Speed and Edurance Training

Speed and endurance are two elements in all sports particularly in refereeing. The combination of speed and endurance can benefit a referee when he officiate a match when these two elements are the strength of the teams. Many referees concentrate only on endurance with long distance running, long duration of jogging or running. With speed training added into his training schedule his level of performance will be much benefited and enhanced. Before entering into speed training, a referee should have a basic fitness level to run steadily for 20 – 30 minutes at an appropriate speed. In fact, most of the training dosage recommended by FIFA fitness training program involves interval training using speed and endurance as the key elements.

Speed and endurance training as in interval training will be quite strenuous and should be done not more than twice a week with two days of rest in between, active rest with lighter workouts. Interval training combines short, high intensity bursts of speed, with slow, recovery phases, repeated during one exercise session. An early form of interval training, "Fartlek" (a Swedish term meaning 'speed play') was casual and unstructured. A runner would simply increase and decrease his pace at will.

Interval training will improve both the anaerobic and the aerobic capacity of an athlete. During the high intensity run the anaerobic system of the body is improved and during the recovery or resting bout, the aerobic system is improved. Lactic acid secreted as a by-product during the high intensity effort will be used up during the recovery phase of the training. During the recovery phase, the heart and lungs work together to "pay back" this oxygen debt and break down the lactic acid. It is in this phase that the aerobic system is using oxygen to convert stored carbohydrates into energy

Interval training adheres to the principle of adaptation. Interval training leads to many physiological changes including an increase in cardiovascular efficiency (the ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles) as well as increased tolerance to the build-up of lactic acid. These changes result in improved performance, greater speed, and endurance. This will result in the referee ability to cope up with continuous fast attacking breaks by the teams during the match.

Interval training also helps avoid injuries associated with repetitive overuse, common in endurance athletes. Common overuse injuries are over-strain, plantar fasciitis, shin splint, heel spurs and Achilles tendonitis. Intervals also allow an athlete to increase training intensity without overtraining or burn-out. Interval training variables that you can manipulate when designing your interval training program include:

· Intensity (speed) of work interval - 50 meters (10 seconds), 100 meters (24 seconds, 200 meters (45 seconds) or 400 meters (90 seconds)

· Duration (distance or time) of work interval - distance or the time as above

Duration of rest or recovery interval - Working duration of 10 – 20 seconds will need longer resting or recovery interval like 1 : 5 or 1: 3, while longer working intervals will need shorter recovery period like 1:1, 1:2 or 1 : 3.

· Number of repetitions of each interval
Repetitions of 8 to 10 are normally carried out for shorter bout from 50 meter – 400 meter,
while longer worker out like 800 meter – 1500 meter will require lesser repetitions.

Source: Sports Medicine, About.com