In life, just like in sports, the environment shapes us — either in a positive or negative way — and directly affects the performance of everyone within it.
One of my goals as a strength and conditioning coach is to help create a high-performance environment: one built on discipline, scientific knowledge, commitment, communication, teamwork, clear roles, and good energy. The aim is to bring each person, both individually and collectively, closer to their best version.
Every four years, a new World Cup takes place, and with it come new trends in the game, its rules, technology, and physiological demands.
The distance covered during a match at high-speed running intensity — over 20 km/h — has increased by 30%, while sprinting distance — over 25 km/h — has doubled compared to the 2000s.
The physical robustness and structure of top-level football players is undoubtedly stronger than in previous generations.
By 2030, players are expected to cover even more distance through sprints and high-speed running, become stronger, and play in matches with an even higher tempo.
Preparing football players for the current and future demands of the game, while giving the head coach as many available players as possible, is the main challenge for a strength and conditioning coach within a coaching staff.
Training is not just about performance. It is also about educating athletes — regardless of their age, experience, or status — and making an impact on them both professionally and, above all, personally.
Human groups and society need boundaries, but they also need something that is becoming increasingly rare: empathy and positive energy. These are the first steps toward building something meaningful and leaving a mark, both in sports and in life.
Knowledge matters a lot, but so do soft skills. We work with people, not robots.
The nature of football has changed in recent years. It has become a sport where explosive efforts are repeated more and more often throughout a match, and where the physical profile of players has evolved toward fitter, stronger, and more robust bodies.
Whether we are talking about explosive efforts or about building a strong, solid structure that allows you to compete against the best, one thing is clear: the foundation of all of it is gym work.
If I want to be powerful, I first need to be strong. And to become strong, I first need to step into the gym consistently and master the basic exercises of the weight room.
It is not about doing strange or overly complex things. It is about doing the basics well.
By developing good movement patterns and higher levels of strength, we become more robust and more powerful, while also significantly reducing the risk of injury.
Based on my experience, scientific knowledge, and the exchange I have had with colleagues and athletes, I can confidently say that athletes with higher levels of strength have a lower risk of injury compared to those who avoid the gym.
Creating a tailor-made plan for each football player is another key target for a strength and conditioning coach. To achieve this, we need to work as a team with the different departments within the club in order to carry out an individual screening process and identify weak links.
Asymmetries, previous injuries, age, ethnicity, habits, body composition, and fitness level are all part of the starting point when helping athletes move closer to their best version.
Today’s sports calendars are becoming increasingly congested and demanding. As a result, an average athlete may play between 50 and 80 matches per year, depending on the league and level of competition. This also means more travel, more stress, and fewer recovery windows, which is associated with a higher risk of injury.
Combining individualized load management with both high and low training loads, while using tapering strategies to arrive at competition in the best possible condition, is essential. This must also be supported by teamwork with the nutrition and medical departments in order to establish recovery protocols that help accelerate these processes.
Reaching a first team does not necessarily mean that an athlete is ready to compete. In many cases, chronological age does not match biological age, and throughout the development process, certain skills may not have been properly stimulated due to multiple factors.
Respecting the training process and the windows of opportunity of young athletes is a basic and essential requirement for their development. This allows them to build a well-rounded foundation physically, technically, tactically, and mentally — not only for sport, but also for life.