Fellow Reusch followers!
First off, with 4 matches still left to play, I have to congratulate my team for clinching the league title! We are the Norwegian Tippeligaen Champions for the 3rd time in the past 4 years! Congratulations lads on a season well played! We have been strong and consistent throughout!
“Vi er MFK, Seriemester MFK!”
Alright, down to business. Last week I told you this post would be about what a typical day/week/month looks like for me… Every month is different. As a team, we can be involved in any number of events. We could easily be in 3-4 events at any given time. League play, Cup play (for whatever country you are in), Champions League, Europa League etc. We have anywhere from 1 match per month to 8 or 9 depending on our circumstances.
What my week looks like is also dependent upon what events we are involved in. A typical week with only 1 match on Saturday looks like this:
* Monday = light team workout
* Tuesday – Wednesday = very high intensity team training
* Thursday = low intensity team training
* Friday = pre-game training/moderate intensity, travel late afternoon if match is away
* Saturday = MATCH DAY (may travel right after match)
* Sunday = travel day/off or reserve match
If we are “lucky” enough to be in more than one event at a time, our high intensity training is reduced to 1 day, and we rarely get a full day off.
A typical day usually follows this pattern… Breakfast every day we train is at 9:00 am SHARP. That means I am at the stadium getting my training gear on by 8:45. If you are late for breakfast, or not properly dressed, you will be fined. Breakfast is a typical European fare (breads, meats, cheeses, boiled eggs, jam, fruit, yoghurt etc.). After breakfast we start prep at 9:30ish so we have about a half hour to ourselves to do whatever we want. “Prep” work includes activities that get your body prepared for training (ride the bike, stretch/strengthening exercises for legs, core work, balance exercises, flexibility work for back and arms, and whatever else you feel you need to do to get ready). We have a team meeting at 9:55 with the coaching staff, and then head out for training.
As goal keepers, we usually start 15 minutes before the team comes out to train. We have active stretching that involves our whole bodies for about 5 minutes. Some sort of footwork is next (passing, juggling, 2 touch, assortment of games/competitions). Hand-eye coordination is done with fast paced close range drills. Once we are warmed up we are ready to start “training”. This involves more footwork and handling with cones, mannequins, volleys, half volleys, dippers etc. From there we move onto easy diving to get used to hitting the ground. Then we move into more complex/game-like scenarios. As goalkeepers we have to prepare for situations that involve more than just the initial save. We almost always do drills that involve 2-3 balls in play per set. WE MUST TRAIN OURSELVES TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED! When the rest of team is ready, we join them for whatever they are doing: possession, 3v2’s, etc. From there we go into small sided games and then shooting exercises. After training is officially over, I always stay out longer to help my teammates with extra shooting, free kick scenarios, pk’s etc. This helps them IMMENESLEY, and I get the added benefit of the extra work too! I feel that it is my job to make my teammates better, if they can score on me, then, when the time is right, the opposing team’s keeper shouldn’t be a problem!
When our field session is done, we are already activated so we go straight into the gym for strength training. Monday we do upper body, Tuesday is lower body, Wednesday is a combination of upper and lower, there is no gym work on Thursday and Friday. After my work is done, I shower and head up to the café for lunch, hopefully there is some food left. Lunch is usually rice, potatoes or pasta, fish (lots of fish), or a meat protein, and breads with condiments like at breakfast. After lunch your time is your own. My day is usually done by 3:00 pm.
If you have any questions, please ask and I will do my best to answer them. Until then...
Keep It Clean
Ethan Horvath (E)