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Fitness Training for Players
We offer to help you for your season using numerous aspects of fitness to prepare you for soccer at the elite level. Below you will find a list of the areas we will focus on, along with an explanation of how they affect soccer fitness, and why those aspects are important.
Aerobic Endurance
The ability to sustain prolonged exercise is dependent on a high maximal aerobic power. This aerobic power has been found to be correlated significantly with the distance covered in a game of soccer, underlining the need for high work-rate and a high aerobic fitness level. 56% of the game is spent at a fast jog or striding, with 11% sprinting. In terms of time, it is considered that there is a 7:1 ratio of aerobic versus anaerobic outlay of energy during a match. The aerobic system contributes approximately 90% of the total energy cost of match-play (Bangsbo, 1994). Elite players cover on average 6.25 – 7.5 Miles during competitive match play. Increasing the aerobic endurance performance of soccer players manifests great improvement in match-play performance.
Power
In any game you will be required to jump for headers, serve the soccer ball over distance, throw the ball, shoot on goal, as well as sprint from a standing start. Several studies have demonstrated that a combination of plyometrics and weight training is far more effective in improving speed and strength (power). Benefits: improves muscle response time, increases muscle performance, improved balance and posture, increases flexibility, reducing capability for injury
Core Strength
The intent of core training is to strengthen the muscle groups that stabilize your skeletal structure. The muscle groups that you strengthen with core training are the platform from which your arms and legs work.
Core training focuses on muscular areas of the abdominals. In soccer, you're actually only as strong as your weakest muscular link. For example, even if you have the quads of a bodybuilder, you must have the strength in your upper body to control the force your quads can develop. Having a strong torso helps hold your form together in the latter stages of an endurance effort which soccer is.
Agility and Speed
The dynamic nature of soccer requires the possession of not only speed but agility. Agility refers to the capability to change the direction of the body abruptly. The ability to turn quickly, dodge and side step calls for good motor co-ordination. Agility is the ability to change the direction of the body in an efficient and effective manner and to achieve this you require a combination of:
Balance, speed, strength, and Co-ordination
Flexibility
Flexibility refers to the range of movement about a joint. The flexibility of a joint is dependent upon the extensibility and elasticity of the structures surrounding it. Flexibility reduces the risk of injury sustained during overstretching, for example attempting to reach the ball when intercepting a pass. Increased force of a muscle (strength) is accompanied by a decrease in muscle length. Shortening of a muscle leads to a reduction in joint flexibility and therefore increases the risk of injury. It is therefore essential that strength training regimens are accompanied by flexibility programs.
Anaerobic Endurance
Anaerobic Training – Tolerance Training. Soccer players are frequently asked to perform activities that require rapid development of force, such as sprinting or jumping. The aim of tolerance training is to increase the ability to sustain exercise at a high intensity and recover quickly so that the exercise can be repeated with the same high level of execution. As soccer players, you must be prepared to repeat fast bursts of activity, thus a high anaerobic capacity is important to play well.