbero – Alvares
Futsal
Intermittent
Endurance
Test
1. Players run shuttle-running bouts of 3x15m
(45m) dictated by audio signals
2. After each 45m, are allowed to rest for 10
seconds
3. After each 8x45m, players passively rest for
30 seconds
4. Starting speed is 9 km/h, speed increments
is 0.33 km/h for first 9 bouts, shifting to 0.20
km/h from 10th bout every 45m until
exhausting
5. Test ends when player do not reach the
front line in time with beeps for 2 succesive
times

19. Warm up
Importance of quality warm up:
* Raises body temperature
* Helps preventing injuries
* Improves efficiency of the cardio-vascular
system
* Shortens reaction time
* Improves contractile ability of the muscles

20. Warm up 1. General warm up (raising body
temperature)
2. Dynamic flexibility & muscle
activation (preparing muscles and
ligaments for upcoming training or
match)
3. Linear & multidirectional
movements
4. CNS activation (plyometrics and
other explosive movements)
5. Pre-match futsal drills (executed by
head coach)

21. First week: General preparatory period

22. INJURY PREVENTION
1. Strenghtening
Stronger muscles, ligaments and tendons are
less injury prone
2. Eccentric muscle actions
Eccentric exercises have big preventive effect
3. Work on stability and mobility
„Joint by joint approach – best „secret“ to
injury prevention
First week: General preparatory period

23. JOINT BY JOINT APPROACH

24. Injury prevention - exercises

25. Injury prevention - exercises

26. Proprioception and balance training
Proprioception is a internal system
of the body that governs the ability
to generate and maintain effective
posture and balance
Balance is single most important
component of athletic ability
because it underlies all movement
(Vern Gambetta)

27. Core strength
- the core plays an important role in
transferring forces from one end of
the body to the other
- core strength has a significant effect
on an athlete's ability to develop and
transfer forces to the limbs
- if a player has a weak core, he'll be
limited in ability to maximize his
running and shooting
- proper core stability allows an
athlete to accelerate, decelerate,
change directions and quickly adjust
to spontaneous loading changes

28. Core training
Core training is often neglected, underrated or misunderstood
- Hundreds of crunches – mostly inneficiently
- Hours in plank position – far from enough for quality core
CORE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LINK IN KINETIC CHAIN
THE CORE:
The spine
Hip and pelvis
Lower limb
Abdominal structures

29. Core training

30. Muscle endurance
...is ability of a muscles to sustain repeated contractions for extended period of time
Exercises: Squats, Pull ups, Lunges, Push ups...
GUIDELINES:
30-40% of 1RM
15-25 reps
3-4 sets per exercise
90 seconds rest between sets

31. Vo2Max development
- Vo2Max: Individual's maximum aerobic capacity
- It is generally considered the best indicator of
cardiorespiratory endurance and aerobic fitness
- Vo2Max is highly correlated with repeated sprint
ability and recovery rate
- Vo2Max values of or above 60 ml/kg/min are
advisable to play futsal at the professional level
(Barbero-Alvarez, 2009)

32. Vo2Max development
First phase: High-volume of tehnical and tactical training

33. Second week: General preparatory period
- prevention and proprioception
(lower volume)
- core strength (same as week 1)
- Basic (whole body) strength
- aerobic-anaerobic development
- SAQ training

34. Second week: General preparatory period
BASIC STRENGTH:
Monday & Thursday
Squats, Pull ups, Deadlift
4 sets x 5 repetitions
After the strength training -> 15 minutes
of technical training + training match 15 minutes
POSTERIOR KINETIC CHAIN
Hamstrings – gluteus – lower back

35. Aerobic – anaerobic development
Second week: General preparatory period
Tuesday & Friday
1. Small-sided games: various games –
players must be constantly in the zone of
Vo2Max (90-95% HRM - heart rate max)
2. Billat protocol: 15/15 seconds or 30/30
seconds interval training at 90% HRM – can
be executed through various drills with
cones, hurdles, ladders...
3. 4x4 interval training: 4 intervals of 4
minutes of high intensity exercise followed
with 3 minutes of active recovery
players pitch BPM
1 v 1 20 x 15 m 183
2 v 2 20 x 15 m 179
3 v 3 20 x 15 m 164
2 v 2 25 x 20 m 180
3 v 3 25 x 20 m 166

36. Second week: General preparatory period
SAQ training
Speed - improve your
running and movement
Agility - improve your
ability to change direction
without compromising
balance, co-ordination or
technique
Quickness - improve your
reaction time and the
initiation of movement

37. Third week: General preparatory period
- prevention and proprioception (lower volume)
- core strength
- plyometrics (low volume)
- aerobic – anaerobic development (peak)
- SAQ

38. Third week: General preparatory period
Plyometrics
… is defined as exercises that enable a muscle to reach its
maximum strength in as short a time as possible
PLYOMETRIC IMPROVES
- ACCELERATION
- SPEED
- CHANGE OF DIRECTION
- JUMPING
- INJURY PREVENTION
GUIDELINES:
1. STRENGTH BASE
2. RIGHT PROGRESSION
3. NUMBER OF JUMPS
4. WORK/REST RATIO
1/5-10
Exercises: Hurdle jumps,
single leg jumps,
weighted jumps, depth
jumps, squat jumps,
medicine ball throws...

