Find out what the summer looks like for Huddersfield Town’s players
- Details on summer plans for First Team players
- Each player has an individualised summer schedule
- Head of Physical Performance Callum Walsh explains
What does the summer look like for a Huddersfield Town player? Well, Head of Physical Performance Callum Walsh has gone into depth with us about their programmes.
Essentially, the off-season will last six-weeks and there’s more emphasis on the importance of this period than ever before; this is due to how COVID-19 affected the football schedule.
With this in mind, the off-season schedule has been split into three different phases; rest and recuperation, aerobic, and aerobic intense.
Phase One: Rest and Recuperation
Why is this so important? Well, after an intense fixture schedule to complete the 2019/20 campaign, the players only had a two-week summer break, which didn’t allow them to rest their bodies as they were always preparing for the new campaign.
Upon return to pre-season ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, the players had to adapt to a new intense style of training and get used to a new physical requirement, which pushed them to their limits.
This, combined with a packed fixture schedule, has put an increased pressure on their bodies.
Equally, with no supporters in the stadiums, it has been a harder year for the players mentally, not having the adrenaline of playing in front of a crowd and that extra stimulus.
This phase will last for two weeks.
Phase 2: Aerobic
After the rest and recuperation, the players move on to the Aerobic section, which helps with the players build a base to be able to recover better between bouts and each session.
The players are prescribed a certain number of aerobic sessions per week but can choose the type of session they’d like to do, to give the ownership of their own programmes.
This two-week period essentially builds the base for players ahead of pre-season.
Phase 3: Intensive
The players will do shorter and more explosive activities that are specific for each position,
The final two-week period will allow them to hit the ground running in pre-season.
Tailored Programmes
Each of the off-season programmes have been designed by Senior Physical Performance Coaches Callum Adams and Dan Hughes.
The types, lengths, and strenuous nature of the activities are specially related to each player, so they can return in the best shape possible.
The players know that the onus is on them to achieve and that they will be tested on return to pre-season. This will provide them with a minimum score, a good score, and a really good score. If they don’t hit any of these targets, then they know they won’t be able to go out on the training pitch with the team and with a ball straight away.
Nutrition
There’s also an increased focus on players’ nutrition during the off-season, so they know what types of meals they should be eating on certain activity days.
In short, the Physical Performance team, and Nutritionist Nessan Costello, has been working closely with the players to improve their body composition and to reduce their body fat. A number of players have seen really big gains this season.
So, to make sure they eat the correct items during the off-season, each player has a nutrition plan.
Huddersfield Town’s Head of Performance, Callum Walsh, commented:
“The off-season is really important for all of our First Team players, not only to get the rest that they need after a difficult season, but also to prepare their bodies for the upcoming campaign.
“Callum, Dan and Nessan worked incredibly hard to put together tailored programmes that are player and position specific, so they can come back in the best shape possible.
“The lads will get coach support throughout the summer, so we can check their progress and support them with certain exercises, but ultimately we want them to take ownership and responsibility for their own programmes.
“We set incredibly high standards to our players to achieve, they know their programmes and know that they will be tested upon their return to pre-season.
“I always say that the off-season helps you excel in pre-season and pre-season helps you excel in friendly games. The friendlies help for the first five games of the season, and then those five games make you match fit and sharp because the demands are higher, and you push the physical boundaries more.”
Town’s First Team squad will report back to Canalside on Monday 21 June 2021 for two-days of physical and medical testing.
