Jamie Vardy explains difference between amateur and Premier League fitness training

There are few better people to explain the how much of a step up there is in training from the non-League to the Premier League than Jamie Vardy.

Few careers are comparable to that of Vardy. He's experienced just about every level of the English domestic league system and he's done so in such a relatively short period of time. The England striker went from playing for non-League outfit Stocksbridge Park Steels to turning out for Leicester City in the Premier League in the space of six years. As he explained during a detailed interview with Sky Sports, back then the fitness aspect of training comprised almost entirely of running lengths of the pitch.

"I was training twice a week on a miserable, cold night. Your training was to go out and do a bit of ball work, a bit of fitness and then finish off with a game. It was constantly just lengths of the pitch. That was it. Then it was off home, get into bed and then go to work in the morning."

https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/781079005562806272?lang=en However, Vardy noticed a stark change in the approach to player development in the English top flight. He no longer runs lengths of the pitch, but rather he focuses on drills that are more specific to his position.

"Obviously when you're doing fitness work at a club all week and every week. It's all about specific drills for what you need to do on the pitch. So I'd be doing a different drill to the centre-midfielders. It's all specifically tailored for me." "For example, my drills are high speed. It's all about trying to break the line with a sharp sprint. That benefits me. If I went and did a half-marathon it probably wouldn't."

Well it's a good thing he isn't a professional half-marathon runner so. Colm Parkinson is joined by Paul Rouse for a heated debate about Sky Sports' five-year GAA deal and an exclusive chat with AFL star Zach Tuohy on the new GAA Hour. Subscribe here on iTunes