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| Strategies to Get Your Team Soccer Fit, Part II |
This is the second of a two-part series prepared by SoccerFit. In Part I, we presented a framework for incorporating fitness into a training session for your team. Part II will provide a soccer-conditioning spectrum to be used as a conditioning tool within that framework.
What type of conditioning is best?
The physical demands of the game are somewhat contradictory because they are at opposite ends of the spectrum — speed on one end, aerobic endurance on the other. There is no question that a significant aerobic base is necessary to be a good player. The problem is how to achieve this aerobic fitness base without compromising speed or explosiveness. Slow continuous running or jogging will not build the aerobic base needed to play with out compromising speed and explosiveness. It might be helpful to think of the base as the sum total of all the work done. This is why the term Work Capacity base is preferred rather than aerobic base.
The aerobic base is a component of work capacity. This base is built through varied intensity interval workouts, circuit training, and various combinations of games with varied numbers of players, touches, availability of balls, and size of field. Some work can be done with the ball and some without. As the technical proficiency of the players improves, then it is productive to do more fitness work with the ball.
The following is a continuum of soccer fitness training. The continuum begins with the highest intensity demand component, speed, and works down to the lowest intensity, aerobic work. It is important to place all these workouts within the context of actual soccer practice. Always take into consideration the total workload because training is cumulative. A simple rule of thumb is to remember that one workout cannot make an athlete, but one workout can break an athlete.
SPEED 95 – 100%
All out sprints and acceleration work. This is an example of a Ball Acceleration Module (Length of acceleration should be 10 meters)
• One Touch & Go (instep)
• Feint & Go (Outside of Foot)
• Turn & Go (Sole of Foot)
• Juggle & Go
• Out of Air & Go
SPEED ENDURANCE 90 – 95%
• 30 meters with 30 sec recovery in sets of 4 or 5 reps – 3 minutes between sets
INTENSIVE TEMPO 80 – 90% (MIXED AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC WORK)
• 30 sec walk/ 30 sec jog/ 30 sec run
• Whistle Fartlek 6 – 10 minutes with & with out the ball
• Short/Short/Long (Two short touches followed by a long touch) 30 –40 seconds active recovery dribbling the ball
• 10 Second Bursts with the ball – With 25 –30 seconds recovery dribbling ball
EXTENSIVE TEMPO 70 – 80% (AEROBIC INTERVAL WORK)
• 30 sec run/ 30 sec jog @ 75% x 9 –12
• 2 or 3 minutes runs x 2 –3 @ 70%
• Continuous Tempo <70% (Low intensity aerobic work)
• 20 – 30 minute runs. Use this primarily for recovery sessions
A typical week of a youth club practice
The majority of youth club teams practice twice a week with games on the weekend. However, a minimum of four days per week of planned training is required to see any benefit in improved fitness levels. The following is a model one-week training template for the in-season that you can use with your team. Refer to the soccer-conditioning spectrum when designing your team’s conditioning.
Monday: Active Recovery - Continuous Tempo
Tuesday: Speed Practice
Wednesday: Speed Endurance
Thursday: Speed Practice
Friday: Off
Saturday: Game
Sunday: Game
Make fitness a priority and you will see the results in improved quality of training as well as game performance!
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January-February 2003 issue of Soccer Journal.
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