The Off-Season grind: Players hitting the Gym
Table of Contents
- 1. The Off-Season grind: Players hitting the Gym
- 2. Why Train Outside the club?
- 3. The Rise of the Private Coaching Entourage: A Football PlayerS New Normal?
- 4. Building a Winning Team: Beyond the Club
- 5. Clashing Priorities: Club vs. Personal Development
- 6. Communication and Collaboration: The Key to Avoiding Conflict
- 7. Navigating the Future: Finding Balance
- 8. The Risky Business of Private training for Footballers
- 9. The Coach’s Outlook
- 10. The Private Trainer’s Dilemma
- 11. The Rise of Elite athlete Support Teams: 292 Performance and the Future of Football Training
- 12. Concerns Over Private Training and Player Safety
- 13. 292 Performance: A holistic Approach to Player Development
- 14. The Rise of Private Performance Teams for Elite Athletes
- 15. More Than Just Fitness
- 16. A Collaborative Approach
- 17. Setting a New Standard
- 18. why Choose Private Performance?
- 19. The Rise of Self-Improvement in Football Training
- 20. Beyond Team Training: The Power of Individual Focus
- 21. Cole Palmer: A Testament to Individual development
- 22. The Digital Age of Self-Improvement
- 23. The Rise of Private Training: Why Premier League players Are Seeking Outside Help
- 24. Seeking Consistency and Stability in an Unstable World
- 25. The Lure of Individualized Attention
- 26. low Wages and a Lack of Experience: The Club Perspective
- 27. Clubs Acknowledge the Trend
- 28. The Potential Downside: Overtraining and Injury Risk
While private training can offer numerous benefits, there is a concern that it may be contributing to player burnout and injuries. “My worry is that players are not getting enough rest. We’ve got all the technology, better pitches, better equipment, better boots, recovery and medical knowledge than ever, yet injuries are going up,” Phillips cautions. “OK, we’re playing more games, but are they also doing too much? In some respects, probably.”
Conclusion
- 29. The Rise of Personalized Performance: Athletes Building Their Own Support Teams
- 30. Behind the Trend: Why Athletes Are Taking charge
- 31. Finding the Balance: Collaboration and Independence
- 32. How are clubs collaborating with private trainers to provide a balance of individual focus and team advancement?
- 33. The Benefits of Collaboration
- 34. The Future of Private Training in football
It’s July 2023,and social media is flooded with images of footballers pushing their physical limits. Take Jordan Henderson,for example,the former Liverpool captain,who posted a picture of himself hammering a punchbag,muscles rippling with sweat.
This kind of dedication isn’t uncommon during the off-season.Players around the world, from Premier League stars to Championship hopefuls, use the break to hone their fitness with private trainers in exotic locations like Dubai, Spain, and portugal.
Its a win-win situation for both clubs and players. Everyone wants athletes to be in top shape come pre-season, and these privately funded fitness programs seem like the perfect solution.
Why Train Outside the club?
But what about during the season? Why are top-flight footballers in England, Spain, and Germany increasingly opting for private fitness programs when they already have access to world-class facilities and coaching staff at their clubs?
Performance specialist John Phillips, who has extensive experience in club football across various leagues, including the Premier League and championship, and has worked with both players and teams, sheds some light on this trend.
“ During my time working in English football, I noticed a growing number of players utilizing external practitioners,” Phillips reveals. “Unfortunately, not all of these programs were suitable, and this became a recurring concern.”
He points to a phenomenon where players start assembling their own “private support teams,” sometimes leading to conflicting training methodologies and potential risks to their in-season performance.
The Rise of the Private Coaching Entourage: A Football PlayerS New Normal?
In the fiercely competitive world of professional football, players are constantly seeking an edge. This insatiable drive for betterment has led to a new trend: the rise of private coaching entourages.
Building a Winning Team: Beyond the Club
Football agent Matt Kleinman observes that assembling a personal team of specialists — from nutritionists to data analysts, technical coaches, and fitness trainers — is now commonplace among elite players. ”It’s extremely prevalent at the top levels,” says Kleinman. “If you look at the old Dave brailsford beliefs of those extra one percent gains — that’s where it originated from: showing players how they could get an advantage over others.”
