Dein erstes Forum » hard.So yeah, hes done a really, reall

Jamie Vardy is making up for lost time. A Premier League winners medal, appearances at both Euro 2016 and in the Champions League, and now a Ballon dOr nominee. Not bad for a lad who was still playing non-league football at 25. Adam Bate met up with the fairytale finisher to discover the secrets to his training regime and why Kevin Phillips could be his inspiration (yes, really)... Jamie Vardy is early for our interview. Thats not typical in football. But then, Vardy isnt the typical footballer. He does open up with a grin and a light-hearted quip about being in a hurry to get back to his Playstation, but who can blame him for eyeing some down time? Its been quite a year for the Leicester - and now England - striker. Nike Footballs Training gear is built for speed, with revolutionary AeroSwift technology Following the drama of that improbable title triumph, there was the equalising goal for his country in the Euro 2016 win over Wales. Hes embracing Champions League football for the first time now too. Away from the pitch, Vardy is balancing commercial commitments with a new autobiography thats already making headlines. Its been a busy time but Vardy remains calm. Hes had time to take it all in. Ive had a chance to reflect on it all, he tells Sky Sports. There was a bit of time in the summer when I got the opportunity to relax and think about whats happened. But its all been good.Some of the tastier morsels in Vardys book reference his habit of sipping port on the night before matches and an earlier penchant for drinking skittles vodka. He insists the reality isnt quite so shocking. A lot has changed, he says. Theres no vodka anymore. That was ages ago. Its just something I did when I was younger. Claudio Ranieri says hes fine with Vardys pre-match routine Famously, of course, those younger days were spent playing non-league football having been released by Sheffield Wednesday. Still a Stocksbridge Park Steels player at the age of 23, its no wonder that Vardys preparation was, by his own admission, massively different to the methods hes practising today in Nikes latest football training gear.I was training twice a week on a miserable, cold night, explains Vardy. 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.Such a routine wasnt ideal but it does partially explain Vardys exponential improvement since then. He enjoyed success in the lower leagues, winning titles with Halifax, Fleetwood and Leicester before even reaching the Premier League. But each step of the way, the exposure to better training methods has helped make the rise seamless. Vardy scored 24 goals as Leicester won the Premier League title last season As a Premier League player, those lengths of the pitch are a thing of the past. Obviously when youre doing fitness work at a club all week and every week, he explains, its all about specific drills for what you need to do on the pitch. So Id be doing a different drill to the centre-midfielders. Its all specifically tailored for me.For example, my drills are high speed. Its all about trying to break the line with a sharp sprint. That benefits me. If I went and did a half-marathon it probably wouldnt. It seems to work. According to the Premier Leagues tracking data, Vardy was the fastest man on the pitch in the first three games at the King Power Stadium this season.How much further Vardy can progress is open to debate. Hes already a Premier League winner anyway and turns 30 this January. But working with England will help to keep his game sharp - being around the countrys best players can only help - and, importantly, he still gives the impression that hes a player keen to learn. Vardy on Ballon dOr list Leicester duo Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are on the Ballon dOr shortlist. Thats a trait that Leicester as a team will need this season. We know weve always got to adapt, says Vardy. We know that last year probably wont happen again. Teams are more wary of what were about now. We know we have to adapt on the training field and put that into the matches with plans A, B and C if needed.The signings of Ahmed Musa and Islam Slimani have added competition in attack. While Vardy jokes that hed probably still gamble on winning a flick-on from the likes of Musa or Shinji Okazaki as well as Slimani and Leonardo Ulloa, they are all very different strike partners. Claudio Ranieri has plenty of options.With the Champions League to contend with, hell need them too. Weve not really had a day off, says Vardy. After a Saturday game, were in on a Sunday to cool down and make sure were fully back at it again. But it doesnt really affect things too much. Its basically like youve had a game on the Saturday and then youre in the cup on a Tuesday. