How do you train your team?

[talhak]

Hey everyone,

As we all know importance of other areas such as coaches, training facilities, etc. but I wonder how you train your team. I think we may benefit from each other by sharing experiences.

- What is your general training focus? (During pre-season, season)

- What is your intensity level?

- Which one do you give weight to: Match training or general training?

- Do you set all 3 tactics? Or do you set 2 tactics to speed up the learning process?

All your comments are appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[PODSYMAN]

Talhak,

I use one tactic, but with two varaitions, that is:-

1) Original tactic - in my case a 4-1-2-2-1, attacking fluid

2) Defensive tactic - Exact same tactic but switched to a 4-2-1-2-1, still attacking

3) Attacking tactic - Exact same tactic but switched to a 4-0-2-2-1, now on overload

Team training is on Tactics, very high, all year around. I started this in FM14 and haven't looked back. Far more cohesive team performances since then.

1/5 days match training per match.

I stumbled on this set-up, but I've found it to be extremely helpful.

[gooner4ever]

Hey everyone,

As we all know importance of other areas such as coaches, training facilities, etc. but I wonder how you train your team. I think we may benefit from each other by sharing experiences.

- What is your general training focus? (During pre-season, season)

- What is your intensity level?

- Which one do you give weight to: Match training or general training?

- Do you set all 3 tactics? Or do you set 2 tactics to speed up the learning process?

All your comments are appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

I'm talking about FM2015 if that's what you are after.

During pre-season it's important to get the fitness levels up. Accordingly, I set my General Training focus to a Very High level of Fitness. No individual training for that period. It's also important to learn tactics, thus Match Training goes to 50% to lower the high level of fitness training and develop a good understanding of tactics during the pre-season. I train only one tactic at this point until my team are fully familiar with it (Fluid). I also schedule plenty of friendlies to allow for match experience. If I spot too many injuries, I may lower the General Training to High. Preferably one-two weeks before the season kicks off, I go from Fitness to Team Cohesion as the General Training focus. I may also change the Match Training to Teamwork if possible. I keep these focuses until my assistant manager says in his reports that my team have a "strong understanding" which mean a high level of team cohesion.

During the season proper I have kept it pretty simple. Most of the time my General Training is just at Average and the focus is set to Balanced in order to train a bit of everything. Since I prioritize player development, I lower my match training share to 10% after a couple of weeks into the season. Then I also assign individual training to my players which is often their playing role in my tactics (or a single attribute if they badly need to polish a certain attribute). This level is also kept at Average to ensure that my players are not overworked. The only exception are my younger first-team players (21 years and lower) who have their Individual Focus level at High to develop them while they are more likely to improve.

That's it!

[Cleon]

Team training is on Tactics, very high, all year around. I started this in FM14 and haven't looked back. Far more cohesive team performances since then.

All it does is train a set of specific attributes.

[HUNT3R]

Same for Fitness as well.

[Marsupian]

Hey everyone,

As we all know importance of other areas such as coaches, training facilities, etc. but I wonder how you train your team. I think we may benefit from each other by sharing experiences.

- What is your general training focus? (During pre-season, season)

- What is your intensity level?

- Which one do you give weight to: Match training or general training?

- Do you set all 3 tactics? Or do you set 2 tactics to speed up the learning process?

All your comments are appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

- General training focus is on balanced. I don't have a preference for a specific set of attributes and keeping it on balanced is less of a hassle.

- Intensity level I keep on average (same as individual training). Haven't really tried anything else for longer periods but this gives good results in terms of fitness, training happiness and development.

- I start with more match training to get our tactic fluid. From there I give more focus on general training and set match training to "teamwork" to get the squad gelled together. For important matches I focus on defensive/attacking depending on the game plan.

- I use 3 tactics. One is the main tactic, one is a more attacking variation to make something happen and one is a defensive variation to sit back and close out games.

[gooner4ever]

Same for Fitness as well.

Do you mean that dedicated fitness training during pre-season isn't actually needed? Only to play lots of friendlies? I've always had a sense that high fitness training in the summer is essential.

[HUNT3R]

Do you mean that dedicated fitness training during pre-season isn't actually needed? Only to play lots of friendlies? I've always had a sense that high fitness training in the summer is essential.

Nothing is needed to build up Condition. That will naturally build as they get back to training. For Match Fitness/Sharpness, you obviously need matches.

[gooner4ever]

Interesting. Then this makes things even easier. I could just set the Balanced/Average schedule for the whole season (and an appropriate Invidual Focus for all my players), sit back and relax.