The influence of superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, whose rigorous training regimen is widely known, has further fueled this trend. Many aspiring players model themselves on such icons, seeking to emulate their dedication and hard work.
Clashing Priorities: Club vs. Personal Development
GO DEEPER
Brailsford’s story, part one: The rise of Mr Marginal Gains and the road to Manchester united
However, this pursuit of marginal gains can sometimes clash with the club’s priorities.
“Sometimes, players will tell the club they want to work on something after training and the club will say no,” explains Kleinman, “as they’re monitoring their load and don’t want them doing any more, which you can understand when they have back-to-back games. But it’s tricky: you don’t want them getting injured, but then you don’t want to deter them from being hungry and focused and trying to better themselves either.”
Kleinman shares anecdotes of players who are adamant about their weekly sessions with personal strength and conditioning coaches, technical coaches, and data analysts, believing these activities are crucial for their mental sharpness and peak performance.
Communication and Collaboration: The Key to Avoiding Conflict
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner acknowledges the prevalence of private coaching in modern football, noting the challenge it presents for clubs.
“In this time we are living, most of our players have their own coaches, physiotherapists. On the one side, we like professional players who care about their bodies. But this is a challenge every single club has now, trying to find the best communication,” says Glasner. “Our fitness department and our doctors are always connected with the individual coaches of the players and it’s clear that if someone wants to train we always get the information.”
A former Premier League head physiotherapist, now working privately, warns of the potential downsides of this trend. “There are loads doing it,” he says anonymously, ”but from my personal perspective, it just further increases their injury risk. It makes those people (private trainers) money and they feed off players who want to work harder. If they work alongside the clubs, then that’s great. But if they don’t communicate, it will only lead to problems.”
The use of private coaching entourages in football is a complex issue with both potential benefits and risks.Open communication and collaboration between clubs, players, and private coaches are essential to ensure player welfare and maximize performance without unnecessarily increasing injury risk.
The Risky Business of Private training for Footballers
the world of professional football is a demanding one, with players constantly striving to improve their performance and stay ahead of the competition. Many turn to private trainers for customized fitness regimes and specialized training outside of their club commitments.
Former Leicester City full-back Danny Simpson is one such player who utilized private trainers during the off-season and periods without a club contract. However, he hesitated to engage in private training during the season, admitting, “I’ve never really been sure about that, because you’re training every day.”
The Coach’s Outlook
Steve Hard, head of medical at Portsmouth Football Club, highlights the communication challenges that can arise when players engage in private training alongside their club commitments. “If I’m a coach, I would rather my players were only at the training ground so that I have control over what they’re doing,” Hard explains. “If you have a player who goes off and does an hour somewhere and doesn’t tell you and then comes into training the next day tired, the manager might think he’s been up all night playing PlayStation, when actually he’s been doing extra work. So communication is key.”
The Private Trainer’s Dilemma
The potential for injury adds another layer of complexity to the relationship between players and private trainers. As renowned private trainer, Phillips, points out, “as a private trainer, you’re always an easy target because the club is always going to say, ‘It’s not us, it’s them’.
Even if you have a good relationship with the club, it’s always going to be nice until something goes wrong and then they’ll say, ‘What did you do?’ And you can’t prove (who’s at fault) either way. It’s a risky business.”
For private trainers, the financial repercussions of a player sustaining an injury during their training sessions can be significant. While most trainers carry public liability insurance, it may not be sufficient to cover the significant costs associated with a top-flight footballer sidelined for an extended period.
The Rise of Elite athlete Support Teams: 292 Performance and the Future of Football Training
The world of professional football is constantly evolving, with players seeking every possible edge to enhance their performance and longevity. Increasingly, elite athletes are turning away from the conventional model of relying solely on club support and are rather seeking out specialized autonomous support teams.
Concerns Over Private Training and Player Safety
This trend has sparked debate, especially regarding the lack of regulation and oversight in the private training sector. Kalvin Phillips, a prominent footballer, voiced concerns about the potential risks involved. “The amount of money players have spent on private trainers, and the lack of any real tracking on what they’ve done under the supervision of a private trainer (Phillips estimates £500,000 at least), is slim to none,” he said.
Phillips believes that a major incident is inevitable. “It’s something that’s bubbling and I think is going to implode at some point,” he warned. “There will be a big case where someone gets sued and it will probably end up with only a few people who do it but are set up properly.”
