Soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world. Soccer is an intermittent sport comprising short powerful efforts, normally in the form of sprinting, changing direction, jumping, tackling and kicking interspersed with low intensity movement patterns such as jogging, walking and standing still. The modern game demands strength, power, speed, agility and endurance.

Soccer Strength & Power Training

Traditional body building programs develop the non-contractile elements of the muscle and as such fail to enhance your power to weight ratio. Soccer strength and power training programs need to develop the capacity of the contractile elements of the muscle to exert force quickly and as such increase the Soccer players explosive power – paying particular attention to tendon, ligament strength and core stability.

Soccer Fitness & Conditioning

Professional Soccer players cover in excess of 10km during the course of a match and possess VO2max values between 55 and 65 ml.kg.min. It has also been demonstrated that a link exists between the distance players are able to cover during the course of a game and their aerobic power levels. Therefore it is imperative that Soccer players possess highly developed aerobic capacity and aerobic power levels. In order for Soccer players to improve their Soccer specific fitness and conditioning it is necessary to develop both aerobic capacity (endurance) and aerobic power. Maximum Aerobic Speed (MAS) training is an extremely effective method of developing aerobic capacity, power and lactic acid tolerance.

Soccer Speed & Agility Training

Soccer speed and agility training is a simple skill made extremely complex by many coaches. Training sessions should follow an integrated approach where all aspects of speed development (speed, agility, power, reaction time and speed endurance) trained all of time. The volumes and intensity of each component will vary depending on the main focus of the block. Intense efforts in Soccer are very short in nature and on most occasions average 10-15 meters, as such there is a need to concentrate on acceleration drills that incorporate change of direction, varying start positions, both with and without the ball. Soccer specific speed and acceleration is developed through hill sprints during the pre season phase. Hills not only teach the athlete to stay forward when accelerating but also serve as specific resistance training session as they strengthen the appropriate musculature required to accelerate. Soccer specific agility is “open” in nature. Soccer agility is reactive, random and requires decision making from the athlete. As such it is imperative that agility drills mimics these requirements. While simple “closed” drills are incorporated during the early general preparation phase as “preparation” drills, the chosen agility drills will become more complex, random and require decision making as you progress through the blocks of training.

Soccer Fitness & Mobility

Finally, Soccer mobility and flexibility sessions minimize the risk of injury with prehab exercises. These exercises are implemented to improve mobility and stability in addition to creating muscle balance and strength in the areas most susceptible to injury in Soccer training and matches as well as promoting muscle balance and stability. The sessions provide different exercises for weights and field sessions, including the use of foam rollers. Mobility exercise performed prior to gym and field sessions are designed to increase the quality of movement about a joint and to restore range of motion and efficient joint function. Foam rolling exercises are used before most sessions and works like a massage, it primes the body for exercise by stretching both muscles and tendons as well as providing a myofascial release. Foam rolling is also an excellent method of breaking up scar tissue and trigger points as well as promoting blood flow to the muscles.