Are you as fit as a Premier League

academy player?
We asked Leicester Citys strength and conditioning coach Matt Willmott about
the physical demands of academy football

How big is the physical difference between Premier League and academy
football?

On a basic physical test for example a 20-metre sprint the senior academy
and first team players are probably fairly close. However, the distances covered
at high speed during training or a match would be greater in the first team. The
technical gap also raises training intensity and makes it feel a lot harder and thats
probably the biggest difference our players find. First team players are technically
superior; they can play different types of passes and move the ball quicker. The
technical difference means they have to work harder physically. From a strength
point of view, the first team players have had more years training and should be
stronger.

How do you prepare players for the demands of the Premier League?

As soon as players start at the academy at the age of eight, we use a multi-sport
system to develop basic physical skills. Once they move into the 12-14 age group,
we place a massive emphasis on promoting the quality of athletic movements
and developing correct movement patterns to ensure players can reproduce the
movements they would do in a game or training. We place importance on the
ability of players to control these movements through various positions or under
various loads where the movement is challenged. Then as they mature they can
be progressively loaded to increase strength and develop power.

How does the training change as a player goes through his growth spurt?

Normally, players will have their biggest growth spurt between the ages of 13 and
15. When they grow rapidly we need to make sure they can still move functionally
well so they avoid injury and any mobility issues caused by this growth. We have
a formula to predict when this growth will happen, which means we can
individualise their programme. We will never make the players lift heavy weights
too early but we can individualise certain exercises to challenge players who have
gone through their growth spurt earlier than others and are good movers. As they
get older, we then focus on big compound, multi-joint training methods to improve
strength, speed and power.
Which areas of physical fitness do you prioritise with academy players?

Our long-term approach to youth development is to develop all areas of physical

fitness. If you look at football from a physical perspective, they are required to be
strong and powerful but also have excellent agility and repeat this numerous
times over a 80-90-minute time period. Again, as they become older, a lot of the
physical training is tailored towards the demands of their position, we try to make
it as individual as we can. For example, a midfielder will cover more distance, but
at a lower intensity than a full-back, winger or striker, who will cover shorter
distances at a higher intensity and so training must accommodate this.

How often are players subjected to physical testing?

Our senior academy players under-18s and 23s are tested every six weeks.
Our younger age groups, from under-9s to under-16s, are tested every 12 weeks.
We test their speed using a 20-metre sprint test; vertical jumps for single and
double leg power. We also measure agility through an arrowhead run, while a
YOYO and SDS test designed by staff at the club is used to measure endurance.

Is strength monitored during these physical tests?

We put our under-18 and under-23 sides through upper and lower body strength
tests across a variety of movements. To test upper body strength well see how
much they can lift for five repetitions using a push and a pull exercise for
example a bench press and maybe a row or pull up. From that we can calculate
their one rep max, which tells us how strong they are.

For their lower body, well do the same number of reps for squats and deadlifts
and well also do a variety of plyometric jumping exercises and isometric leg press
tests. We try to diagnose our players to assess which area requires strengthening
in terms of strength or power etc, which we can use to aid programme design. We
also compare strength levels in both single legs so we can identify any
imbalances. We need to make sure they can push and pull to a good strength
level in both uppers and lower body movements.

How much weight would you expect an academy player to lift in each of
these exercises?

We tend to try and look at all the strength tests in relation to body weight. We
want all of our players to be able to lift between 1.5 and two times their bodyweight
for one repetition. Obviously, that means certain players will have different levels
of strength dependant on their bodyweight. For example, if a player weighs 90kg
and they squatted 100kg and then you had someone who is 60kg and squatted
100kg, their values would be equal but theyd be lifting very different percentages
in relation to their weight. We educate the players on this all the time.

How important is speed and how do you assess that?

Its an important attribute for the modern player. We test their speed using a 20-
metre sprint test and every player is placed in a banding (see below) ranging from
poor to excellent. We can see where theyre weak or strong and then adjust their
training to address this. Wed never use their physical tests to make an absolute
decision on whether a player would get a professional contract but to advise
coaches from a physical point of view.

Speed test banding (20 metres):

Poor = 3.17 secs or more

Below Average = 3.16 3.06 secs

Average = 3.05 2.96 secs

Good = 2.95 2.86

Excellent = 2.85 secs or less

Is it a balancing act increasing a players muscle mass while keeping them

athletic and agile?

Absolutely. We agree that what youre looking for in a player is someone who is
strong for 90 minutes. If theyre too heavy in their upper body then their movement
patterns will suffer, but we also know that a good level of strength can help to
reduce the risk of injury and aid performance. Certain players might be required
to bulk up and add muscle mass and we will provide the players with those
sessions. However we need to make sure we have correct and appropriate
nutritional strategies to see an increase in muscle mass and not body fat, which
would have a detrimental effect to performance.

How often do players do strength sessions?

For our senior players we aim for three. We do upper body and lower body
specific sessions as well as a power session. The power session involves
explosive work such as horizontal and vertical jumps and Olympic lifts with
variations of those which involve moving resistance at speed. At a younger age
we would advise one to two sessions per week, dependent on training and match
schedules.

Do you think a player blessed with athletic gifts has an advantage when it
comes to making it as a professional?

Absolutely. The game is becoming more physically demanding and players are
becoming stronger and quicker. The physical ability of a player is always judged
and reviewed prior to them being offered a contract. Unfortunately, a technically
gifted but a late developed player might not be able to show off their ability if
theyre constantly being thrown off the ball by stronger players. We will
sometimes group players based on maturity in bio banding specific sessions so
every player has the opportunity to physically compete but also shine technically.
This doesnt happen every day or week but its good to add variety to their
development.