292 Performance: A holistic Approach to Player Development
Among the companies addressing these concerns is 292 performance, founded by Dr. Ben Rosenblatt, who previously held the position of lead men’s physical performance coach at the Football Association (FA) for seven years. 292 Performance distinguishes itself by offering a thorough support team for “high performers,” including physical coaches, nutritionists, psychologists, and data scientists.
Their client roster boasts notable names like raheem Sterling, danny Ings, Rico Henry, and kalvin Phillips, demonstrating the growing trust in their approach.
Rosenblatt was driven to establish 292 Performance after noticing a significant gap in the support available to elite athletes. “I also felt that a lot of it was done to self-promote the trainer rather than support the needs of the players,” he explained. “I wanted to set up a company that genuinely supports the players over the long term and did that by working really closely with all the people who are involved in their development, be that their agents, management teams, clubs, NGBs, and taking more of a holistic perspective around their long-term development.”
The company’s commitment to collaboration and transparency sets it apart, aiming to ensure the well-being and long-term success of its clients. As the landscape of professional football continues to evolve, 292 Performance exemplifies a proactive and player-centered approach to athlete development.
The Rise of Private Performance Teams for Elite Athletes
A new breed of performance team is emerging, catering exclusively to elite athletes looking to gain an edge. 292 Performance, founded by former FA physiotherapist James Rosenblatt, is at the forefront of this movement, offering a bespoke service tailored to the unique demands of professional sports.
More Than Just Fitness
While the idea of a personal trainer might conjure images of gym sessions and gruelling workouts,292’s approach is far more holistic. They provide comprehensive support, encompassing everything from injury prevention and recovery to nutrition, sleep optimization, and mental wellbeing.
“In reality,” Rosenblatt explains, “a lot of our work with players continues throughout the season.But what kind of work can really be done with a player mid-season when they’re playing so many games? For the Jude Bellinghams and Declan Rices of the world, maybe 10 or 15 players, it’s different. But the rest are fighting for their place in the team or the starting line-up. Some are only playing once a week. some have been completely sidelined – they have a high value to the club but not to the manager.”
A Collaborative Approach
Rosenblatt is adamant that 292’s role is to complement, not conflict with, the existing structures within clubs. They prioritize open communication and regular meetings with club staff to ensure everyone is aligned and working towards the same goal.
“We will capture and collect their data, but we’ll never tell a player that they have to take a rest tommorow or that they need to do more,” Rosenblatt emphasizes. “It’s the club’s obligation to prepare them for the next fixture and our responsibility to look after them over the longer term.”
This collaborative approach extends to refusing work with players who haven’t contacted their club. “If there isn’t any communication, that’s when things tend to break down. It’s not going to end well for anybody — especially not the player,” Rosenblatt warns.
Setting a New Standard
Rosenblatt’s ambition is enterprising: to establish 292 as the industry standard for private performance services to elite athletes. While they can’t match the insurance coverage of a Premier League club due to financial constraints, they mitigate risk through meticulous record-keeping and clear communication.
“So there should never really be a situation where an athlete or team says, ‘You’re liable for X, Y and Z’. We have detailed records of everything that’s gone on and why, every decision that’s been made and how it’s been communicated with everybody,” Rosenblatt states.
why Choose Private Performance?
What motivates players to seek out these individualized services? former players and experts offer diverse perspectives. Some suggest athletes crave a break from the intense training ground surroundings, finding solace in a fresh setting.
Others, like former player turned coach David Kleinman, point to a potential lack of personalized attention once players graduate from academy to first-team level. “throughout their scholarships, players receive constant individual development and care,” he observes. “Once they reach the first team, that individualized focus frequently enough diminishes”
As the world of elite sport becomes increasingly competitive, private performance teams like 292 are poised to play an even more crucial role, providing athletes with the personalized support they need to thrive.
The Rise of Self-Improvement in Football Training
The world of professional football is intensely competitive, with players constantly striving for an edge. While team training is undoubtedly crucial, a growing trend emphasizes the importance of individualized, off-pitch development. This shift in mindset recognizes the potential for significant gains when players take ownership of their physical and technical growth.
Beyond Team Training: The Power of Individual Focus
Some experts argue that the focus on team dynamics within club settings can sometimes overshadow the unique needs of individual players.
