Interview: Bucheon FC Fitness Coach Celso Silva

With preseason coming to an end, and the first games of the 2019 K League season approaching, most players will be just about reaching their peak fitness over the coming weeks. But just how do professional footballers prepare for such an arduous season? To get some answers K League United sat down with Bucheon FC 1995's fitness coach, Celso Silva.  
(All images via Celso Silva)

Can you tell us a little bit more about your history? How did you become a fitness coach?

I, like many professionals in the field, also played football as a teenager before joining university. When I entered the University of Physical Education I had the objective of being able to work in professional football, as a fitness coach, and in the last year of graduation I got an internship at a professional club. Later, when I graduated, I was promoted to their academy and offered a professional role as a fitness coach.

How have you enjoyed your time working in Korea?

I have been working in South Korea since 2015 and in my spare time I try to continue studying and reading about football. I also participate in some online events, such as extension and refresher courses. I also take the opportunity to get to know some places in the country and to understand the local culture better.

What is the daily schedule for you as a fitness coach? What do your training sessions consist of?

The fitness coach, along with the other members of the coaching staff, is responsible for the planning of the season, the distribution of player's work loads and the scheduling of training, according to upcoming games.

At first, during preseason, we are responsible for conducting physical evaluations and determining the ideal training load for the players, depending on the results obtained. It is also during this period that most of the physical training of the season takes place.

On a day-to-day basis, during the season, we are responsible for warming up the athletes in daily training sessions, for strength training in the gym, for the physical reconditioning of players in the medical department, and for the analysis, and use of data obtained through frequency meters.

Is there any difference between fitness coaching in Korea and Brazil?

Yes, there is. Just as I believe there are differences in working methodologies between different schools around the world. This is according to the culture, beliefs and the way of working that each professional believes to be the one that will give them better results. It is up to each individual to adapt in the best way to the country and the methodology where we are situated, of course without giving up our own knowledge.

How do you keep players fit with such a busy summer schedule?

It is important to make the players aware of the care they should have on a day-to-day basis, since they are professionals. The coaching staff also know how to choose the best and most appropriate training to be carried out according to the moment, and good recovery time is also needed.

What advice do you give to young players who are just getting used to the regime of a professional athlete?

They should be determined and should mirror the good examples of more senior players. They should devote themselves to training and always compete at their maximum level.They should always take care of their diet, their hours of sleep and rest, and make sure that they do not have vices, and they always remain motivated.

Is there any specific time frame in a match that you're trying to get players to reach their peak performance? If so, what is it and why?

There is no specific period of the game where we aim for the players to achieve maximum performance. What we are looking for is that everyone can maintain a good performance throughout the match, being able to perform as many high intensity actions in the shortest amount of time as possible. Our goal is for the player to perform at a high intensity for the longest possible period of the match, which we achieve through specific and appropriate training methods.