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. The routine is working so far. Leicester have already beaten Club Brugge, Porto and FC Copenhagen with Vardy winning a trademark penalty in the first of those games against the Belgian side. The only surprise was that they werent anticipating the run. Hopefully theyve not taken as much time as Premier League teams to watch us, so we might be able to spring one or two more surprises, he says.Were going to have to get used to the referees. Theyre different in every single league across Europe. They are the little aspects weve got to be wary of but its enjoyable. Thats what we said from the start. Its something we didnt expect to be playing in so we need to just go out there and enjoy it. We need to express ourselves.The early signs are that the clubs European adventures do seem to be impacting on their Premier League form, with Leicester losing their third game of the season by late September - the same number of defeats that the team suffered throughout the entirety of their title-winning campaign. Leicester vs W Brom November 6, 2016, 4:15pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass But with the team having overachieved so sensationally last term, it should be little cause for alarm. Especially when Vardy and the team are keeping a lid on expectations. The targets that have been set are exactly the same as last year, he insists. We want to get to 40 points first. Well try to reach that target and keep going from there.As for Vardys personal ambitions, longevity is the goal. Having had to fight his way to the top, hes in no rush to give it all up. Kevin Phillips, his former striker coach at Leicester, played in the Premier League at 40 let alone 30, and its not lost on Vardy that Phillips was playing for non-league Baldock Town in the eighth tier at the age of 21.Because Ive come into the game a lot later Ive not had so much wear and tear on my legs at this age that I would have done if Id come onto the scene at 17 or 18, he says. So hopefully the legs will hold up. I just want to keep it going for as long as possible. The attention might be constant. But Jamie Vardy isnt close to being tired of it just yet.Jamie Vardy trains fast in Nike Football Training apparel, built for speed with revolutionary AeroSwift technology. Visit nike.com to explore the collection. Also See: Vardy on Ballon dOr list Who will win the title? Kevin Mchale Celtics Jersey . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Bob Cousy Celtics Jersey . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. http://www.celticssale.com/kids-danny-ainge-celtics-jersey/ . - Blake Griffin had 30 points and 12 rebounds, J. Boston Celtics Jerseys . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. Larry Bird Celtics Jersey . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. ORLANDO, Fla. -- Teams on the cusp of becoming bowl eligible dont usually have to hold open tryouts on campus looking for players in the middle of the season.That is exactly what UCF coach Scott Frost did last week.Injuries to scholarship players have thinned the scout team to near desperate levels and the coach is looking for some walk-on help, although it wont arrive in time to help the Knights prepare for Saturdays American Athletic Conference clash with Houston.As the season has worn along weve had some minor injuries, said Frost, who hasnt settled on which walk-ons he will add to the roster. Were just looking for a little more depth here and there.Depth issues aside, the Knights (4-3, 2-1 in the AAC) turnaround season is going better than expected with the team two wins away from bowl eligibility after coming off a 0-12 season in 2015.I didnt honestly know going into the beginning of the year how quickly wed be able to accomplish some of our goals and make that work, said Frost, who was brought in from Oregon to replace George OLeary last December. Weve made a lot more progress than maybe I even thought to the point our record is really good for where our expectations were going at the beginning of the year.There werent a lot of expectations for a program coming off a winless season. But the Knights have turned it around with a tenacious defense and often just enough offense to squeak by as they sit in contention with Temple and USF for the AAC East division lead.UCF is coming off an impressive come-from-behind 24-16 road win over UConn on Saturday. The win followed a heart-breaking last-second homecoming 26-25 loss to Temple a week earlier.For us to get down the way we did and claw back was great to see, said Frost, whose team also suffered a double-overtime loss to Maryland on the final play earlier in the season. It showed the charracter of our team.ddddddddddddAnd to be in an identical situation as two others where we had to stop somebody at the end of the game was good to see. This team just continues to impress me with its character.After enduring last season, the players wanted to be improved. They worked hard during the offseason to be better.Now they are enjoying seeing the results of the work they put in.Its been crazy, said junior defensive end Tony Guerad, who leads the defensive linemen with 25 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Last year was downfall, we didnt play that good. But this year we have a chip we have a chip on our shoulder.Its a different environment so we are (happier), playing fast and physical. So its been fun this year.The Knights have certainly caught the attention of Houston coach Tom Herman.Obviously you go from zero wins to three wins in four games, thats pretty good, Herman said. Really good scheme, (Frost) has his guys playing really hard.So yeah, hes done a really, really good job in a short amount of time.A defense that ranks in top five in most major categories in the AAC has been a major reason for the progress. But there is no denying the progress of freshman quarterback McKenzie Milton, who was first inserted into the starting lineup in the third game of the season, has gotten better as the season has progressed.Milton is coming off his best game so far, throwing for 317 yards three touchdowns while completing 29 of 45 attempts while leading the comeback.I thought we took a big step forward on Saturday, Frost said. There has been improvement every week. Seeing the passing game click like that is a big part of what we need going forward.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '