report: jim petruzzi
http://www.excelwithnlp.com
getting fit for soccer

we’ve all kicked a football at
least once in our lives but
there is more to this nation’s
favourite sport than just a kick
around in the park. if your
clients take their football
careers seriously you could
learn some useful tips from

physical demands of soccer
Soccer is a sport requiring high levels of physical fitness. It
is one of those sports that demands not only speed but
agility, strength, power and endurance. Players at top levels
can run a total of 14 km in a typical game, not forgetting
the frequent accelerations, decelerations, changes of
direction and jumps they must undertake. But you don’t
have to be David Beckham to train specifically for football.
Fitness is important at all levels of the game. Whilst being
essential for elite performers (box 1), it is beneficial for
players of all standards since both their effectiveness and
enjoyment will improve as they develop their fitness. The
aim of fitness training in soccer is to enable a player to
cope with the physical demands of the game as well as
allowing the efficient use of his various technical and
tactical competencies throughout the match.
advising a football team or individual on fitness
It is important to take into consideration each individual’s
state of fitness. This can be done by assessing each
component, including maximum oxygen uptake, flexibility,
aerobic and anaerobic fitness.

The performance potential of a soccer player can be improved
by fitness training which is generally divided up into aerobic,
anaerobic and specific muscle training. Other factors that are
important to a player’s progress are his genetic background,
diet and mental fitness. Improvements in performance depend
upon the training methods used. Frequency, intensity,
progressive overload, type of exercise, specificity and
recovery all play a part in determining performance.
how do you improve fitness?

Use fitness tests to profile the player then compare the
results to the demands of soccer at each player’s level.
Perform tests at regular intervals and use the results as
feedback to fine-tune the training programme. Fitness tests
should be an integral part of your training programme and
the basis on which your programme is built. In order to
identify a player’s physical strengths and weaknesses
football-specific tests are necessary. The information gained
from these tests can help set up long-term and short-term
goals. In the event of long-term injury, chronic sickness, or
a planned rest period, a player’s previous assessments will
also provide data that can be used for comparison purposes.
selecting a test

It is important that any fitness test used is specific for
soccer and that it is reliable, feasible, and the conditions
are similar each time the test is performed. Some
appropriate tests which are soccer-specific include:
• standing long jump – this is a test of maximum anaerobic
power (legs) and a functional test for initial acceleration
and horizontal power.
• overhead medicine ball throw – this can be used as a test
of upper body power. The athlete performs the equivalent
of a football throw in with no run up.
forward
The workload of a forward
comprises:
3.22km intensive running
1.82km sprinting
4.9km slow running
4.06km walking

positional fitness demands in soccer
NB: at semi-professional level the total demands are not as high, and in general a semi-professional player would cover around 20% less distance for
each of the above categorised positions. Similarly, in an amateur league the workloads are 20-50% less, depending on the league.
full back
At professional level in a typical
game the workload of a full back
comprises:
2.38 km of intense running
0.84 km sprinting
5.04 km walking
5.47 km slow running
midfield
The workload of a midfield player
comprises:
2.8 km intensive running
1.54 km sprinting
4.76km walking
5.32km slow running
walk
36% walk
31%
walk
29%
sprint
6%
sprint
11%
sprint
13%
intense run
17% intense run
20%
intense run
23%
slow run
41%
slow run
38%
slow run
35%

• sit up max (1 min) – this is a measure of trunk endurance,
correct form is important.

• one repetition maximum squat – for assessing maximum
leg strength.

• cooper test – a test of aerobic fitness, the maximum
distance covered in 12 minutes.

• 300-yard shuttle – this is a test of intermediate anaerobic
power; it is performed as a shuttle run over 25 yards (300
= 12 x 25 yards).

• t drill – this is a test of agility, involves running forwards
10 yards, side stepping left 5 yards touching a cone, side
stepping right 10 yards touching a cone, side stepping
back 5 yards touching a cone and running backwards 10
yards to the start

• flexibility – ideally, the full range of motion for all major
muscle groups should be tested, for instance, straight leg
raises for hamstrings.

The above tests are basic, effective and easy to administer and
can be used as the foundation of a football fitness programme.
training methods
effective methods for acceleration

All maximum leg strength exercises improve acceleration,
as do leg plyometric exercises. Particularly useful are:
hurdle hops – single and double leg.
sprint starts – eg. 20 x 5 metre sprints with 30 seconds
recovery.

foot speed drills – i.e. maximum number of foot contacts
made in 10 seconds.
effective methods for maximum sprint speed

hill sprints – 10% gradient up and down.
sprint work – a typical work out could be 5-10 x 30-80m
max efforts with 3-5 minutes rest between sets.
aerobic endurance

20 x 200 metres with 30 seconds recovery or 5-10 km run.
anaerobic (ATP-PC) training
20 x 20 metre shuttle with 45 seconds rest
10 x 60 metre with one min rest.
anaerobic (lactate development) training

5-8 x 300 metre fast with 45 seconds rest between repetitions.
8 x 350 metre with three minutes rest between repetitions.
strength and power
squat jumps, power lunges, power cleans 3-6 reps, 85% one
rep. max.
flexibility
a combination of active and passive stretching for each
major muscle group.

references (fitness assessment)
Chu, D.A., Developing Explosive Power and Strength, Human
Kinetics, 1996.
Baechle, T.R. & Earle, R.W. Essentials of Strength Training &
Conditioning, Human Kinetics, 2000.
Dintiman, G, & Ward, B. Sports Speed, Human Kinetics, 2003.
Ujihashi, S. & Haake, S.J. The Engineering of Sport 4: Proceedings
of the 4th International Conference on The Engineering of Sport,
Kyoto, 3-6 September 2002, Blackwell Science, Oxford 2002
pp. 817-823.

	Author:	jimmy (jimmy's profile, jimmy's blog)
	Posted On:	Wednesday, 23rd September '09, 7:17am
	Tags:	Physiology, Soccer Training, Speed Training, Strength Training and Training Programs
	Comments:	0 comments, go to comments

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