Foto: iStock.com/matimix

Over the course of a ball game, the players are constantly sprinting for short bursts and then stopping again. Sometimes with the ball, sometimes without, running not just forwards, but sideways and backwards too, often having to abruptly accelerate. And at the same time, they have to try and outplay the opposing team or player. Ball sport players face very different challenges to endurance athletes.  What can we learn from them?

Many ball sports are based around running. Which, of course, is precisely what we runners like to do, as often as we can. But unlike in ball sports, our movements are repetitive, we usually face forward the whole time and, apart from the final dash to the finish line, we usually maintain a steady pace over an extended period of time. So it’s little surprise that on average one in three runners carries an injury. Because just like with a machine, constant repetition of the same movements causes wear and tear.

Ball sport players, by contrast, engage in a much more varied range of activities. They need to be agile and able to react quickly in any direction, and have to always keep their eyes on the ball or opposing players rather than just facing ahead. They need to master a range of different movements, which is why their muscle and coordination training is much more varied than that of runners.

Just like runners, ball sport players need a good level of basic fitness so that they can meet the varied demands placed on their bodies over the course of a whole match and quickly recover between bursts of activity. They do regular endurance training, same as us runners, but they also have to build up their agility, flexibility and strength through a diverse training regime (including exercises both with and without a ball).

How you can benefit from ball sport training

As an endurance athlete, you can benefit from a ball-sport-inspired training routine by regularly including some different exercises. These exercises will add some variety to your training, protect you from injury and improve your overall performance.

• Reaction speed and agility: In ball games, players constantly need to react quickly to unexpected situations. That’s a handy ability for trail runners, too: if you can react quickly and anticipate obstacles when running on uneven ground, you’ll be able to move faster and more economically. Balance-board exercises, hopping on one leg, shuttle-run drills and rope-skipping will improve your foot/leg coordination.

• Coordination and technique: Precise movement and physical coordination are very important for ball sport players. And in fact they’re helpful for us endurance athletes, too, as they reduce our risk of injury and increase our performance. A diverse ABC routine, mixed-intensity running and sprints will improve your technique.
• Variability in training: Ball sport players have a well-rounded training regime that covers all aspects of fitness. Instead of always running the same circuit at the same speed, we should make our endurance training more varied. We should improve our athleticism by incorporating strength and flexibility exercises too. And why not do some training with a ball for a change? Or some shuttle-run drills and agility-ladder exercises like footballers?
• Mental flexibility: Ball sport players are used to operating in stressful, dynamic, high-pressure environments. That kind of mental flexibility and resilience can also help us endurance athletes to deal with difficult running conditions or keep calm in intense competitive situations. So try setting a specific running goal or time to achieve by a certain point in your training, make a plan like you would for a competition – and then see it through.