The dream of every soccer player, young or old, is to sign a professional contract with the club he loves the most. At first glance, many believe you only have to shine during games and training sessions to get noticed. But to get to the next level and have a successful soccer career, you have to be good on and off the field.
At the Montreal Impact Academy, the ultimate goal for the players is to sign a professional contract with the first team. Regardless of the age, they have a strict training schedule to develop their talent, but coaches and trainers are also educators. They make sure each player has the tools and the education to one day put all chances on his side when it will be time to get noticed.
For Yannick Girard, physical trainer at the Academy, off-field preparation is a key element.
The term “off-field preparation” defines everything that is done off the field to maximize game form, recovery after training or a game, avoiding injuries, etc. In short, it’s everything the players have to learn to do by themselves without the help of the coach.
“For me, sleep is the most important thing for recovery,” explained Yannick Girard. “If you stretch well, get massages, do your ice baths, but don’t sleep well, you won’t recover. That’s why it’s important to teach the players on the different sleep cycles. The first two cycles are the most important for recovery, since the human body enters the longest phases of deep sleep.”
It can be hard to tell a player to go to bed at 10pm if he doesn’t understand what it will change in his metabolism. However, once you explain the benefits and the consequences, players understand quickly that if they want to perform at their top, it’s important.
“Then there’s the health lifestyle,” said Yannick Girard. “That’s another thing we don’t control as coaches. The shower is not only an option to smell better, it’s part of the recovery. Ten minutes after practice, recovery will be quicker if the athlete takes a shower right away. At the Academy, players are required to shower at the training centre.”
The players learn the difference between a cold and a warm shower and what the benefits are for their bodies. For Yannick Girard, foot health is also really important. As a soccer player, feet are fundamental, it’s important to keep them healthy.
“It’s extremely important to cut your toenails and dry between the toes after showering,” explained Girard. “It seems obvious, but a player that has fungus between its toes won’t play for a month. He will have to get treated. During that time, it’s possible one of his teammates will keep progressing and take his spot in the lineup. It would be bad to lose your spot because you don’t dry your toes.”
Throughout the years and with experience, each player develops his own techniques to become an expert off the field and give himself the best chance to succeed.
“A good example is Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé,” said the Academy physical trainer. “He’s serious during his preparation and that is one of the reasons for his success and why he signed with the first team at such a young age. He’s also really curious. It’s important for him to understand everything.”
“Last year, when the U18s won the quarterfinal in Seattle in front of thousands of people, I congratulated defender Zachary Sukunda. Right away, he asked me what he had to do in relation to jet lag, as we were going to Los Angeles the following Saturday for the USSDA semifinal and final. He was ready to stay on a Pacific Time schedule all week to be at his best to avoid being affected by jet lag in the final. It’s incredible to have a reaction like that from a player.”
Off-field preparation is just as important as what happens on the field, if not more. If applied well, the player will increase his chance to shine on the field and get noticed.
