Running Analysis in Football: How to Optimise Your Game

Football is getting faster and faster

However, we are moving more and less inefficiently. It used to be quite clear to me: After school, go to the street and kick until it became dark. Another afternoon program was not possible at all. This is different today. When the kids get home from school, they're going to the smartphone first. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Co. can be quite nice time-eaters. The time that young people spend on the Internet has more than doubled in the last 15 years.[1] It is clear that less time for sport and exercise remains. However, this increased use already shows its effects. From several conversations that I was allowed to lead with football coaches in the last few months, one thing has always been clear: The children are no longer as good as they used to. If there were two in a team of 20 children who had a noticeably bad running technique, this figure has changed today. Of 20 children, two are still very good, with most others Deficiencies in running technology and coordination. However, the deterioration of these abilities not only affects the speed and efficiency of running, but also Increased susceptibility to injury themselves. In addition, movement patterns are ground, which can have a sustainably negative impact on the health of players.

Wrong movement patterns

However, this problem does not only concern children and young people. Adults also have this problem.[2] It doesn't matter if and when what kind of sport is exercised. Through the daily multi-hour sitting, we are always in a diffracted posture. The upper body is curved for a large part of time, hip and knee joints are in a flected position and the body accordingly adapts itself by shortening the musculoskeletal system.[3] The following problem is now encountered with people who exercise a form of sport after work: The movement pattern ergo the poor posture, which we had about the majority of the day, also remains in sport. So we get to the lat pull, turn our round or go to football training. However, we do not get out of our attitude unless we deliberately deal with it – but what happens in the rarest cases. The consequences of this are pain, injuries, tension and much more.

However, since we cannot completely avoid sitting and also taking away the smartphone is often not a good idea for the children, other solutions have to come from. Especially when it comes to staying in sports and everyday life without injury and performance.

The running technique can be a Game Changer

Although speed training is at least temporarily implemented in many clubs, the running technology which has a considerable influence on the speed potential is still too rarely considered. Over the past 12 years, we have been able to carry out more than 2,800 running analyses in a variety of groups, including many footballers.

In our form of running analysis and the associated concept we have developed in recent years, the focus is on optimising the running economy in combination with adequate exercises. The running analysis offers a way to find the causes of possible problems for athletes and non-sportsmenwhich clearly distinguishes itself from symptomatic treatment. Training plans are derived from the results of this analysis in combination with tests to check the mobility of the crucial structures. These are composed of exercises for optimizing mobilization, stabilization, coordination and running technology. Always with the aim of replacing the old motion patterns with new, optimized motion patterns to achieve an improved running technique. Especially in football, this topic will gain even more importance in the coming years. On the one hand, sport is becoming increasingly technical and tactical, on the other hand, football has been a lot faster in recent years. In order to be able to withstand these requirements, a good and solid basis must be laid, especially in young years. Without these, injuries are favored and potential is not exploited.

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Why talent is not enough

Why it’s not enough to be “only” talented I had to learn on my own body. After changing to the U14 of 1860 Munich, the first year was pretty good. I got my minutes from the start, even got to a U15 tournament and lived my dream. In the second year, however, everything was different. Problems with thighs and ledge followed on a knee injury. After half a year without really playing, the dream was ended at the end of the U15 season. After a reasonable decision, I was not the only talented player.

What I definitely learned, however: In football there is (provided you can kick reasonably well), two factors, who can limit you and your career: Happiness and injuries. One of the two points can be influenced, the other cannot really be influenced.

It is all the more important to me that the importance of running technology becomes clearer. Of course, this does not ensure that injuries no longer occur at all. However, an optimized running technique and improvements in coordination, stabilization and mobilization can be used to prevent injuries. In addition to more efficient running technology, direct performance and indirect performance in the form of fewer failures are improved., which is of great importance both for the player and for team and club.

It is not for trainers to carry out a running analysis with all players and then to supervise it for several months according to this concept. Of course, this option is useful, but often difficult to implement in time. In my opinion, it is much more important to sharpen your own view and develop an eye for motion patterns. The aim should be to identify weaknesses in running technology and to know how these are to be addressed. The running analysis offers the opportunity to analyse these in detail, which can create added value for players and teams through targeted exercises. For this purpose, we have integrated a database with over 40 exercises into our training.

Conclusion

The concept of running analysis and the related exercises can ensure that players are able to meet the increasing requirements of football both in the youth and in the men’s area. It doesn't matter what age the players are at. An optimized running technique ensures that they run more efficiently, protect their health and work preventively.

The author

Yannik Hübner is one of the founders of the Academy of Running and Fitness. Even during his studies in sports management, he realized that the topic of sport and football will continue to shape his later life. Together with Olaf Remann, a long-term physiotherapist and running coach, he founded and developed the Academy in order to pass on the knowledge behind this concept and to convey it throughout Germany. In the academy, the two in the form of their own further training with several modules, weekly live covers and a presence weekend provide all necessary knowledge modules which are necessary to carry out even running analyses.

Website: www.akademie-run-fitness.de
Hübner & Remann GbR
Old mountain road 488
86899 Landsberg am Lech

Sources

[1] Statista Research Department (2022): Daily duration of Internet use by young people, online on the Internet at: https://de.statista.com/statistic/data/studie/168069/umfrage/taegliche-internetnutzung- durch-jugendliche/ (reviewed on 25.04.2023) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH

[2] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH (2020): „Haben ein Extremform der Physical Inactivity Achieved“, Online im Internet unter: https://www.faz.net/current/social/health/alarming-studie-zu-langes-sitz-in-deutschland-und-europa-16922259.html (reviewed on 26.04.2023)

[3] Keulen, Pieter: Hip pain – muscle shortening at the runner, online on the Internet at: https://www.mtc.ch/blog/2017/01/hueftbeschwerden-muskelverkuerzungen-beim-laeufer (reviewed on 26.04.2023)