Body Intelligence

As players push themselves and each other to ever increasing levels of physical abilities, they also increasingly push themselves to and beyond their limits.   More and more players are breaking down under the strain.   This becomes a dangerous trend particularly if we perceive the increasing level of injuries as the new norm, or just part and parcel of the game.  If instead we take it as a sign to look at the problem in a different way, it could be the beginning of a different approach to training, where players train smarter not harder.  

Burnout

It is my belief that players can’t just push themselves continually through training. That eventually will lead to breakdown.  Something is missing in the way most players are training, and that is sensory body awareness.  The incredible demands that players have to face during matches require them to be faster, stronger, fitter, and to go beyond pain or discomfort.  If training also pushes them beyond their limits, they start to lose touch with themselves and lose their ability to manage themselves. In other words, push hard enough for long enough and performance, ability to adapt, ability to recover, as well as enjoyment will start to go backwards. This is burnout....