39. Fourth week: Specific preparatory period
TAPPERING – LOWER VOLUME, STILL HIGH INTENSITY
Strength and conditioning 30-40%
Technical and tactical 60-70%
SAQ drills – 3x (work/rest ratio: 1/5)
HIIT (High intensity interval training) 1x
(Tuesday)
Tabata intervals: Burpee exercise - 8x20 secs of
work/10 secs of rest
On friday and saturday Alumnus
dominated and finished first at quality
tournament (5 club from 1st and one
club from 2nd Croatian league). Alumnus
players won trophies for best player, best
goalscorer and best goalkeeper!

40. Fourth week: Specific preparatory period
REACTION DRILLS

41. Fifth week: Specific preparatory period
Prevention (monday and wednesday)
Proprioception (monday and Wednesday)
SAQ (tuesday and thursday)
Tuesday: 3 SAQ drills x 8 reps (each drill of
7-8 seconds; work/rest ratio 1/5)
Thursday: 2 SAQ drills x6 reps (each drill of
5-6 seconds; work/rest ratio 1/5)
FRIDAY, 5.10.2013: VRGORAC – ALUMNUS 2-5

42. Weekly periodisation
MONDAY dynamic flexibility, prevention, core strength 30 min; futsal specific 90 min
TUESDAY dynamic flexibility, running technique, aerobic/anaerobic 45 min; futsal specific 75 min
WEDNESDAY prevention, hamstring/glutes, SAQ (work/rest 1/3) 45 min; futsal specific 75 min
THURSDAY dynamic flexibility, core strength, speed & reaction drills 20 min; futsal 70 min
FRIDAY dynamic flexibility, SAQ (work/rest 1/5) 20 min; futsal specific 40 min
SATURDAY match day
SUNDAY rest day
Players with less playing time -> additional training sessions (before or after main training) 1-3x

43. Additional training sessions

44. PERIODIZATION
...is a systematic planning of athletic or physical training. The aim is to
reach the best possible performance in the most important competition
of the year. It involves progressive cycling of various aspects of a training
program during a specific period

45. TAPERING
According to research, the best type of exercise program for highly
trained individuals to perform during a tapering period is one in which
volume is greatly reduced but training intensity remains high.
The reduction in training volume allows for ample recovery and
“supercompensation,” and the brief high-intensity training program gives
enough stimuli to prevent detraining (Shepley et al. 1992)
1. Start of the week: higher volume drills (Vo2Max
maintaining or development)
2. Mid-week SAQ drills: high intensity 8-12 seconds work,
30 seconds rest, 3 sets x 6-8 reps
3. Day before the match: high intensity SAQ 4-6 seconds
work, 30 seconds rest, 2 sets x 6-8 reps

46. PRE-GAME (MATCH DAY) TRAINING
Don't exhaust, do activate!
Pre-game training, when done correctly, activates the Central Nervous system [CNS]
which is the brain to muscle connection
Duration: 15-20 minutes
5 minutes dynamic flexibility
3-4 exercises for muscle activation (hamstrings, core, gluteus...)
2-3 exercises for CNS activation (hops, jumps, ladder drills...)
2-3 minutes running technique (skips)
5-10 minutes low intensity futsal games
2-3 minutes stretching

47. PRE-GAME (MATCH DAY) TRAINING

48. GOALKEEPERS TRAINING
- SAQ drills
- Plyometrics
- Reaction drills

49. RECOVERY AND REGENERATION
Physical:
- Stretching
- Cold or cold/warm showers
- Low-intensity small sided games (-65% HRM)
- Slow running (-65% HRM)
Nutritional:
- Replenish water and electrolytes
- Higher intake of carbohydrates – daily base of 7-8
grams per kg/body mass
- Important first 4 hours – 1.2 gram of CH per kg
- Chocolate milk!

50. MYOFASCIAL MASSAGE

51. FC Alumnus: Second part of the season - summary
Regular season ended 18.4.2014.
Alumnus finished at 2nd place
Direct to the semifinals (versus winner of 3rd vs 6th
match)
Semifinals started 10.5.2014.
Croatian cup, Quarter finals: Alumnus – Split Tommy 2-3

52. Croatian championship: Play-off
Three weeks preparatory period
2x4 days of conditioning programs (+1 day rest between microcycles)
First microcycle: strength and vo2max development
Second microcycle: Speed, agility and quickness
Last 8 days – 80% futsal specific training, 20% fitness

53. Play off: semifinals and finals
SEMIFINALS: ALUMNUS – MURTER 2-0
1.match: Alumnus – Murter 5-2
2.match: Murter – Alumnus 4-4 (5-6)
FINALS: ALUMNUS – MAKARSKA 3-2
1.match: Alumnus – Makarska 4-1
2.match: Makarska – Alumnus 5-2
3.match: Alumnus – Makarska 5-3
4.match: Makarska – Alumnus 9-2
5.match: Alumnus – Makarska 3-2

54. KEY POINTS OF ALUMNUS SUCCES
• Extremely motivated players
• Quality cooperation between headcoach, 1st assistant and fitness coach
• Group of young, talented players leaded by three older (31, 32 and 37)
experienced players
• Serious acces to every training session
• Absence of injuries