Conditioning for Soccer
ANTHONY GLASS, MS. ED., MSCC., C. S. C. S. Director of Strength and Conditioning | Ohio Wesleyan University
When I was approached by Jay Martin, the winningest coach in NCAA men’ s soccer history, to write this article on soccer conditioning, I wasn’ t sure which direction to take since there are so many different opinions and training philosophies on soccer conditioning. There is plenty of information driven by sports science to help steer coaches in the right direction. Unfortunately, coaches still rely on what they have done in the past when training their athletes, often overlooking science.
I think having a basic understanding of the physiological demands of the sport will assist coaches in creating a program that will target specific training needs. Since soccer is now primarily a year-round sport, your decision-making will depend on the time of year you’ re training. You must also consider that most soccer teams will have multiple off-season, pre-season, in-season and post-season periods all in one calendar year. Your program will need to be tailored for each training phase to reach optimal training levels and accomplish desired fitness goals. Planning the appropriate times to test your athletes, as well as when recovery is needed, should not be overlooked. Lastly, if you have a multi-sport athlete, your training focus will have to change to prevent overtraining.
When looking at the physiological demands of the sport, your approach to training your athletes should be focused on those qualities. Soccer requires a high level of aerobic capacity, sprint speed, anaerobic power, jumping ability, and strength to perform repeated high-intensity actions such as sprinting, jumping and tackles intermixed with lower-intensity activity. Players must also have relatively good total body strength and power, as well as mobility and flexibility to help reduce the risk of injury.
A basic understanding of the three energy systems that are always active when playing soccer can also be helpful when planning your program. The Creatine Phosphate( ATP-PC) System is used for rapid, but short-lived, energy for explosive, high-intensity movements. This system provides energy for the first 10-15 seconds of intense activity. Next, you have the Anaerobic Glycolysis( Lactate) System which produces energy quickly by breaking down carbohydrates without oxygen. This system generates lactic acid and is used for activities lasting up to a couple of minutes. Lastly, you have the Aerobic( Oxidative) System, the most efficient system that uses oxygen to break down carbohydrates and fats for a sustained energy supply. This system is used continuously for long periods of play.
Since we now have a basic understanding of physiological demands, let’ s look at the various drills needed to help accomplish your fitness and conditioning goals.
Speed and agility( SA) training: Sportspecific or general SA drills that focus on change of direction. Our coaching goal is to accomplish a change in direction without a change in speed. This includes repetitive drills such as L drills, Agility Box drills and Cone Chute-style cutting drills. They can be made more sport specific by adding a soccer ball.
Anaerobic endurance: Drills that focus more on mid-distance sprints and intervals. These drills should have set distances and should be timed to add intent to the workout.
Cardiovascular endurance: Drills that focus on longer, more sustained endurance conditioning with an emphasis on fitness. To prevent overuse injuries, perform no more than three days a week.
Plyometric training: Drills that focus on explosive power and can be used for firststep quickness as well as injury prevention. They should be performed on a speed- and agility-focused day at the beginning of the workout. Special attention to volume should be considered to avoid overtraining your athletes.
Strength training: Workouts, whether with or without resistance, should focus not only on lower-body strength and power but overall total-body strength as well. Calisthenics utilizing body weight are great for training younger athletes and large groups on the field.
Testing: There are many types of beep tests used these days to test fitness levels. Your test periods should also include tests that look at athletic qualities such as first-step quickness and lower- / upper-body strength and power.
Unilateral lower-body testing, as well as muscle imbalance testing, should also be considered during your test period.
Recovery: It is important not to overlook the importance of recovery and teaching your athletes techniques to help them recover. Proper nutrition, hydration and relaxation breathing techniques as well as quality sleeping techniques should be a part of the discussion.
In closing, when putting any program together it must include exercises and drills that focus on qualities of the sport. Most of these qualities can and should be trained during the same workout. How you include them in your training scheme should look very similar to how you plan your team practice. I am a firm believer that there is no perfect practice. Most of what we do as coaches consists of trial and error. However, it is extremely important to always put your athletes’ safety first. Start your training period with reduced volumes and gradually increase your workload over the duration of the training cycle. Train all athletic qualities the sport requires and do not overlook imbalances. Remember to consider that each athlete will have different starting fitness and skill levels so the way you train may look different for each of your athletes and / or teams. Start with basic fitness testing to establish fitness needs and goals. Lastly, plan your program with intentional training goals in mind. n
10 | Soccer Journal