https://youtu.be/7-W9Nx3XdNA
Bale - absolute monster speed on the pitch.
Bale - absolute monster speed on the pitch.
Yes, Gareth Bale was a talented middle-distance runner, winning Welsh schoolboy races off of soccer training. Sub 5 minute 1500m at 12, as a soccer player, and a talented sprinter too.
Sadly, most British teens are going to prefer to aspire to playing for Real Madrid and earning a million a week rather than athletics.
Ronnie O'Sullivan clearly had a lot of natural talent. As you say, he was living the rock'n'roll lifestyle for years.
Not saying either Gareth Bale or Ronnie would have been Olympic champions, but I reckon both would have been national level if they had been dedicated to athletics instead of the sports they chose.
Likely many other British sportsmen too. Now compare with a country like Kenya or Ethiopia where nearly every athletic specimen is funnelled into distance running.
Ronnie O'Sullivan mentioned on Instagram last year that one of his young daughters is quite a serious runner. Maybe she will be a future star.
Um, yeah, no. I ran a minute faster last year when I was a decade older than him. I don't have his athletic talent, just his same height/weight. He ran the equivalent of an 18:30 5K or a 5:00 1500m. His AG% of 74 is good but not really impressive.
I mean, good for him, it's good to take up healthy hobbies. But get back to us when he breaks 33:00.
Are you referring to Villa or O’Sullivan? I think you’re referring to Villa, right? Your optimism is good but I doubt that he (Villa) will ever beat 33 minutes. If he gets down to 35 minutes that will already be an accomplishment.
Soccer Guy wrote:
Gotta love LetsRun. Poster creates a post wanting to discuss something he thinks is unique or special, then everyone sh*ts on the post and argues that the performance isn't unique, isn't special, and is in fact below-average and deserves derision.
Well it's kinda true. That's not to be elitist, it just isn't noteworthy
Coevett wrote:
Likely many other British sportsmen too. Now compare with a country like Kenya or Ethiopia where nearly every athletic specimen is funnelled into distance running.
I'm convinced James Milner would be an olympian had he continued distance running. Possibly even a podium finisher.
The victim's account:
Badillo says that the vast majority of NYCFC’s players were respectful of her and the other women working for the club. Villa, according to Badillo, was different. In mid-June, in the training room, Badillo says she reached for an item next to Villa, at which point he grabbed her hand, stroking it while looking directly at her. Two days later, he became even more direct.
“He started telling me that he loved me that week,” says Badillo. “That would end up being a constant. He would say it to other people, that he loved me. If I was walking out of the room, he’d yell it. If Melvyn was standing there he’d tell Melvyn that he loved me.”
Badillo remembers seeing Villa’s young son at training one day. She felt relieved because she assumed his advances would be tempered by the presence of his child.
“His kid was sitting on his lap,” recalls Badillo, “and he told me he loved me. It was like — ‘OK, there goes that theory.’”
I am not denying that this female intern was a aggrieved by Villa’s ”harassment” but it seem that she misinterpreted his jocular “advances“ wrongly in the sense that David Villa probably did not mean any harm to this young intern.
The fact that he repeated the declarations so often in the presence of anyone and everyone in the New York football club training grounds, that he “loved“ this young intern shows that he was not really serious about that declaration.
At least this is my take on the story for what it’s worth.
We are in a “me too culture” these days and for the past few years which makes it very difficult for men to say anything complementary to women lest it be taken in the wrong way.
In this article Villa states that it is beyond comprehension why during his tenure at the New York City football club he was never made aware of any complaints towards him for inappropriate behavior and that it only happened once he left the club and retired.
His legal team is fully prepared and says there is no basis for the complaint.
However, alleged victims who complain about cases like this have to be aware of the great damage they can instill in the public eye with regard to accusations like this which are hard to disprove.
No matter the outcome of the investigation, Villa’s name has been tainted somewhat and that is not a good thing.
Ghost1 wrote:
The thing about soccer players is that they never run sustained speed at around five or six minutes per mile for a long stretch. They are either running very fast in sprints or just jogging slowly it is either one or the other but they are almost never in the intermediate bracket of running 5 or 6 mins mile pace for anything long and when I say “long I mean anything longer than about 400 m.
In other words, they are doing "fartlek training" all the time. No wonder they are good at distance running.
Yes but when runners do fartlek they sustain tempo running for much longer periods. Soccer players almost never do any running at high tempo for more than a couple of hundred meters at most. Different system, ‘different capillaries.
Ghost1 wrote:
Yes but when runners do fartlek they sustain tempo running for much longer periods. Soccer players almost never do any running at high tempo for more than a couple of hundred meters at most. Different system, ‘different capillaries.
Yes, but the training they do is more than enough to run 38 min, I know, I have done it.
Going back to my previous post, what F1 training would have made Jenson Button run a 79 HM or a 35min Oly Tri split?