[Marsupian]

Interesting. Then this makes things even easier. I could just set the Balanced/Average schedule for the whole season (and an appropriate Invidual Focus for all my players), sit back and relax.

That's what I do and it seems to work fine. Maybe for lower league teams it's a good idea to do some fitness specific training purely because physical attributes make a big difference at that level. I used to do two weeks of fitness training at the start of the season but never noticed a significant difference.

[roggiotis]

In FM 2015 i used to set General Training to Balanced - Low for the whole season (even in pre-season) ,individual to heavy and match preparation to tactics 50% until fluid ,then 10%

I had at least 1 friendly among the games for the reserve team so the unfit players could play for 45 min, i never had problem with the condition and match fitness of the players.

In FM16 iam confused,

you can't set the intensity of the individual training, plus you can't play without individual training.Every player is training in his role or in another position if you set (and you also have to choose what role) plus the additional attribute (optional)

If you set the general training to low you can't train the role heavy, the individual training workload is medium even with the additional focus,

so i am thinking to start general training to balanced - medium and then thinking every player separately , any ideas ?

[swansongs]

Full match prep every game. It's a results business, every little boost helps.

My players won't develop but I can just buy better ones when I get promoted. Or jump ship to a different club.

[Cleon]

Full match prep every game. It's a results business, every little boost helps.

My players won't develop but I can just buy better ones when I get promoted. Or jump ship to a different club.

The boost you get isn't worth sacrificing 50% of training for. In terms of the ME it doesn't even amount to the equivalent of 1 attribute for the next game for whatever focus you have. The boost from 50% of 20% is basically the same and you'll not notice the difference at all.

[swansongs]

50% of training is worthless if I'm buying new fully-developed pros every six months. I'm not running a daycare here.

If the option truly is worthless that should be reported in the bugs section. Otherwise I'm going to have faith that an extra 0.1 points in free kicks is going to be the difference between a goal and the woodwork in a scrappy 1-1 draw on my inexorable march to upper mid table.

[Cleon]

50% of training is worthless if I'm buying new fully-developed pros every six months. I'm not running a daycare here.

If the option truly is worthless that should be reported in the bugs section. Otherwise I'm going to have faith that an extra 0.1 points in free kicks is going to be the difference between a goal and the woodwork in a scrappy 1-1 draw on my inexorable march to upper mid table.

I've brought it up as a feature request for the past 4 years. One day it'll make it.

[talhak]

thanks everyone for their valuable comments, much appreciated.

Cheers.

[2calvin]

Doesn't 'fitness' train your player's general level of fitness though so if you didn't select it AT ALL during pre season, your players would struggle to make it through games (like low 50% at 90 mins) and through a season? no?

[Cleon]

Doesn't 'fitness' train your player's general level of fitness though so if you didn't select it AT ALL during pre season, your players would struggle to make it through games (like low 50% at 90 mins) and through a season? no?

No, fitness trains a set list of attributes which is;

• Fitness : Acceleration, Agility,Balance, Jumping, Natural Fitness, Pace, Stamina, Strength, Workrate
  

So all you do when having that selected is focus on those specific attributes and not the actual match sharpness or condition.

[2calvin]

I will try a pre season now out of curiosity with just ball control selected and see how it goes. It's just I could have sworn I tried before without selecting fitness at all and my players condition come start of the season was horrendous. Like I said low 50s at 90 mins when normally 70% and this is good players with high natural fitness.

[Cleon]

I will try a pre season now out of curiosity with just ball control selected and see how it goes. It's just I could have sworn I tried before without selecting fitness at all and my players condition come start of the season was horrendous. Like I said low 50s at 90 mins when normally 70% and this is good players with high natural fitness.

If condition is low at the start of this season this is down to a poor preseason and not using friendlies properly. It's nothing to do with fitness training at all and is more down to not keeping track of who needs to get match fit and preparing enough friendlies for that. Match fitness comes from game time not training.

[Finners]

In ten odd years of playing these games I've never had special pre season training focused purely on fitness and I've never struggled with fitness and condition during the season. It's a myth.

Make sure your players know your formation come the first game of the season, that's the most thing. If they're not match fit you simply didn't have enough friendlies.

[swansongs]

It's one of many cases of bad technical writing in the game, unfortunately.

'Fitness Training' should read 'Physical Training', as it develops (mainly) 'Physical Attributes', and has nothing to do with 'Match Fitness'.

Similarly 'Tactical Training' should be 'Mental Training' as it has nothing to do with 'Tactical Familiarity'.

Distinct concepts are being conflated needlessly by imprecise labeling.