There are three main reasons an athlete feels ‘leggy’;
1. They’re not getting sufficient recovery and the body cannot cope with the load
2. The athletes are struggling psychologically / emotionally
3. The athletes are not fit
Given the we are a month into the new season and the athletes had a full pre-season, they should be relatively fit, so I would suggest that it’s a combination of the first two above.
Getting sufficient recovery is tricky for footballers, the demands of training and playing one to two matches per week are significant. Add to that, the pressure of trying to perform at your best when the team is expected to struggle, you have a possible toxic combination of overload, recovery, and emotional pressure. There are many scholarly article in the sports science arena to support my analysis.
When it comes to performance sport the margins between success and failure and often miniscule, and getting the balance right can be a challenge.
I would say that it’s not too surprising that the team are showing signs of being ‘leggy’…they are carrying the weight of expectation on their shoulders, the expectation that we are in for a relegation fight. Athletes perform at their best when they are free from the burden of expectations, and can just focus on ‘staying in the moment’. It’s important that the players, coaching staff, and manager focus on the processes. Get those right and the result takes care of itself. If that’s right then they will be a lot less ‘leggy’.