“[Footballers] might be training maybe five or six hours a day. When they get beyond that, it’s almost like they’re training two hours a day. There’s very little focus on the individual, on their development and their technical skills,” explains a leading performance analyst.
Personal trainer Nathan Palmer, who has been working with Chelsea player Cole Palmer since he was 15, echoes this sentiment. “in a club setting, it’s focused around the whole team, rather than just one singular person. So if you’ve got that focus on yourself rather than the whole team, then you’re going to get more benefit from actual one-to-one training than you are in a team setting,” Palmer shared in an interview with Sports Gazette.
Cole Palmer: A Testament to Individual development
Cole Palmer himself credits his dedicated individual training with significant on-field improvements. In an Instagram reel posted last year, he emphasized the benefits of working with Nathan.
“my training with Nathan improves a lot of things on the pitch that people don’t see — like your core strength and power. Even if it’s only a few times a week, you can really see the benefits,” Palmer stated.
He also offered advice to aspiring professional athletes, emphasizing the crucial role of self-improvement: “Any advice I’d give to young players coming up trying to be a professional athlete is, you might not see the benefits straight away but I think working in the gym and doing your stuff off the pitch is really vital to becoming good on the pitch.”
The Digital Age of Self-Improvement
The rise of social media platforms like Instagram has provided trainers with a powerful tool to spread their message of self-improvement.They can share insights, training techniques, and success stories, inspiring players to take control of their development and unlock their full potential.
As exemplified by Cristiano Ronaldo’s early adoption of rigorous individual training regimes, the modern footballer understands that achieving greatness requires a holistic approach that extends beyond team practice. The future of football belongs to those who embrace the power of self-improvement.
The Rise of Private Training: Why Premier League players Are Seeking Outside Help
In the high-stakes world of Premier League football, where careers are fleeting and competition is fierce, players are increasingly turning to private trainers to gain an edge.
Seeking Consistency and Stability in an Unstable World
For many footballers, the club environment can feel like a revolving door. “A player might have a 10-to-20-year career,” says performance coach Ben Rosenblatt, “and they might see how many managers, coaches and fitness staff across that period?” This lack of consistency can make it difficult for players to find a training program that truly works for them.
“They have a sense of the kind of stuff that works for them so they want some consistency around that,” explains Rosenblatt. “They’re thinking about themselves as an individual and how to maximise themselves for the club.”
Trust also plays a crucial role. “sometimes there is a breakdown of trust or personality clashes like there are in all walks of life,and that stimulates players to look elsewhere,” Rosenblatt adds.
The Lure of Individualized Attention
The rise of private training isn’t just about consistency; it’s also about receiving truly individualized attention.While clubs utilize extensive video analysis and data, this information isn’t always translated into personalized training plans. One Premier League player Rosenblatt works with, who has amassed over 200 appearances and 50 goals, confided: “I realised I needed to ‘do things differently’ if I was going to keep playing at the top level. The physical demands of football catch up with you,especially when you’ve had a few injuries along the way. I knew I needed to look after my body better, manage my training.”
low Wages and a Lack of Experience: The Club Perspective
While players seek individual attention and stability, some industry insiders suggest that clubs are contributing to this trend through underpayment and a lack of experienced staff.
“Football often tends to underpay backroom staff,” explains sports therapist, Michael Kleinman. “They feel they’re a dime a dozen; everyone wants to be involved in the game, so they’re doing them a favour rather than the other way around. Eventually, the best get frustrated with it.”
This sentiment is echoed by former EPL physiotherapist, Kevin Phillips. “People are so desperate to get into football now, particularly English football, that they are prepared to do so much for so little,” he observes. “What a lot of them don’t have is experience. There are a lot of cases where people are being put in charge of very expensive assets with potentially not enough experience either to be able to drive performance or challenge things that are maybe inappropriate.
“I don’t know many industries where you would get someone who is being paid £25,000 a year overseeing someone who’s worth £20million-30m.”
Clubs Acknowledge the Trend
Clubs are aware of the increasing popularity of private training.”A number of clubs now are trying to say, ‘We certainly know you’re going to do it, but if you are, then use one of these two or three practitioners who we know and trust’,” says Phillips. However, he believes that ultimately, prohibiting private training in contracts is unlikely to be effective.
