simplify
As an athlete who is trying to improve, we live in a time where there are so many different inputs to take knowledge from. The emergence of social media into what it is now, with AI to compound on top of this, means that there is so much information out there for us to consume and then apply to our own progression. However, much of this information has not come from a benevolent source. It is often being angled to sell you something or just downright sensational. Knowing how to move forward is overwhelming, as there always seems like there is something being missed out on. There are so many different sources claiming to have the training session to make you the fastest player on your team or the conditioning session that will have you winning your pre season fitness test; it is tough to navigate the most effective way forward.
The answer is to simplify. Distill your game down to the bare bones. Analyse your strengths and weaknesses in order to attack each thing from first principles. The problem with much of the information that we are inundated with on social media now is that it all claims to be the quick fix to something that doesn’t have one. They promote their sessions like their one quirky method will get you results because it looks different to the others. The amount of ‘sport specific’ sessions I have seen posted that are just downright outrageous is staggering. Elite performance is exciting and glamorous, but the road to it is not. 99% of it is ‘boring’ repetition of the fundamental factors that make up the sport.
There is a reason why you hear stories of players like Cantona, Foden, Bruno Fernandes and Berbatov swearing by wall and ball sessions. Ronaldo doing thousands upon thousands of repetitions of stepover variants. All of this work is simple, it takes the thing you’re trying to progress and attacks it directly. It is effective when done to the point of mastery.
I believe that this is the well in which elite performance lies. The barrier to entry is doing all of these basic fundamental things so much that they become second nature. Most people are not willing to commit to this, so they resort to these miracle quick fixes that social media gurus force down your throat. To be an elite footballer (in any position) you need to have game understanding, technical ability and the physical profile to impose yourself on the game. The answers are out there. But are you willing to put in the man hours that it requires to get there. This is a question that I ask myself everyday. The 20 minutes spent with the wall after training that racks up another thousand touches. Are you willing to do this for years on end? Don’t be surprised when you see the elite players pluck an 80 yard diag out of the sky. There are levels. Pay the price to enter. Or stay at the door wondering why you can’t get in.
