Update on Fitness Test Training

As you guys may remember I began training for the FIFA Fitness test a few weeks ago (http://footyref.blogspot.com/2012/01/fifa-fitness-not-yet.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReffingTheBeautifulGame+%28Reffing+the+Beautiful+Game%29).  That didn’t go so well to say the least.

The first day I went out, which I chronicle in the link above, I really had no idea what I was doing.  My hopes were to run 30 intervals with modified (read: longer) rest times.  My goal was just to survive really, not necessarily set any world records.  No worries there as I didn’t do either.

To say I was pretty bummed was an understatement.  My mind was racing every time I thought about the test I would have to run at the Regional Training Seminar (RTS) clinic in a very short four weeks.  Would I be ready in that short amount of time?  What can I do to get ready?  What if I don’t get to the point where I think I can pass the test, should I drop out at the last minute and not shame myself or my state by failing the test?  My body wasn’t running fast but my mind was approaching light speed.

Two days after my initial foray into training for the fitness test I went to a local track group’s workout.  This group is led by a fellow referee’s wife, Alisen.  She’s a registered RN and has just gotten into corporate health and wellness, coming up with training plans for employees.  This track group was just what I needed.  I showed up the first night not exactly knowing what to expect.  Whatever expectations I did have were thrown out the window in about the first five minutes.  For the warm-up, the bloody warm-up, we jogged two miles.  It was going to be a long night.

After the warm-up we did some dynamic stretching, some fly work (sprints: 20m, 30m, 40m), and then began the meat of our workout which for me was 4x800 all supposed to be done under 3:36 with 90 seconds rest in between.  Yeah, right.  I hit the first target time.   The next three I added about 15 seconds each time.  If I had any doubts I was out of shape they were forcefully thrown out the window by the end of this workout.  I was so tired I didn’t even think about the one mile cool down run.

Three sore days later I headed out to the track after work to attempt the 30 interval modified test again.  I was determined to finish this time.  One of my problems was that I was trying to finish each 150 meter run in 30 seconds, something that only FIFA centers have to do.  The actual test at RTS would be 35 seconds for the same distance.  I still kept my rests at 45, 50, and 55 seconds, increasing with each set of ten intervals.  Another of my problems that I solved on this night’s run was to start in the middle of the track turn, even with where the goalposts for football would be.  This decreased my time on the curve of the track and increased my time on the straight away which made me reach higher speeds.  These two changes completely improved my performance.  Not only did I hit 30 intervals, about 3.7 miles, but I did so with relative ease.  I still needed to bring my rest times down, but my confidence grew exponentially in just that hour at the track.

I rested the next few days, especially with my legs having taken the pounding on a hard track two nights in the previous week.  The next Monday I went out with the track group again, this time running a one mile time trial for the workout.  Again, they all whopped me, younger, older, male, female, it didn’t matter.  But my confidence was still on the rise.  I knew in just a short couple of weeks my running had improved. 

To the group’s credit they went out of their way to accommodate the referees of the group and agreed to run the FIFA fitness test the next two weeks.  The first night we split into two groups: the first mainly made of the group’s real runners and the second a combo of the group’s refs and one of the regular runners.  Either way, running the test with others was a huge help.  Not only did you feel you were accomplishing something as part of a bigger organization but you were able to push each other on.  This time we ran it in the specified times, 24 intervals, 35 seconds per 150 meters followed by a 40 second recovery of 50 meters.  Every single person, ref or runner, hit every time.  I walked away from this experience knowing I would have no problem with the test.

Last night was the last track group run before this coming weekend’s test.  Again, the refs ran the fitness test, this time with a new participant, a female referee with WPS experience.  She would also be with us at RTS on the weekend, but mentioned her reservations about her fitness and her feelings on her ability to pass the test.  Ha!  She paced the group for the entire 24 intervals!  Not only did our group finish the test without a hitch, but she led almost every single interval, from beginning to end.  So much for those reservations.

We are now four short days away from the actual test.  A mere month ago I was nervous and even debating how I should bow out of RTS should I think myself not able to complete the test.  To say I have a different mindset today may be the biggest understatement I have heard all year.  That and Suarez is a dirty player (sorry Liverpool fans, I couldn’t resist). 

