When Yoann Damet received the invitation to take part in a conference from the Association des préparateurs physiques professionnels de football and present the specifics in regards to physical preparation in MLS and North America, he accepted without hesitation.
This Friday, September 4, in Paris, Yoann Damet, physical trainer with the Montreal Impact Academy, will present the particularities that we face here, in front of a group of physical trainers from many different professional soccer clubs.
Q: How did you receive the invitation and what were they expecting?
A: The invitation came to me two months ago from Sébastien Lopez Guia, physical trainer at GFC Ajaccio (Ligue 1) and founding member of the Association des préparateurs physiques in France (Prépa Foot Pro). He was interested to have a speaker from the North American continent that could present the way an MLS club works. It’s mostly specifics linked to our geographical situation and a different calendar season, plus the fact that the MLS and soccer is growing in North America.
Q: What points do you want to focus on when you do your presentation?
A: The differences I want to highlight are the way we work within our limitations. I want to talk about our force development cycle at the Academy, which is different than what is done in training centres in France. Here, we have a cycle in a month where we work on many aspects of fitness on the field, but also with some different activities like volley-ball. I also want to talk about the many long distance trips we make and the consequences of that on preparation and education. They approach this differently in Europe, where everything is closer by.
Q: On an individual level, what do you expect to gain from this conference?
A: The most important thing is to see the way others work. Here, we face long distances between each club. It’s difficult to exchange knowledge with fellow physical trainers, so this will be an opportunity to challenge myself and the way we work. It will be interesting to see what is done in professional European clubs and to discuss with their technical staff. To do this job, you need diplomas, but also field experience, meetings and trips. I will have the opportunity to see different methodology and ways of thinking in physical training from different clubs, but also experience the latest scientific progress that has been made.
When he returns to Montreal, Yoann Damet will share his knowledge and his experience with the technical staff at the club.
