Rest is vital to maintain peak performances

AS THE football season winds down for some players, others are entering a period of intense activity, with the play-offs in both Scotland and England, cup finals and for some the prospect of playing well into the summer “break” with the World Cup qualifier against England next month.

With the old days of an extended eight-week break over the summer long gone, our clubs who have qualified for Europe next season face the prospect of an early return to pre-season training in order to prepare for the qualifying rounds of next year’s European competitions.

So should we not expect our players to be able to play up to 75 matches each season?

After all, many of us played sport for hours each day when we were their age – surely 90 minutes twice a week is not too much to ask?

The reality is that changes in top-level sport have resulted in a massive increase in its intensity.

This includes not only the physical demands of more and more games at a faster more intense level, but also the accompanying mental pressure.

Don’t get me wrong, our top sportsmen and women are well rewarded for their efforts and the rest of us have to get on with life and work.

But if we as paying consumers want the best quality then we have to protect those who entertain us.

Wother 50 per cent of injuries – those which are “unseen” – whose cause is overuse from repetitive trauma or overload of the tissues.

These injuries occur at two distinct times in the season. The first when the players increase the training intensity at pre-season.

The second occurs towards the end of the season when those players playing twice a week are asked to not only maintain, but also improve their level of fitness and performance.

The other factor is the “mental” effect of over-playing, estimated to affect over half of players at some stage in the season.

General fatigue, reduced mental sharpness and concentration, poor sleep pattern and general irritability go hand in hand with reduced performance on the field – much harder to measure but no less important.

As time has gone on, I have been more and more convinced of the benefits of adequate rest for players.

Coaches have now accepted this and a balance is struck between the need to get the feet up and the requirements of coaching, tactical work, maintenance of fitness and overall team preparation.

It is not about ensuring that our sportsmen and women have an easy life with plenty of time to spend their riches.

In my opinion, it’s about their welfare and health and about making sure that those of us who love our sport have something worthwhile to get excited about!