My hope is that you read my experience with training and use it as motivation to hit whatever goal you set for the Spring season.  Maybe it is to pass the FIFA test; maybe it’s to lose five or ten pounds so that you are no longer moving your head more than your legs to get the proper angle on the play since you are out of position.  Whatever your stumbling blocks, know that you can overcome.  Come up with a plan and stick to it.  I would highly recommend, if you hate running as I do, to find a group that you train with at least once a week.  Find some people who will push you beyond what you could do yourself.  You may be amazed at what you can do after four short weeks of training.

FIFA Fitness? Not yet.

Long after all the Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie along with all the Christmas goodies comes the thought that eventually you need to get in shape for the next season.  Well, that time has come and gone for me.  I’ll be attending a Regional Training Seminar (RTS) in Greensboro in mid-February, which means I have to run the FIFA fitness test (http://www.footballwest.com.au/resources/FIFAFitnessTest_E.pdf - They have 10 laps minimum on this but I know MLS uses 12 laps). 

I’ve never run the test before so I must admit to being a little intimidated.  The Cooper test is just a twelve minute run and you have to get something like five or six laps, roughly 1.5 miles I think.  For our local society we also run a 200 meter sprint and a 50 meter sprint (I think it’s 50), but generally it’s a piece of cake.  Like the link shows the FIFA test is an interval test, 150 meters running in 30 seconds followed by 50 meters walking in 35 seconds.  Those times might be different for RTS, but that’s the general gist of the test.

When I first got the email about RTS I knew I had to train.  One problem: I hate training.  I like running after things: usually soccer balls, basketballs, softballs (yes, I’m old now), and players on the pitch, but I hate to just run.  I got out a couple times during the week at 6:30am to run two to two-and-a-half miles.  Certainly not enough but after not training for several weeks since State Cup I had to get my legs under me.  Saturday I finally went out to the track to train more specifically for the fitness test next week.

My mentor for the Youth Regional Tournament last June had emailed me the training program he used to pass the fitness test for the MLS playoffs last fall.  He ran 30 intervals at 30 seconds apiece.  However, other than the difference in laps (15), he also changed the rest time for week one of training to 40 seconds for the first ten intervals, 45 seconds for the second ten intervals, and 50 seconds for the third ten.  Week two he changes the rest times to 35, 40, and 45.  Week three he switches to two sets of 15 intervals at 35 and 40 seconds rest.  Week four he goes 20 intervals with 35 seconds rest followed by 10 intervals at 40 seconds rest. 

The thinking behind this is that your body becomes conditioned for 30 intervals, not just 20 in the case of the website above or 24 in his case.  When the test comes around 24 intervals seems like a breeze.

It’s not a breeze the first time you go out and try it, at least not in my case.  It was pouring outside today where I live but I knew I had to get started with this kind of training.  I stretch, get a quick, half-mile jog in to loosen up my legs and then begin the intervals.  First six or seven were pretty straightforward.  Felt a little winded, but ok.  Got to around eight and was really feeling it.  I know, only got to freaking eight and I was getting gassed!  I was able to keep going to ten before I really felt like crap.  I took a longer break after the first ten to recover.  At the very least I wanted to keep running the 150 meter distance to get more used to it.  Well, I could only make it four more intervals. 

The total distance covered was 1.69 miles.  I’m currently ten intervals short of the required 24 and obviously way off the time required to pass.  Am I a little scared?  Heck yea.  Am I more encouraged than ever to do whatever it takes to pass.  You better believe it.  My goal is going to be to make it out to the track three times a week, maybe not always doing the training I’ve mentioned above but doing some sort of sprint training.

If you have any tips out there I would love to hear them and I would also like to hear if you will be attending any of the RTS around the country.

Take a look around

Last weekend I had the opportunity to watching potential MLS referees in the flesh.  The games were part of the Carolina Cup hosted by the Charleston Battery.  My local referee chapter put together a bus trip from Greenville, SC to Charleston, bought the tickets, provided food and then had a cookout with referees from Charleston.

