Developing an athlete
The life of a professional athlete varies enormously depending on what sport you participate in. Swimmers and runners train every day in life, with the exception of rest days immediately before an event. Footballers have rest days every week and for over a century rested for several weeks each summer.
Rest is an important part of any physical activity but I’ve never been convinced by the need for footballers to allow their fitness levels to drop so dramatically during the summer. This is a different question from taking a break from injury-stressing contact activities – like playing football. The summer weeks should provide a break from playing the game but presents a unique opportunity in the calendar to put intense work into other areas of fitness or physical development, without the need for travel or games.
As such, I’m glad Celtic are back at Lennoxtown, and that they have Champions League qualifiers in the middle of July. Unlike the Barcelona players currently in Brazil with Spain, and who get one summer in four off, Celtic players have had the opportunity to rest any strains, and reinvigorate appetites ahead of the new campaign.
Have you registered for 1254125 yet? Tom Conniffe has. He is walking the Leeds-Liverpool Canal in five days, which measures in a tad over 125 miles, all for the campaign. It is this simple to participate; find something you can do, register online and get going. You can support Tom here.
Last call for tonight’s special Lions Roar event. Watch the 1967 European Cup final on big screens in the Kerrydale Suite followed by a Q&A with the men who made history (including Willie Wallace, Heart of a Lion available below). See you there.
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