# Stamina



## uburoi (Jul 31, 2017)

How mental is stamina? Some kids play and don't get tired. Some kids can run laps and be the best runner but get tired when they play when others are still going. Some just get tired in the cold, some just get tired in
the heat. As a player in the old school we ran like crazy for conditioning and I never got tired in games, but our games had very little skill involved, unlike today. I have seen kids not come to practice and do great
in games because they just naturally have it. I've seen kids get tired
after the coach gives too much direction. How do you define stamina?


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## PLSAP (Jul 31, 2017)

uburoi said:


> How mental is stamina? Some kids play and don't get tired. Some kids can run laps and be the best runner but get tired when they play when others are still going. Some just get tired in the cold, some just get tired in
> the heat. As a player in the old school we ran like crazy for conditioning and I never got tired in games, but our games had very little skill involved, unlike today. I have seen kids not come to practice and do great
> in games because they just naturally have it. I've seen kids get tired
> after the coach gives too much direction. How do you define stamina?


Take no offense, I don't say this often, but you sound like a ULittle. Am I correct?

There is only so far and so high of a level/age you will see this at. Stamina, like everything else, can be gift to a player naturally, but still needs training if the player expects to get to the next level. At the same time, there are some players who can mentally push themselves even when they haven't prepared their body to do so. At the older ages and lower levels, these players are the players that could have put in the work and probably have a lot of potential, but aren't dedicated enough to put in work outside of practice. The difference between the two : the unfit player without the training and only the limited gift of untrained stamina/mental strength will start to show in a loss of form, they get lazier, ect while the player w/ the stamina/strength/from work put into being good at what they do will have the also character/determination/heart and will keep working and most times, it doesn't affect them as it would someone who hasn't done the work outside of practice.  Natural stamina will only take a player so far in a game.

I would tell you that , if you are worried for a DD or DS, by being beat by talent or something that a kid can be born with another may not be, that talent will never beat hard work.


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## The Driver (Jul 31, 2017)

I would focus on rest and recovery more then stamia. If stamia is the issues I would definitely work on the rest side of the game.


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## The Driver (Jul 31, 2017)

Protip:
Do you know Citrulline enhance athletic performance? Yep watermelon and a nap will help with the stamia issues of a kid.


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## espola (Aug 1, 2017)

The Driver said:


> Protip:
> Do you know Citrulline enhance athletic performance? Yep watermelon and a nap will help with the stamia issues of a kid.


Chocolate milk and ice bath.


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## NoGoal (Aug 1, 2017)

How about letting a ulittle player be a kid and loving soccer.

Protip: cookies and ice cream


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## younothat (Aug 1, 2017)

Diet is factor; well-balanced, nutritious food, plenty of liquids .  Limited junk foods, sodas,  or things that have very limited or no nutritional benefits like chips, candy, fast food

For Ulittles If the kids are athletic in their growing years and love what they are doing stamina rarely comes up in the conversation.

Most coaches at these young ages don't even do conditioning or fitness and just works, on skills, team play, or other things.

Some kids have more power and endurance that can keep them going without becoming too fatigued.

To increase endurance biking,  swimming, walking or running regularly will help away for soccer (yes they need a mental rest  from soccer)

Sit-ups, pull-ups and push-ups,  jumping rope, hitting or kicking the body / punching bags dummies.

As your player get older flexibility training,  stretching before and after activities and warming up and cooling down becomes more important.

By the time they hit the big field 11v11 starting mids playing the whole game for example can cover 9miles of ground per game, so you really need to be run well and consistent over the course of a match.

Non stop engine is what some players have mentally but eventually when the muscles, tendons, etc are almost fully development they are limits.

The older players need more rest, time to recover, the ice baths, packs, etc. back to back or multiple games become more of endurance test and  injury prevention comes into play.


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## timbuck (Aug 1, 2017)

For most "kids" -  they play soccer to "play".  It shouldn't feel like work. 
You can get them moving without doing "drills, workouts, training".  Play tag.  Ride a bike.  Play tag on your bike.  Go for a hike.  Chase each other on the beach.  Take the dog for a walk. Roll out a ball (basketball, soccer ball, kick ball, baseball,) and just let them run around until they are wiped out.
Some kids also get better with speed and endurance as they get more confidence.
Sleep is a BIG factor, especially on game days.
Some kids at younger ages just have "it".
I have a set of twins that I've coached for a few years.  They are 12 years old.  Not identical.  Same parents. Same sleep and diet.  Same coaching. Same outside activities.  One of them goes at 150% all game long and could probably go run a 3:15 marathon after a game.  The other one is a good player, but gets wiped out after a hard 10-15 minutes.  
I have another kid who is slow in practice.  If we do something like the beep test, she is one of the first ones out.  If we run a straight sprint, she is near the back.  But in a game, she is a beast. She plays on the right wing and is a beast.  Gets up and down the field.  Vicious tackles.  Smart with the ball. 
As they hit middle school, that's when the extra work will start to matter.


