How World Cup athletes endure: Tufts expert on training, recovery and player safety

As World Cup competition intensifies, the physical demands on players — and what it takes to stay healthy throughout a long tournament — are coming into focus.

Aaron Embry, PT, DPT, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Tufts University School of Medicine, is available to explain how elite athletes prepare for and sustain performance at the highest level.

“During a full 90-minute match, a player averages a distance traveled of up to 10 kilometers, or 6 to 7 miles,” Embry said. “The vast majority is spent fluctuating between a light jog and sprinting while engaging in multidirectional movement, acceleration and deceleration.”

That movement, combined with contact, places significant demands on the body.

“Running at a high rate of speed, changing directions while avoiding or bracing for impact requires a great deal of strength, balance, endurance, flexibility and mental awareness,” he said.

Preparation for these demands takes years of dedicated training, engaged in strength, endurance, and sport specific training activities multiple days per week. 

“Strengthening activities focus on explosive power generation — moving a relatively heavy amount of weight at a fast rate of speed,” Embry said. “Athletes also establish a strong aerobic base and then build the capacity to repeatedly sprint and change direction safely.”

While the majority of exercises are focused on the lower extremities, athletes also spend time ensuring that their trunk or ‘core’ is strong and able to remain stable when the legs are producing powerful movements throughout their legs and working on their upper body and neck to round out their functional capabilities on the field.

With teams potentially playing up to eight matches, maintaining readiness is critical. “In order to outlast the competition, all players must ensure they are ‘fit for play,’” he said.

“Because of the demanding nature of the game, along with the number of matches, athletes don’t usually compete in more than two World Cups during their careers,” Embry added.

He also highlights evolving safety measures during tournament play, including this year’s addition of hydration breaks.

“Hydration breaks provide players and officials an opportunity to maintain a safe body temperature and reduce the risk of heat-related illness or decreased performance,” he said.

Embry can also speak to the often-overlooked role of referees. “A good referee almost never stands still and is always attempting to predict where the next play will be while monitoring all player interactions,” he said.

Embry is available to connect these insights to both elite competition and broader audiences interested in safe participation in sports.