When the eating and socializing was over the games began.  The referee in the first game was Mark Kadlecik, from what I heard he's somewhat of a newcomer to the MLS scene hoping to get a full slate of MLS games this year.  He's right on the cusp of being a regular face.

What the crowd will probably take away from this game was that he sent the left back from Toronto off in about the 30th minute for two professional fouls that happened within about two minutes of each other.  Both were great calls.  However, what I took away from his performance and will try to implement into my game is his awareness of the play, and by that I mean turning his head during dynamic play to see where the play is going to go next.

Constantly I saw him scan the field in front of him for movement that would tell him where the next phase of play was likely to be.  For example, if the ball was on his right, toward the sideline, he would look across the penalty area as it was likely that a cross or through ball would be coming into that area.  Now, I want to caution that we should not be looking as a play on the ball is being made by a defender.  We cannot look away from a challenge, that is when we must be looking at the play.  But when an attacker clearly has possession and you have a second to scan the field, take a look.

There are two reasons (and probably more) that this technique is helpful.  First, you get to see what is happening off the ball.  Is an attacker being held while he is making a run?  Are the players expecting a cross or a pass on the ground?  Is there a large group of people in front of the keeper?  Now you have a better idea of what is likely to happen and can be proactive rather than reactive.  Second, in the spirit of being proactive you can position yourself according to what you see.  If there is a run being made toward the AR you can cheat his way.  If everyone is congregating on the back edge of the goal area you can be ready for a cross in the air.  Maybe someone is checking back to the ball and has lots of space.  Position yourself for where the action is most likely to happen and remember presence lends conviction.

Safety First

My last blog post was about reffing for the next ref, in which I discussed that letting things go in your game may affect what the next referee has to deal with in his game.  This week I want to remind referees the main reason they are on the field: player safety.

These two topics go hand in hand.  If you let players get away with hard, dangerous challenges they will only do it more, whether later in your game or in the next game.  At the youth level we not only referee but in a sense we are teaching the kids how the game is to be played.  Our decisions have consequences, both in the game we're doing and in the game the kids play in the future.

The match that brought player safety to my attention was Manchester United vs. Liverpool.  Liverpool are up 2-0 in the first half at home.  Around the 40th minute, just a few before halftime, Jamie Carragher comes in high and hard, studs up, and violently clashes into Nani.  No attempt was made for the ball even though the ball would have been easier to get than Nani.  Phil Dowd, the referee, immediately called the foul and pulled the yellow card.  Meanwhile, Nani gets up, sprints over to Dowd, and then collapses again.  Whether or not this was a bit of theater I don't know, but I have seen the pictures of the injury and it does look quite nasty.  A deep gouge, blood running down the leg and apparently Nani is out for 3-4 weeks.

A yellow has been given, Nani is stretchered off, everything should simmer down now, especially with halftime only a few minutes away, right?  Wrong.  Almost the very next play Maxi catches Rafael on the thigh with his studs (although clearly playing the ball unlike Carragher) and Rafael ends up two-footing Lucas high and late.  Rafael and Skrtel end up with yellows for their efforts, although Rafael certainly deserved a sending off.

At this point you have to ask if there was anything Dowd could have done to at least prevent the second harsh challenge.  In my opinion Dowd is a quality referee.  There have been several instances in the last few weeks where he has gotten very tough decisions spot on.  But the Carragher decision was not right.  I'm not going to say it was "wrong", he was close to the play and immediately jumped in knowing what he was going to do, however, that kind of tackle is not needed in this game. 

The only saving grace for Dowd was that halftime was right around the corner, everyone had 15 minutes to cool off.  And, at this point both teams think they dodged a bullet in that each team should have had a man sent off.  But let me ask you this, what happens if this all happens in the 60th minute?  What does Dowd do when he has another half hour to play and tempers running high?

We cannot simply hope to get away with this in our games.  Young players are impressionable and if we let them think this kind of football is ok then we do them, the players they will injure, and the game a disservice.  We need to referee in a way that protects the talented footballers and punishes those who think the name of the game is to intimidate or injure the opponents.  Player safety is our number one priority.

