interview
Never before has there been so little preparation, but also so little regeneration: The first Bundesliga tranche ends on November 13th, and the opening game of the World Cup is on November 20th. The sports show asked Moritz Anderten, the sports psychology expert at the German Sports University in Cologne, how the pros should pack it.
sports show: This time there is only a one-week break between the Bundesliga break and the start of the World Cup. Stars like the ailing Thomas Müller have practically no time to let injuries heal properly – is it all too hard for the professionals?
Moritz Anderten: “One can definitely say that the many English weeks that are currently being held due to the upcoming World Cup naturally mean that there is an extremely high level of physical and mental stress – and this increases the susceptibility to injury.”
Conversely, can it also have advantages if you stay directly in the rhythm of the game?
“Both as well. There are indications that it can be advantageous if things are going well for the player personally or for his club anyway. So if he’s in the flow right now, he doesn’t perceive the stress as much or as On the other hand, when things are not going so well, there is no way to break out of this negative spiral and then start again after two or three weeks due to the tight timing , but then you have to make sure that your head can regenerate even in the successful phases.”
Due to the cup and the European Cup, there have recently been almost only English weeks with games every three or four days – how do you prevent muscular injuries?
“That’s the be-all and end-all in the Bundesliga clubs that physiotherapists and doctors throughout the training area ensure that the load is controlled in such a way that muscular integrity can be guaranteed – despite all the tough training and matches. It’s important that you approach all of this preventatively and not only intervene when the injury occurs. Yoga, for example, is a very good way to prevent injuries with relaxation phases – this is on the rise in many clubs.”
Are there any recipes how to get through such a crass timing not only physically but also mentally?
“The mental preparation and follow-up of all those English weeks is also very important. Sports psychologists make sure that relaxation sessions are carried out to process and relieve the stressors that arise from winning or losing, from a lot of traveling or from the general pressure of competition to push yourself away. So there must be enough time and space to reflect on what you have experienced in order to be largely fresh again for the next competition.”
The many players who are not allowed to go to the World Cup have more than two months until the next competitive game – what is the best way to get your body through such a long phase and how do you then build up tension again in good time?
“The clubs have their plans for how much time is reserved for vacation and what needs to be done on vacation, for example, so as not to lose all of your ability to perform with easy runs. Above all, it is important that there are enough real vacation phases after the exertion to let all these stresses subside. But then you have to start again in good time to get back up physically. So there has to be an overall interplay of stress and relaxation so that the body is then able to perform at all again.”
Do you like it when coaches talk to their players about load and load management? Or does this topic create the stress for your head and body in the first place?
“The topic is definitely there, just because of this timing of Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday and where else. The question then is how I address it as a coach. Whether I problematize it and say, oh God, that’s a lot “We can’t do it all, all this stress – that’s how the player gets the message. Or if I approach it in a solution-oriented manner and offer very specific help. If I show my player ideas on how body and head can deal with the stress , in order to be efficient over a long period of time.”
You often hear in the Bundesliga that you feel tired much more after a defeat than after a win – is there any scientific basis for that?
“Yes, there is definitely scientific evidence on this: when we are successful or even just perceive ourselves as successful, we have a different hormone release. When I think that I am very successful, I release happy hormones, and then there is no stress at all perceived as a burden. So objectively the same burdens can be present, but depending on whether I win or lose, I subjectively perceive it differently. So successful people feel less stressed, physically and mentally. When I’m running, I can too It’s better to continue playing successfully – that can be explained by hormones. In a defeat, on the other hand, it’s stress-inducing hormones that make the strain much more noticeable.”
In US sports such as ice hockey or basketball, it is completely normal for games to be played every two or three days. In addition, there are often significantly more games overall than here in football, and there there is also significantly more travel stress. But there is hardly any whining about it – are we Germans perhaps too sensitive or too soft?
“Oh, I can’t really join this discussion. I also know American athletes or German athletes in America who talk about a very high level of stress. What you can say is that the Americans, for example in the NBA, are significantly better and have more professional conditions for regeneration. Many clubs have their own planes with sleeping facilities for the players, an outstanding and much more well-equipped physio department for physical and mental well-being. Ultimately, it is also a question of culture how much I want to talk about the strain “But when I look at Bayern, for example, who also have an incredibly high workload, I can’t see that people are whining there. As a coach and player, you should be more inclined to watch all the games and the international ones Also wanting to travel and seeing it as a gift, so it’s actually a question of inner affirmation. “