Physiology and Tarkovskii
To let you know my name is Athanasio, the RFC calls me Thanasi for short. My brother Angelo calls me Dr. Football because I don’t think he really knows what I’ve been studying at school for these past 5 years. I have a bachelors degree in KINESIOLOGY and a masters degree in EXCERCISE PHYSIOLOGY. I’ve heard him tell family members “Yes, Thanasi studies in… soccer health… he’s like a doctor for football”.
This past January, Angelo ran a “Maximal Incremental Treadmill Test” under my supervision. We ran this analysis in order to find Angelo’s maximal aerobic speed (MAS), his maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and many other physiological parameters. Attached to a K4B2, a portable gas analyzer machine, Angelo was definitely overwhelmed. Surprisingly enough, he did better than what we thought….
For those who saw the RFC Playoff video released last month, Patterson was also there taking photos. Here’s a good one of Angelo. Patty said it reminded him of Tarkovskii film.
With a 12.5 body fat percentage, a VO2 max of 54.2 ml/min/kg and 183 maximum heart rate, Angelo reached 14 km/h MAS, running a total of 8 minutes and 30 seconds, sweating buckets! These results will give me the information I need to set up his specific training program for the outdoor season starting in May. He better come ready. Pro soccer players range in between 62 to 65 ml/min/kg of VO2 max, 10.85% body fat and 17.50 km/h of MAS.
My screenshots here are not the greatest, but I really wanted to show you how legit this really is.
Photo by Patterson
Tags: Dr. Football, EXCERCISE PHYSIOLOGY, K4B2, KINESIOLOGY, maximal aerobic speed, Maximal Incremental Treadmill Test, maximal oxygen consumption, Patterson, RFC, Tarkovskii, Thanasi
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Apr 12th, 2010 | by thanasi
Football and Education
Congratulations to the 15 000 people striking against the school fees rising (up to 7000$ a semester!!!) and the new budget allocated by the government. We have been fighting for years to keep kids off the street and educate them… I am so lucky to have an education because it was affordable. I had the choice to go to university and know I do my best to promote sport education. A lot of soccer players part of the UQAM soccer team would not have been there if it wasn’t for their talent in soccer. In the future the choice for these players will be gone if the government stops supporting them as students.
Hippocrates is quoted some 2500 years ago: “Disease was the product of environmental factors, diet, and living habits”.
LET’S FOCUS ON PREVENTION.
Dr. Football “Promoting Football Science” P.F.S.
Tags: Dr. Football, UQAM
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Apr 10th, 2010 | by thanasi
DB is sad, and so is Edwin
Coming straight out of Buxton (near Sheffield), Edwin joined the RFC this past fall and had an immediate impact on the club. He’s is an amazing person, super friendly and a great footballer. Before my injury, I enjoyed playing with him because it was fun for me to use his speed, I’d place the ball and he’d be there. I admire his style, Edwin provokes the opponent, and he creates opportunities for his team.
Edwin is a diehard David Beckham fan. I feel bad for him because Beckham’s career is at a questionable stage. Here is a description of the recent injury that happened in Milan:
“The Achilles tendon runs from the calf muscles (Gastrocnemius and Soleus) at the back of the lower leg and inserts in at the back of the heel. The Achilles tendon can tear as a “partial rupture” or a “total rupture”. A total rupture is more common in older men who are recreational athletes. It sometimes occurs following a history of inflammation or degeneration of the tendon.”
According to me, David Beckham over worked his body by playing in MLS and SERIE A and TEAM ENGLAND. He had no real resting time. In modern day football, training is intense and the matches even more than the previous decades. Rest is a priority. I believe that at the age of 34, “DB” should have been more careful. It’s sad because he worked really hard in order to make it to the World Cup.
Edwin on the left here… and I’m on the right.
Tags: Achilles, Beckham, Buxton, DB, Edwin, Milan, RFC
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Mar 23rd, 2010 | by thanasi
Frostbite Cup 2010 plus Art Show curated by Dr. Football
At last, at Parc Louis Cyr on Saturday, March 6th 2010. Kick off at 1pm. Extra love to New Balance, and Jeremy Wirth for the Match Programme.
The Snow Bunting is a little bird of the northern hemisphere, an arctic specialist to be precise. I fell on it during a research. I’ve never seen one since it lives on high mountain tops of the arctic region, including Scotland and Alaska-Yukon.
Being Canadian, this passerine bird is also called “Snowflake”. I found the name quite representative of our logo. My second point, the picture I found was impressive. I felt this bird was humble, yet grumpy, and willing to fight for it’s survival.
If you know me, then you know I have an obsessive and addictive personality. That being said, you’ll be seeing more and more of the “Snowflake”.
Angelo D.
Art Show curated by Dr. Football: a dedication to Vicente Feola @ 8pm Off The Hook Gallery
The Ringleaders are under serious observation by Thanasi Destounis. The so called “Dr. Football” is constantly analyzing both physical and mental progress of the members of our club.
After a long and extensive research, much value was found within the story of Vicente Feola, the head coach of the Brazil 1958 World Cup Champions.
In a few words, Feola was the first to bring dietitians, massage therapists and psychologists to the world of football, before the British or even the Germans ever thought of such a scenario. The Brazilians ran tests on their players, by making them draw out their inner emotions on a piece of paper, while awaiting the grand tournament. Wonder what Pele, at the tender age of 17, might of drawn out? Man!
Funny? Yup, homeboy had a beer belly. Rest assured he knew the game of football like the back of his hand. Dude changed the game forever.
Please observe as the Brazil team of 1958 poses with their massage therapist Americo. The look on his face says it all. Homeboy is dead serious. The rest of the team seems so cool about it. Epic revolution.
