Challenges of post-COVID performance
The FFF's performance centre organised a seminar on the athletic stakes of the post-covid 19 recovery with physical trainers and experts from the L1, L2 and National 1.
The French professional clubs, including many amateur football representatives, gathered virtually on Tuesday May 26 to discuss this unprecedented situation. We would have preferred to be together in Clairefontaine but we have had to adapt to the current situation," said Florence Hardouin, FFF General Manager, in the introduction. Today's theme is key: how to prepare a return to competition after a long period of inactivity".
For more than four hours, speakers presented the six axes of this webinar (see box) to an audience of nearly 350 connected people, and each segment concluded with a question and answer session. Julien Lugier, physical trainer of the JA Drancy stated, "We are asking ourselves a lot of questions about how recovery is going to take place, what actions need to be put in place and what needs to be avoided. Having the opportunity to see what the professional clubs recommend gives us a lot of leads to explore".
Laurent Bessière, performance manager of Reims Stadium, expressed her satisfaction. "This is not my first webinar, especially since this started. It was particularly interesting, rich and varied thanks to the quality of the speakers. Being able to exchange with them on all these subjects is reassuring". As a man on the field, I was inevitably more impacted by the second part, which was more practical," explains Nasser Larguet, director of the Olympique de Marseille training centre. But we're living a new situation and speaking with many of football’s stakeholders allows us to see things a little more clearly".
Jean Claude Giuntini, then coach of the French U18 team and head of the Youth Academies, also expressed his satisfaction. "It was rich, complete, with real ideas we can put in place for the future, while maintaining humility and caution for the moment. Our directors of the Youth Academies are in the middle of recruiting new teams, so we have had to adapt to this new situation. I found a lot of similarities between what we are experiencing and the recommendations that were given, which is satisfying".
BACK TO THE WEBINAR
• Managing preparation after a long period without competition - the example of Australian football
The example of Australian football, a sport with high physical demands, was chosen because the pre-season for this sport is particularly long (minimum 4 months) and very intensive (risk of injury). Tom Kempton, Sport Science Manager at Carlton Football Club, shed light on the processes followed during these periods: personalising sessions to the needs of the players, a variety of exercises proposed to limit physical and mental fatigue, progressively intensifying training as competition resumes... valuable elements that French clubs will be able to implement in the next season.
• Reminder of the conditions and precautions related to recovery to limit the spread of the virus.
Presented by Emmanuel Orhant, Medical Director of the FFF, this segment addressed the areas of health, medicine, and athletic recovery. Reminding them of social distancing, the importance of permanent cleaning and disinfection, as well as treating individual materials and equipment. A complete overview of the many measures to be followed, for all stakeholders in the Football World (players, managers, coaches, etc.), to envisage a return to competition in optimal conditions.
• The effects of a long periods of not training in elite sports
Moderated by Laurent Bosquet, Professor of Sports Sciences at the University of Poitiers. The question here was the level of a player’s physical condition and the effects stopping training has had on their skills. When players return to training, these parameters must therefore be considered to prevent any injury and allow a return to optimal form in the most ideal way possible. This involves an adapted and progressive resumption of physical activity, an adequate diet and consideration of an athletes’ neuromuscular qualities.
• Adapting integrated physical preparation by reducing games when restarting
During this match, Sébastien Sangnier, AS Saint-Etienne's physical trainer, explained the impact of less matches on footballers. Recommendations on using pitch size to work accommodate needs (aerobic, strength, speed, power) were discussed, as well as recommended exercise times. Due to the specific nature of the current period, Sebastien also gave some tips on adapting training sessions to meet the needs of each player, knowing that the final decision is still the coaches.
• The mental and physical aspects of resuming activity after a long break
In addition to the need to return to sport for the footballer, Jean-Paul Ancian, Nottingham Forest assistant coach, also stressed the importance of taking care of the emotional and mental aspects of the players. Confinement has created shortcomings, particularly in the team, which must be remedied while taking precautions. Because of the players' desire to get back on the pitch, it is essential to manage the balance between general and specific training to achieve an optimal return to fitness, both physical and mental.
• Workload Management, Injury Prevention and Retraining
Finally, Bruno Marrier, Sport Scientist at AS Monaco, explained how his club experienced this period and what lessons had been learned. Implementation of an individual support plan (not only sports) during confinement, analysis of the NFL lockdown in 2011 and its effects on the athletes, injury observation within the club but also elsewhere in Europe in order to best adapt training and prepare for a return to competition.