12 Month Soccer
Training Program
Soccer is the total sport and a well-thought-out
soccer training program must reflect that.
Soccer players must perform with short bursts of
power and speed AND have the ability to keep going
for 90 minutes or more...
First and foremost though, a soccer training
program should be individually tailored to
your needs
AND your resources. All
the training theory - the perfect 12-month fitness
regime - it all flies out the window if you simple
don't have the time (or the inclination) to train 3
or 4 days a week.
Start with what you have available.
Think about what you want to achieve in soccer. If
you take the time to prepare now you will reap the
rewards later on.
Step 1
-- ask yourself honestly how much time you are
willing to commit to your soccer training program.
Then take a bit off to account for over enthusiasm!
Step 2
-- what is your current level of conditioning? Be
more precise than "fit" or "unfit". Which elements
of fitness do you need to work on most? Speed?
Strength? Endurance? If you don't know.
Develop a series of simple
fitness tests to find out.
You
can do these in one afternoon and it's well worth
the effort.
Of
all the different types of soccer training you could
perform (strength training, speed training, skill
work etc.) 20% will make 80% of the difference to
your game.
Stay on the right side of the 80/20 principle. Build
your soccer training program around those areas that
need most improvement, especially if your time is
limited.
The 12-Month Soccer
Training Program
Even if you only play 8 months of the year, your
soccer training program should stretch the entire 12
months. More on why in a moment. The first thing to
do is split up our program into 4 distinct phases...
-
Early pre-season soccer training
-
Late pre-season soccer training
-
In-season soccer training
-
Closed or off-season soccer training
If
you simply want to improve your fitness over the
summer - ready for trials next season - base your
program on the late pre-season phase.
Side Note
At this stage don't worry about individual sessions.
This is the "big picture" - how all the different
types of training fit together. You'll find lots
more articles at the bottom of this page covering
strength, speed, drills and so on. But don't go to
them just yet!
OK,
let's look at each phase in a little more detail.
Early Pre-Season
(4-6 weeks)
Professional players might not see a ball for the
first half of the pre-season.
The
emphasis is on preparing yourself for the more
demanding, late pre-season soccer training. At this
early stage break keep things light and not too
demanding. The last thing you should do is dive
straight into all out, stomach wrenching interval
training!
Endurance Training
Stick to predominantly continuous type training.
This is lower intensity aerobic conditioning.
Continuous training should be the only form of
endurance training you perform for the first 2-3
weeks. Gradually progress to more intense
interval training as you move into late
pre-season.
Strength Training
Ideally you want to develop maximum strength
a few weeks before the start of the competitive
season. Why?
Before you can develop explosive power and
even speed you must first develop a solid strength
base. Maximum strength can take up to 12 weeks to
develop so if strength is a priority for you, start
your strength training during the off-season.
Speed And Power Training
No need for any speed or power work at this stage.
Leave it until the late pre-season and In-season.
Flexibility
Don't under estimate the importance of flexibility
in a soccer training program. Unfortunately most
soccer players do. Flexibility training is essential
for recovery and injury prevention. The best players
in the World are useless on the sidelines!
Again you'll find some good soccer stretching
exercises you can use to increase your range of
movement below. And do remember there stretching to
improve flexibility is NOT the same as stretching
during a warm up. There are some key differences.
Skill And Tactical Training
The amount of skill work you do at this stage
depends on the amount of time you have available.
Players old enough to perform demanding fitness
training (Over 16) will have a relatively high level
of skill. Having said that, You
can never stop improving!
Late Pre-Season 4-6
weeks)
A
word of warning - these few weeks might have you
asking, "Why didn't I take up golf?" but this is the
phase of your soccer training program that will have
the greatest impact on your game from a fitness
perspective.
Endurance Training
By now, all of your endurance training should be in
the form of interval training. Your soccer
training should also become more specific during the
late pre-season. Try to match the movement patterns
you would find in a typical match. For example, keep the intervals short and intense, include twists
and turns and running backwards, train on grass and
juggle a ball during active recovery periods etc.
Strength Training
Gradually decrease the number of strength sessions
and replace them with power training sessions
such as plyometrics. Plyometric training can be
extremely effective at developing power and
explosive off-the-mark speed but is not suitable for
everyone.
Again, don't worry too much if
"plyometric training" means nothing to you. We're
still on the "big 12-month picture".
Plyometrics for soccer is
covered in a separate module.
Speed Training
As the competitive season draws closer your soccer
training should place more and more emphasis on
quickness and sharpness. Again your conditioning
must be soccer specific. Vary your sprint starts for
example, by running backwards for a few yards first,
jumping to head a ball or controlling and passing a
ball before sprinting etc.
Flexibility
As the volume and intensity of your soccer training
increases flexibility training becomes even more
essential.
Skill And Tactical Training
Combine skill work with some of your fitness
training to save time. If you plan to do an intense
interval training session do your skill work first.
If you plan to combine plyometrics or sprint drills
with skill work always perform the plyometrics or
sprints first. It goes without saying.
The
warm up should precede all of these.
Before we move on to In-Season training phase take a
look at the chart below. It will give a quick
reference as to how all the different elements of
soccer fitness integrate over a season...
|
Priority Of Fitness
Elements in a Soccer Training Program |
|
|
Early Pre-Season |
Late Pre-Season |
In-Season |
|
Continuous training |
High |
Low |
Low |
|
Interval training |
Low |
High |
Maintenance |
|
Strength training |
High |
Moderate |
Low |
|
Power training |
High |
Moderate |
Maintenance |
|
Speed training |
Low |
High |
Maintenance |
|
Flexibility training |
High |
High |
High |
In-Season Training
The
goal here is to maintain the fitness you
developed during pre season. Regular, competitive
matches maintain basic levels of endurance so any
additional soccer training should concentrate on
speed, power and anaerobic endurance development.
Suppose your team trains on Tuesdays and Thursdays
and plays on Saturdays, below is an example of how
an In-season training week may look.
|
In-Season Soccer Training
Program |
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
|
Interval Training |
Team training - plyometrics and sprint work
|
Weights session and flexibility |
Team training - interval training |
Rest |
Match |
Recovery run and flexibility |
The
competitive season can last up to 8 months. Training
at the same level of intensity week in week out only
promotes the chances of injury and burn out. So,
Every 6 weeks or so give your body a break and a
chance to recover. For a week, drop the intense
speed and power sessions and just perform 2 or 3
light aerobic sessions instead.
Closed Season
Training
Nearly there!
Avoid abandoning all forms of physical conditioning
now the season has ended. If you do nothing for 6
weeks much of the hard work you've put in over the
last season will be lost.
Do
what professional players are advised to do. Cross-training... or X-Training as it's also known.
Do
some other form of activity that keeps your fitness
levels ticking over AND gives you a mental break
from soccer. Swimming, cycling, tennis, basketball -
any of these are good alternatives. Try to exercise
3 times a week for at least 30 minutes.
Let's quickly sum it all up in one small table that
covers the 12-month calendar...
|
Phases In A 12 Month
Soccer Training Program |
|
Month |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
|
Phase |
CS |
CS |
EPS |
LPS |
IS |
IS |
IS |
IS |
IS |
IS |
IS |
IS |
CS
= Closed season soccer training, EPS = Early
pre-season soccer training, LPS = Late pre-season
soccer training, IS = In season soccer training.
With this big picture in mind, we can move on to
more specific sessions for your soccer training
program. Click the link below for the main soccer
training section - you'll find all the soccer
related articles there.
Course Contributor Phil Davies