Tags: Brazil 1958 World Cup Champions, Dr. Football, Frostbite Cup 2010, Jeremy Wirth, Match programme, New Balance, Off The Hook Gallery, Parc Louis Cyr, Pele, Snow Bunting, Thanasi Destounis, The Ringleaders, Vicente Feola
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Feb 24th, 2010 | by admin
Stay healthy playing football
Every Wednesday The Ringleaders play 2 hours of football. We burn in between 700 to 900 calories playing matches of 5 on 5.
On Sundays both RFC squads play 1 hour of competitive football, burning in between 700 to 870. These are approximate numbers because many factors influence calorie count.
A true Ringleader’s Meal:
* breakfast: 1 cup of bran cereal with 1% milk+ 1 yogurt+(add 1 tea spoon of flax seed)
* snack: 1 kiwi+ 12 to 15 raisin grapes
In summary… to live better:
- Play football 3 to 4 times a week
- Don’t smoke. That goes for you Vince.
- Eat well and reasonably (fruits, vegetables, water, fish etc…)
Check out this site on cancer prevention. I found it very interesting how basic things make a difference!
http://www.wcrf-uk.org/preventing_cancer/physical_activity/calories_and_physical_activity.php
Dr. Football “Promoting Football Science” P.F.S.
Tags: calories, football, RFC, The Ringleaders
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Feb 23rd, 2010 | by thanasi
Playing surface
The transition from outdoor to indoor football is quite an adaptation. Our outdoor football is played on grass and our indoor football is played on artificial or synthetic turf of the 3rd generation… or what FIFA prefers to call it; FOOTBALL TURF.
Third-generation artificial turf pitches were introduced in the late 1990s, made of long (.40 mm) and much more widely spread fibers of polypropylene or polyethylene filled with rubber granules. For many years it has been thought that turf surfaces were prone to football injuries. New studies demonstrate the opposite. It has been proven that no evidence of a greater risk of injury was found when football was played on artificial turf compared with natural grass (J Ekstrand, T Timpka, M Hägglund, 2006).
For us people of the north, these football turfs have given us the opportunity to play football all year long. My biggest concern is that in order for these articles to be true, the football turfs installed by our government all over Quebec must be placed on properly. By properly I mean all the different layers of the complete designed structure…
Do they save money by putting less layers of components? And if that’s the case, are we as players more prone to injury? If all layers of the turf installment are not properly put, then the shock created by running does affect our body.
Look up the following articles on artificial turf versus natural grass. The first one is a study on risk of injury and the second one analysis football movement patterns.
J Ekstrand, T Timpka, M Hägglund, 2006. Risk of injury in elite football played on artificial turf versus natural grass: a prospective two-cohort study. Br J Sports Med 2006;40:975–980
H. Andersson; B. Ekblom; P.Krustrup. Elite football on artificial turf versus natural grass: Movement patterns, technical standards, and player impressions. J Sports Sci. 2008 Jan 15;26(2):113-22.
Dr. Football “Promoting Football Science” P.F.S.
photo by Jesse Bowden
Tags: artificial turf pitches, B. Ekblom, fibers of polypropylene, FIFA, football injuries, FOOTBALL TURF, H. Andersson, indoor football, J Ekstrand, M Hägglund, P.Krustrup, rubber granules, synthetic turf, T Timpka
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Jan 9th, 2010 | by thanasi
Week 7
Division B
In Week 7 versus league B leaders (and undefeated) Moldova, the holidays take a toll on your body. Joas Trepanier hurt his knee during his first shift, one false movement and one bad push from behind, the boy was out of luck. We wish him a speedy recovery.
The Ringleaders were quite confident and focused. I don’t think Moldova saw us coming. We contained them well, with very little space for them to maneuver. It was 2-0 for them at half time, the second goal being a handball control that the referee failed to see.
An inspiring performance by our midfield saved us the match. Hassan Tounkara was brave today, exchanging the ball and executing precise plays between Dan Marrett, Ian Kenedy, Jeremy Patterson and Danny Pexis. The match ended 2-2, with a questionable action at the end of the 2nd half. Danny Pexis was clearly going on a break, while the last defender of Moldova touched it with his hand. He deserved a red card, but only got a yellow. I’m clearly frustrated tonight. I’ve seen teams behave better without referees on the pitch. Do we really need them in these amateur garage leagues?
Division C
I was about to write my report on this game when I received a group email from RFC’s Director of Football, Angelo Destounis, which summed up our performance and the game perfectly, so I’ll quote directly from his email:
‘With Vince and Joas injured, Team C had a big challenge. A very inspiring performance boys, we had them at 2-1, we only crumbled with 10 minutes left because of fatigue. And if Naz wouldn’t of hit the post, we had them at 2-2. For those who missed the game, Paul connected with Marrett on a crazy goal. It has now become a legend, you’ll hear about it 200 years from now, in some prophetic book found in ancient ruins.’
***
Dr. Football inspired by Eric Castel.
Moldova 2-2 RFC 2 (Hassan, Danny)
RFC 1-5 Blues Brothers (Dan)
Tags: Dan Marrett, Danny Pexis, Eric Castel, handball, Hassan Tounkara, Ian Kenedy, Jeremy Patterson, Joas Trepanier, Moldova, The Ringleaders, Week 7
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Dec 22nd, 2009 | by admin
Mr. Gil Orriols Jansana
The Montreal Impact signed football specialist Gil Orriols Jansana on the 24th of November 2009. This will bring the club to the next level. I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Jansana this summer during his stay in Montreal. After only a few words his passion for the game was evident. I have a feeling he will do so much for football in Quebec. Good luck Sir. To be continued…
Dr. Football “Promoting Football Science” P.F.S.
Tags: Gil Orriols Jansana, Montreal Impact
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Dec 21st, 2009 | by thanasi