Reffing for the next Ref

If you watched last week's Champions League game between AC Milan and Tottenham you know two things:

1. AC Milan is about to be knocked out of the tournament
2. Gattuso is a thug

Yes, that second one really is no surprise.  Gattuso has always been a bit of a fighter on the pitch, and not in a good way.  His work rate is terrific, but now that he is older, a step slower, he is relying too much on his strength to get him by.  He picked up a caution for his efforts which rendered him out of the return leg next week at White Hart Lane.

Two points about this, first, the referee must know these teams inside and out before the game, and second, the referee(s) must not let the players off the hook on serious plays for this will leave the referee of that team's next game in big trouble.

To the first point, with a game of this magnitude we would assume the referee had researched both teams inside and out prior to arriving in Milan.  I read last week that an MLS ref put in 10 hours of pre-game work for a regular season MLS game.  How much more important is a UEFA Champions League match (sorry MLS, you're not there)? 

Knowing that Gattuso was one caution away from a mandatory one-game suspension is vital, for when Gattuso picks up that yellow he now has nothing to lose - and he showed that last week.  He must have thought "I'm already suspended why not put a cherry on top"?  After that yellow Gattuso acted like a crazy person, both on the pitch and off.  He struck an assistant coach in the throat, had some very harsh challenges (none of which elicited another caution in the mind of the referee, definitely worth yellows in my mind), and then headbutted the asst. coach on the sidelines after the game. 

Tighter control on Gattuso may not have prevented these things from happening, but then again, we never will know because the referee never tightened his reigns on him.

This first point rolls into the second, in that as referees we dictate to the players what is acceptable and what is not.  If you never call offside even though there are clearly times when players are offside and involved, the players will react to that two ways: the defense will no longer play an offside trap and the offense will cherry pick the rest of the game.  The players adapt to the referee's style.

In last week's game Gattuso played like a caged animal, angry, fed up with the way his team was being dismantled by Tottenham - at home no less, and frustrated with the lanky Peter Crouch.  First of all, the referee needed to realize this and have a chat with Mr. Gattuso.  Second, there is no excuse for the AR1 to not send off Gattuso for the strike at the face of Joe Jordan.  You are standing right there and saw the entire thing - why are leaving Gattuso on the field!?  Gattuso cataloged the cowardice of the AR knowing that neither he nor the Center referee would do anything about his style of play.  He went on barging into tackles, pushing Peter Crouch and eventually headbutted Jordan. 

My question is this: what if this happened in our youth-level games and we didn't deal with it?  What do you think the player would think going into his next game, that he could run around the pitch making bad challenges and shoving other players?  More than likely, yes.  And since they travel over many states how would a referee in North Carolina or Georgia know that last week in South Carolina player A played like a lunatic but didn't get sent off for it?  What will that referee now have to deal with because the referee crew in South Carolina screwed up? 

We need to be working our games in a way that teaches young players how to the play the game, the beautiful game, not the physical rugby style game.  We need to help our fellow referees by dealing with misconduct in our games so that it does not carry on into the future and become a pattern where someone has to get hurt before that player cools off.

After all, player safety is the A1 responsibility of the referee.

Reffing a different game

Well, I've finally given in, I'm going to certify to be a college referee.  I did High School a few years ago, but due to my main job had to cut back and ended up giving up HS entirely.  But now I've been suckered in to the college game.

No doubt these will be much faster games than the youth games I've done, but along with that comes much more travel and time away from home.  With a new baby at home that may be hard to do, but I also know that the money I get will help make up for that time away from home.

I certainly look forward to the challenge but at the same time I feel comfortable doing youth games, so this will take me out of my comfort zone.  What also worries me is the rule differences between USSF and NISOA.  That only became more clear during the college playoff season with a series of mishaps involving referees.

Also, I hate drama.  Little drama, big drama, all drama.  But it seems that college soccer is filled with it - just go back to the massive thread on Big Soccer's referee forum which discussed college soccer.  Politics run rampant and it seems coaches have huge pull in the sport.

What I am glad about, though, is that the guys I will be reffing with I trust very much, from my assignor to my fellow refs.  I've had several discussions with them about this move and they have been extremely helpful and really set my mind at ease.

What are your thoughts on the college game?  Do you have any advice for a newbie to the college game?