Look forward to answers
I am Sam wrote:
Ghost1 wrote:
Yes but when runners do fartlek they sustain tempo running for much longer periods. Soccer players almost never do any running at high tempo for more than a couple of hundred meters at most. Different system, ‘different capillaries.
Yes, but the training they do is more than enough to run 38 min, I know, I have done it.
Going back to my previous post, what F1 training would have made Jenson Button run a 79 HM or a 35min Oly Tri split?
Look forward to answers
Jenson Button systematically trained for triathlons for a number of years and so he was well prepared. David Villa is new to the sport so he still has a margin of progress which will continue to see better results in the future.
Ghost1 wrote:
I am Sam wrote:
Yes, but the training they do is more than enough to run 38 min, I know, I have done it.
Going back to my previous post, what F1 training would have made Jenson Button run a 79 HM or a 35min Oly Tri split?
Look forward to answers
Jenson Button systematically trained for triathlons for a number of years and so he was well prepared. David Villa is new to the sport so he still has a margin of progress which will continue to see better results in the future.
You're assuming he will train seriously, which he will not.
Jenson Button is built like a triathlete with low body fat and good strength, certainly no skinny looking distance runner type.
Where did you spotted that I had compared my playing level of football with Villa's? I had only stated that pro players are much better physically prepared than we were in U18 category, where cca 35min 10k ability was nothing exceptional.
Villa is not new to running, only new to road racing. In the off season, pleyers - even amateur-level, run hundrets of miles, and yes, even as sustained runs, progressive runs, and -shockingly - also intervals, fartleks, etc. We often had tests together with senior men (pro team, regular participant in Champion league - not Barcelona, but a very good European team with several trophies in the past), and 12minute test was a staple, Conconni test as well. All pro players playing in the field HAD TO run more than 3600m (that is 10min for 3000m, or 3:20/km), lest they would face re-testing and a second failure would result in a substantial reduction in contract for failure to be reasonably physically prepared. The goalies had a limit of 3200m or more. There were other tests, related to strength, explosiveness, coordination, etc., but this one was universally loathed. Everyone, except for those on the injury list, passed as far as I remember.
With the ability to run 3600m or more in 12minutes, I am sure none would have problem to run under 38min for 10km.
Villa is merely keeping in shape, he had not made any physical progress from his pro career fitness, just slowed his decline after retirement from the sport. Again, good for him.
Ghost1 wrote:
We are in a “me too culture” these days and for the past few years which makes it very difficult for men to say anything complementary to women lest it be taken in the wrong way.
If you had ever had any experience or contact with the opposite sex you would know there is a difference between compliments and harassment.
Also, a 38 minutes 10km for someone who has been a PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE for 25 years is not impressive, AT ALL. Footballers have a monster aerobic base built up already by the time they turn 20 years old. If you had any friends then you might know some footballers personally and therefore would know that with MINIMUM specific training (I’m talking 2-3 practice attempts) the majority of any professional league team would be able to go run 40 minutes for 10km, with many going sub 38.
During lockdown in the UK last year lots of footballers were attempting and posting 5km efforts around the 18 minute mark, of pretty much ZERO specific training.
Forrest Child wrote:
Where did you spotted that I had compared my playing level of football with Villa's? I had only stated that pro players are much better physically prepared than we were in U18 category, where cca 35min 10k ability was nothing exceptional.
Villa is not new to running, only new to road racing. In the off season, pleyers - even amateur-level, run hundrets of miles, and yes, even as sustained runs, progressive runs, and -shockingly - also intervals, fartleks, etc. We often had tests together with senior men (pro team, regular participant in Champion league - not Barcelona, but a very good European team with several trophies in the past), and 12minute test was a staple, Conconni test as well. All pro players playing in the field HAD TO run more than 3600m (that is 10min for 3000m, or 3:20/km), lest they would face re-testing and a second failure would result in a substantial reduction in contract for failure to be reasonably physically prepared. The goalies had a limit of 3200m or more. There were other tests, related to strength, explosiveness, coordination, etc., but this one was universally loathed. Everyone, except for those on the injury list, passed as far as I remember.
With the ability to run 3600m or more in 12minutes, I am sure none would have problem to run under 38min for 10km.
Villa is merely keeping in shape, he had not made any physical progress from his pro career fitness, just slowed his decline after retirement from the sport. Again, good for him.
That Conconi test covering a minimum of 3600 m in a set time (12”) is actually pretty impressive at 3:20 for a kilometer pace and I did not realize that pro footballers could log that kind of effort. I would have my doubts that a guy like Lukaku could pass that test but if wrong then bad karma to me.
Lukaku, monster on the pitch, no lightweight. Can he run a 10:00 /3000? Highly doubtful, as the guy is built like an armored tank, heavy duty.