Advice needed on fitness/performance in sport

thirdmantackle

Right, i am a fairly fit person and play field sports - GAA and soccer. GAA mainly at the mo

Was playing great stuff at the beginning of the summer. Doing a little gymwork when i could, lots of skills practicing

recently I have found my energy levels and my basic skill level in these sports drop off. I have lost my place on the team recently due to my poor performance levels at training and in matches. i stopped going to the gym end of June (but only cause i'm doing so much team training)

Now, I get plenty of sleep and recovery time between training and matches. Eat very well (I think), drink litres of water, don't go near pubs etc

Any suggestions on how to turn things around again?
Its really annoying me that I'm busting my hole at training and I seem to be performing worse as the season goes on.

Thanks in advance

Black Swan

thirdmantackle wrote: »

Eat very well (I think),

The answer to your question may be here? Check out your nutrition and diet?

frebel

seems to be you've gone a little "stale"- peaking too early in your fitness levels which has adversely affected your confidence and consequently your ability to perform basic skills. I've been in this situation before and it seems the more you try, the worse you play.

Start rebuilding your confidence by doing simple things well in training e.g. passing, chasing, tracking, tackling etc

In your own time, practice one or two areas you feel weakest in - fielding, left foot kicking - until you make tangible progress.

Sometimes you just tired of doing the same sport 3/4 times a week- maybe a silly game of 5 a side soccer, ball alley hurling, tennis will help bring a bit more enjoyment back into your football.

Try to remember why you play football - these may help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StcMJkQ80ns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRtkOUsT5eg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH1pS3on6F8

A course of centrum might help you feel more mentally alert and less fatigued.


Trust in our own abilities and quieten that nagging, negative 'inner' voice.
Hope it turns around for ya




Some interesting articles on mental side on martineffect.co.uk including some focusing on gaa



Football: Robbie Savage - Trying Too Hard!

Robbie Savage - Lower The Bar

'Ineffective'. The words of Paul Jewell, describing the form of Robbie Savage. 'Robbie is very low on confidence', the Derby County manager continued to say. Robbie Savage - low on confidence? For a player who has made his reputation on his trademark ability to scrap, its an unusual revelation. Savage was the player who never ever seemed to have self-doubt. It was this sense of self-certainty that meant you either loved him, or hated him.

Paul Jewell goes on to suggest that maybe Robbie Savage is trying too hard. Maybe trying too hard to show he hasn't lot that edge. Hasn't lost that abrasiveness. Trying to prove that he still has the Robbie Savage X factor.

When a player tries too hard, they put more pressure on themselves than they can handle in that moment. Pressure that can come from reputation. Pressure that can come from expectation. For example, trying to play at an 8/10 level when in fact you are feeling at a 2/10.

When you try to play at 8/10 but feel at a 2/10, then the gap between the two, creates feelings of frustration. Frustration which means that you demand of the 2/10 that it plays at an 8/10. The 2/10 then feels bad because it can't meet the demand that is put on it. Bad feelings; frustration; lack of understanding about why you can't perform at 8/10. The harder you try the worse it gets.

The only solution to this dilemma, is to stop trying to perform at an 8/10 level. Set the performance bar much lower. Begin at a 2/10 level. Get the lost confidence back by doing simple things. Have success at 2/10. But make sure, that at 2/10. you commit yourself fully to what you are doing.

Once confidence is established at 2/10, then set the bar at 3/10 and build upwards. Build confidence. One step at a time. Until there is harmony between what you want to do and what you can do. Then confidence will be restored.

When a player has high expectations, they may baulk at setting the bar at a mere 2/10. But, it is the best and soundest way of rebuilding lost confidence. If they can swallow their undoubted pride!

thirdmantackle

Right, well definitely don't want to end up like Robbie Savage...

I've looked at the diet, and I can safely say I am eating very well. good breakfasts, healthy lunches, good dinners. not eating junk. lots of fruit, yogurts etc

you could well be right about the fitness thing. it is very hard to play well in every game and training. though i did take a week and half break from training in late July. might just go and do a bit more swimming or something instead of practicing the basic skills all the time

thewools

How about approaching a game differently...

Eg:

Aim for 30 touches of the ball throughout the game

3-5 blocks / interceptions if a defender

Take my man on

etc

Turbulent Bill

thirdmantackle wrote: »

Right, well definitely don't want to end up like Robbie Savage...

I've looked at the diet, and I can safely say I am eating very well. good breakfasts, healthy lunches, good dinners. not eating junk. lots of fruit, yogurts etc

you could well be right about the fitness thing. it is very hard to play well in every game and training. though i did take a week and half break from training in late July. might just go and do a bit more swimming or something instead of practicing the basic skills all the time

You seem to have a strong emphasis on skills, which is important but might cause you to be a perfectionist on the pitch. Without getting too analytical, are you always looking for the perfect pass, shot etc. and then feeling down when it doesn't happen? This can lead to a vicious circle where one failure can lead you trying to do something even more difficult and so on. Maybe relax a bit into the game and let it happen?

