GY M
ELITKLINIKEN & DJURGÅRN DAMHOCKEY
Flywheel training in football for injury
prevention and performance
Jari Puustinen
THE CHALLENGE
TO OFFER RESISTANCE EXERCISE
ALLOWING FOR
1. ACCOMODATED RESISTANCE IN THE ENTIRE
RANGE OF MOTION OF CONCENTRIC MUSCLE ACTION
2. ECCENTRIC OVERLOAD
3. MAXIMAL LOADING IN EACH REP OF A SET.
Fixed load
All reps at constant force
All reps submaximal except last
Set ends at failure to lift/pull
Constant force thru entire ROM sticking point (requires cam)
WEIGHTS
Load adapts to force, no min force required to start/operate device
All reps maximal thru ROM
Less reps/set needed
More work = ”training dose”
Isoinertia, acceleration, deceleration
nHANCE
Reps
Forc
e
Reps
Forc
e
Load
Max force
(decreases with fatigue)
Max force
(decreases with fatigue)
Time (s)
Load d
ispla
cem
ent
Pow
er
Gra
vit
ati
onal
energ
y
CON ECC
Time (s)
Fly
wheel sp
eed
Pow
er
CON ECC
No ECC overload using weights
CONVENTIONAL WEIGHT
Flywheel initially let rewind freely during ECC, braking action delayed
Power = Energy/time
More delay, less time to dissipate energy ECC overload on power
nHANCE
Delay
Kin
eti
cenerg
y
PREVENTION+PERFORMANCE
TOTAL OF 16 SESSIONS, EVERY 5 DAY FOR THE FIRST 4 WEEKS
AND EVERY 4 DAY DURING THE LAST 6 WEEKS
4X8 REPS NON FATIGUED STATE AFTER WARM-UP
FIRST 2 WEEKS SUPERVISED SESSIONS BEFORE, MIDWAY ONE
SUPERVISED SESSION, NORMAL TRAINING OTHERWISE
CON+ECC BOTH LEGS MAXIMAL EFFORT TO 130-140 KNEE
FLEXION AND THEN BRAKING AFTER KNEE 90 FLEXION UNTIL FULL
KNEE STRAIGHT
PREVENTION+PERFORMANCE
16-18 years old players !!!!!!!!!
The training program consisted of 1 or 2 sessions/wk (3–6 sets with
6 repetitions) during 10 wk + normal soccer training + games
Players, in addition to their usual soccer training, underwent an
additional concentric–eccentric training program 1 or 2 times per week
for 10 weeks
PREVENTION+PERFORMANCE
In conclusion, a 10-week exercise program based on maximal-power
concentric load and eccentric overload is effective in reducing
muscle-injury incidence and severity in junior elite soccer players.
In addition, improvements in jumping and sprinting abilities were
obtained.
These finding may have implications for future injury prevention
programs aiming to reduce the risk of hamstrings and
quadriceps strain injury, as they are the main cause of absence from
matches in soccer players.
Moreover, it seems that training at the inertia that optimizes individual
maximal power for these particular exercises was effective for improving
sprinting and jumping ability, which are explosive strength-related tasks
usually associated with performance in soccer.
In conclusion, a 10-week exercise programme based on
maximal-power concentric load and eccentric overload for
these particular exercises was effective for improving kinetic
variables during 2 COD manoeuvres (i.e., crossover and sidestep
cutting) proposed in the current study, which are explosive
strength-related tasks usually associated with performance
in football. Therefore, it appears that an athlete’s
ability to tolerate a greater eccentric load might be a critical
muscular attribute required to produce a successful COD
movement.
PERFORMANCE
Once weekly for 11 weeks. consisted of 2 sets of 6-10 repetitions in 5
specific and 3 complementary exercises.
performed every Wednesday at 7 pm, following a standardized warm-
up and prior to any technical, agility or tactical training.
Circuit-like training program was compounded by 8 exercises (6-10
reps) and was progressive such that wk 1-2: familiarization with each
exercise mode; wk 3-5: 2 sets of 6 reps; wk 6-8: 2 sets of 8 reps; and wk
9-11: 2 sets of 10 reps.
The unilateral vibration squats consisted of sets of 15 to 20 s instead
of a number of repetitions. During training on the flywheel devices,
players were encouraged to perform the concentric phase as fast as
possible, while delaying the braking action to the last third of the
eccentric phase. 1 min and 2 mins of passive recovery were provided
between-exercises and circuit sets, respectively.
Practical applications and Conclusion
In the real-world soccer-training environment, in-season there is
limited time allocated for strength training and conditioning. Thus the
quest for time-efficient strategies that could enhance specific locomotive
actions and concurrently serve to prevent injuries, are imperative. Given
the highly dynamic and stochastic nature of soccer movements there is
need to employ more challenging training methods that allow players to
perceive affordances (possibilities of action) evoking emergent behaviors
for generating optimal movement synergies. We therefore suggest
differential training and/or variability of practice principles must be
introduced to enhance complex skill efficiency in real game situations.
In conclusion, the current “proof-of-principle” study shows the unique
EVT paradigm employed (a single weekly 25-min high intensity session),
improves COD ability. Also, the strong relationship between changes in
power and COD highlights the importance of applying reactive power, i.e.,
accelerating, decelerating, braking and reaccelerating, throughout highly
propulsive 45º COD’s. Thus, gains in lower body eccentric strength and
power, elicited by this regime, appear to be carried over to COD
performance.