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## The Driver (Aug 1, 2017)

timbuck said:


> For most "kids" -  they play soccer to "play".  It shouldn't feel like work.
> You can get them moving without doing "drills, workouts, training".  Play tag.  Ride a bike.  Play tag on your bike.  Go for a hike.  Chase each other on the beach.  Take the dog for a walk. Roll out a ball (basketball, soccer ball, kick ball, baseball,) and just let them run around until they are wiped out.
> Some kids also get better with speed and endurance as they get more confidence.
> Sleep is a BIG factor, especially on game days.
> ...


Nice post


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## The Driver (Aug 1, 2017)

If you having Stamia I feel bad for you son

I got 99 problems and Stamia ain't 1
HIT Me ...

Our DDs are too young to be tired? I suggest rest both mentally and physically.

Training +Sleep=Growth/Development
Studying +Sleep =Growth/Development


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## The Driver (Aug 1, 2017)

Protip:
If your player played their 3rd game on Sunday and you question their Stamia at Monday's training 

Slam your fingers in the car door please

Sincerely 
Uncle Driver


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## Daniel Miller (Aug 1, 2017)

There is a science to "stamina."  Endurance athletes have been studied at the cellular level for nearly 40 years, going back to Bob Costill's studies at Ball State.  By that, I mean that they have had their muscle cells sampled at rest and during exercise, as well as blood volume, gas exchange, and everything else you can imagine.  These results have been matched with performance over many years.  If you want to know about "stamina," which I interpret as "endurance," then there are multiple sources.  In a nutshell:

1.  Genetic muscle composition is important.  We all have a fast-twitch/slow-twitch mixture of muscle cells.  Those with higher slow-twitch compositions tend to have greater endurance, although fast-twitch muscles can be trained to act like slow-twitch muscle cells. 

2.  Genetics play a role in energy efficiency.  Some people have more efficient mitochondria, and therefore process more oxygen to make more ATP; hence, some people have better endurance by genetics.  However, endurance training greatly increases the size and number of mitochondria in a cell, and over time the training will overwhelm the natural genetic advantage some people have.  A trained athlete will always outperform an untrained person who happens to have good genes.  In the first year of long-distance running, an untrained person will increase his or her VO2 max (the amount of oxygen processed during exercise) by 100%.

3.  There is definitely a "mental component."  Various models are hypothesized, but one of the recent ones is the "mental governor."  This model suggests that every person has the ability to essentially exert himself at full speed until his heart explodes like a horse, but our brains tell us to stop, like the governor on a car's speed.  Elite athletes train themselves to push beyond what their brain "allows," with the idea of "resetting" the brain's governor.

The Bottom Line:  Any motivated soccer player can develop outstanding endurance with mental and physical training, far outstripping those with "natural" endurance, but without a long-term training plan.


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## The Driver (Aug 1, 2017)

Daniel Miller said:


> There is a science to "stamina."  Endurance athletes have been studied at the cellular level for nearly 40 years, going back to Bob Costill's studies at Ball State.  By that, I mean that they have had their muscle cells sampled at rest and during exercise, as well as blood volume, gas exchange, and everything else you can imagine.  These results have been matched with performance over many years.  If you want to know about "stamina," which I interpret as "endurance," then there are multiple sources.  In a nutshell:
> 
> 1.  Genetic muscle composition is important.  We all have a fast-twitch/slow-twitch mixture of muscle cells.  Those with higher slow-twitch compositions tend to have greater endurance, although fast-twitch muscles can be trained to act like slow-twitch muscle cells.
> 
> ...


 No doubt to your post very true

Now throw in the mental part of 

Team sports
Combat/contact sport 

All running on quick twitch.


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## Not_that_Serious (Aug 8, 2017)

Redbull gives wings. 

Id wait for Stamina building until they start puberty.  Then you might want to research and read studies on how to do it properly.


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## 46n2 (Aug 8, 2017)

Obviously there's alot of factors that contribute but for us its diet and sleep first and then training second. 

My younger can go for days , I watched it this weekend, where its seemed like she was about to cry and give up because she was tired, but then scored on a huge run , then instantly played like a rabid mongoose for the remaining 15 minutes.  I started maintaining a steady breakfast in the mornings about a year ago and the difference is huge.  Its all about fueling the body first then training to react like a robot second...

I see parents feed their kids candy all day long then complain that the child doesn't perform as well as the others. 

I dont think you need to wait till puberty (my opinion), its like installing good values in your home , getting the kids to respect their bodies at a younger age will only benefit them in the long run.


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## Not_that_Serious (Aug 8, 2017)

Sleeping, eating right is imo just good parenting - routine does wonders for health. Think the OP is looking for a speficic conditioning regiment - which is silly for any kid who hasnt hit puberty. 9-11 you can start modiying a bit to do some strength training but woudnt hit anything like HIIT, weightlifting or anything intense until the body changes and muscle development really begins. Good habits imo begin since they are infants


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## The Driver (Aug 8, 2017)

Periodization


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## Not_that_Serious (Aug 8, 2017)

The Driver said:


> Periodization


periodization for a kid (modern would be 2on-1off split) ? havent heard anyone talk about that in over a decade - since my Russian lifting buddies. would never have my kid doing any program of the sort until he was in HS.


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