If you are feeling a bit drained you could ask your GP for a blood test to rule out anything obvious.

thirdmantackle

wouldn't be a perfectionist, but hate when i make mistakes with basic skills. i am way too hard on myself.

being under pressure for a place on the team doesn't help i suppose.

if i have 20 mins spare time in the evening i go out kicking a ball against a wall. i might be winding myelf up to much. i've tried not looking at a football from one training to the next

might just go to the GP and get a check up anyway. its been a long time...

thirdmantackle

i have basically cut out all skills practice between trainings (to stop my mind worrying about little mistakes)

took on board the bit of advice here about concentrating on doing one or two things right in training (so I'm winning the ball and looking to lay it off - thats it)

seems to be working. much better performance the last few days. we'll see how it continues.

Patto

Just a shot in the dark: has your team training changed much since the start of the summer? Has the intensity increased for example, more all out sprints?

I found a couple of times in recent years, espiceally if I hadn't enough conditioning done, that when the intensity of training sessions increased around championship time, that recovery and fatigue because a hugh issue. If I did 2 high intensity sessions during the week, I would often be completely shagged, no energy and grumpy hell on a Saturday morning.

By high intensity I mean lots of all out sprints. This is very hard on your CNS in a similiar way as doing lots of maximium effort lifts in the gym would.

Doing conditioning sessions with limited recovery, which feel tougher than the sprints when you are doing them are not as hard on you CNS.

If you are fatigued you will make more skills mistakes too.

thirdmantackle

well, I'd say my fitness was building up nicely until July but has levelled off since - little improvement, maybe even gone back slightly.

might look at hitting the gym again for a few weeks (once a week) to get the body moving on again.

BrotherTotz

frebel wrote: »

seems to be you've gone a little "stale"- peaking too early in your fitness levels which has adversely affected your confidence and consequently your ability to perform basic skills. I've been in this situation before and it seems the more you try, the worse you play.

Start rebuilding your confidence by doing simple things well in training e.g. passing, chasing, tracking, tackling etc

In your own time, practice one or two areas you feel weakest in - fielding, left foot kicking - until you make tangible progress.

Sometimes you just tired of doing the same sport 3/4 times a week- maybe a silly game of 5 a side soccer, ball alley hurling, tennis will help bring a bit more enjoyment back into your football.

Try to remember why you play football - these may help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StcMJkQ80ns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRtkOUsT5eg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH1pS3on6F8

A course of centrum might help you feel more mentally alert and less fatigued.


Trust in our own abilities and quieten that nagging, negative 'inner' voice.
Hope it turns around for ya




Some interesting articles on mental side on martineffect.co.uk including some focusing on gaa



Football: Robbie Savage - Trying Too Hard!

Robbie Savage - Lower The Bar

'Ineffective'. The words of Paul Jewell, describing the form of Robbie Savage. 'Robbie is very low on confidence', the Derby County manager continued to say. Robbie Savage - low on confidence? For a player who has made his reputation on his trademark ability to scrap, its an unusual revelation. Savage was the player who never ever seemed to have self-doubt. It was this sense of self-certainty that meant you either loved him, or hated him.

Paul Jewell goes on to suggest that maybe Robbie Savage is trying too hard. Maybe trying too hard to show he hasn't lot that edge. Hasn't lost that abrasiveness. Trying to prove that he still has the Robbie Savage X factor.

When a player tries too hard, they put more pressure on themselves than they can handle in that moment. Pressure that can come from reputation. Pressure that can come from expectation. For example, trying to play at an 8/10 level when in fact you are feeling at a 2/10.

When you try to play at 8/10 but feel at a 2/10, then the gap between the two, creates feelings of frustration. Frustration which means that you demand of the 2/10 that it plays at an 8/10. The 2/10 then feels bad because it can't meet the demand that is put on it. Bad feelings; frustration; lack of understanding about why you can't perform at 8/10. The harder you try the worse it gets.

The only solution to this dilemma, is to stop trying to perform at an 8/10 level. Set the performance bar much lower. Begin at a 2/10 level. Get the lost confidence back by doing simple things. Have success at 2/10. But make sure, that at 2/10. you commit yourself fully to what you are doing.

Once confidence is established at 2/10, then set the bar at 3/10 and build upwards. Build confidence. One step at a time. Until there is harmony between what you want to do and what you can do. Then confidence will be restored.

When a player has high expectations, they may baulk at setting the bar at a mere 2/10. But, it is the best and soundest way of rebuilding lost confidence. If they can swallow their undoubted pride!

.

OP I have been in similar situations myself and I would reckon you are def sounding a little "burnt out". I short break might help you regain your enthusiasm which is vital if you want to play anywhere near your potential. You have to "want" to play and you don't sound like someone who is enjoying it.