Specificity of Training

Tiger Woods hits about 1000 golf balls a day- he is back at the zenith of the PGA tour, and its only a matter of time before he wins another major. Michael Phelps reportedly swims for six hours a day, six days a week, without fail. He is now the most decorated Olympian- ever. These, and many others, are pros already, so why persist? Because they are programmers.

"It is not only the exercise which modifies the body, or more specifically, the neuromuscular system, but the way in which the exercise is performed. In this regard, it is vital to remember that all exercise involves information processing in the nervous and neuromuscular systems, so that all training should be regarded as the way in which the body's extremely complex computing systems are programmed and applied in the solution of all motor tasks."- Siff

THE SCIENCE OF A FREE KICK

An approximate 10 000 hours of practice is required before a skill can be mastered, before it can become second nature, automatic, and you can be called an expert. This automated response, in neurophysiological terms, however simplistic, is the formation of an exact pathway. Take for example, a David Beckham free-kick. As he prepares, he stands with his right leg slightly forward, his body at an angle. Were he standing upright, legs together, his hip flexion / extension would be at neutral, or 0°. Fast forward his run-up and single out the right foot he is going to strike the ball with. According to Levanon and Dapena, (1998), during the backswing phase, the kicking leg moves backwards, with the hip slowly adducted, externally rotated and extending up to 29° and moving somewhere between 171.9-286.5 deg·s-1 (also Nunome et al., 2002). At the same time, the knee, with some internal rotation, flexes at an angular velocity of 745-860 deg·s-1 (Nunome et al., 2002). Again, in that pre-run up position, feet on the ground, his ankles would be at 0°. While the hip extends and the knee flexes, the ankle is plantarflexed (10°), abducted (20°) and slightly pronated (Levanon and Dapena, 1998) reaching maximum plantarflexion velocities of 860 deg·s-1 (Nunome et al., 2002). On muscular level EMG activity suggests high activation of the iliopsoas during the start of the kick which was followed by a high activation of the rectus femoris during backswing. The biceps femoris and gluteus maximus demonstrated their peaks just prior to ball impact. (Dorge et al., 1999) All this, and he hasn't touched the ball yet.

THE SAME SCIENCE UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS

A complete analysis of the kick is far beyond the scope of this article. What is within it scope is that the environment changes. It may be a shorter, left footed Leo Messi standing over the ball, or an older, medium height but no less competent Zidane. It may be right in front of the goal or some degrees either side of the posts, or even a corner. It may be a direct, or indirect free-kick, a lob during open play or an audacious attempt from the halfway line as Beckham did so many years ago. There could be a wall. Or maybe its the first ten minutes of the game, or the last minute- get this in and win the Champion's league; qualify for Euro, qualify for the World cup. And then there is the variable weather, and the crowd...

In each case, the technique is the same, but the variables must be taken into account if the kick is to be effective. If not- if the hip doesn't swing back far enough, if the knee does not flex that fast or the ankle is not at the optimum angle- I'm sure you know that if you are leaning back, even slightly when you make contact, the ball will rise and Tommy Smyth's 'auld onion bag' wont bulge. That's why they persist.

That's why you must persist. Make your first attempt. Analyze it- what went wrong? How can I change it? Pay attention to that, and try again, factoring in those changes. Got it? Good, now do it again. Whether you got it right or not, whatever you key in to the program will be recorded and that's what the system will produce when its required to. As Siff said, motor skills are a complex business and proper programming is essential. How does the program perform when its really hot outside? What about when its raining? Don't shrink from high pressure situations. Hone your skill during those circumstances just as much as in low pressure ones. Remember skill under demanding conditions is significantly different from skill under less onerous conditions. Program the neuromuscular system to perform optimally- FORM, FORM, FORM.

                                     

We must understand that it is not tireless hours of just kicking the ball that build the skill. Gross repetition of poor quality will never result in the sort of quality that improves play, result, wins trophies, etc. The difference then, between the best and the rest is the feedback they are able to collect during practice and the adjustments that they make as they strive for improvement. To quote Gray Cook (as he reflects on Geoff Colvin's Talent is Overrated), "The specific way practice is executed is what defines the deliberate practice common to those deemed talented." Only perfect practice makes perfect, so practice- perfectly.

References:

Kellis, E and Katis, A (2007). Biomechanical characteristics and determinants of instep soccer kick. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine 6, 154-165 

Levanon, J. and Dapena, J. (1998) Comparison of the kinematics of the full-instep and pass kicks in soccer. In Kellis, E and Katis, A (2007). Biomechanical characteristics and determinants of instep soccer kick. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine 6, 154-165 

Nunome, H., Asai, T., Ikegami, Y. and Sakurai, S. (2002) Three- dimensional kinetic analysis of side-foot and instep soccer kicks. In Kellis, E and Katis, A (2007). Biomechanical characteristics and determinants of instep soccer kick. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine 6, 154-165 

Siff, M. C and Verkhoshansky, Y. V (1999). Supertraining. Fourth Edition.