Condition Like a Pro and Your Opponents Will Know

Pretty much anyone can guess that soccer players need to have good endurance, but what else do they need? Athletes tend to neglect the necessary conditioning that goes into the intense sport of soccer. In this post I will brief you on some basic training areas to focus on in order to improve your performance and overall physical condition in playing this sport.

Endurance:

Without a doubt, running is a key factor in soccer. However, there are several subgroups to the umbrella that is running.

• Jogging
• Sprinting
• Change of Direction
• Acceleration

Soccer teams often focus on just jogging, or running at a consistent speed for a long period of time. This can work well to build up one's endurance, but how often are you just running at a constant pace throughout the game? Most of the time soccer involves quick sprints, runs. Therefore, interval training, hill running, and speed training, are all pivotal exercise routines. Weaving quickly through cones can help improve your quickness, and interval training and running in hills will improve your speed in terms of sprints and endurance. 

Strength:

This type of fùtbol does not require straight-on tackling like in American football, yet developing your strength can have many positive effects such as:

• Increased energy levels
• Injury resistance
• Faster recoveries
• Improved agility and balance
• Greater explosiveness

Lower body and core workouts should be emphasized in workouts, but cross-training with other muscles is recommended. Quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, and your abdominal muscles are good focus areas. Body-weight exercises including push-ups, squats, lunges, etc. are all strong choices. 

Power:

A powerful player has both speed and strength. To become a more powerful athlete, high-intensity workouts and circuits should be performed. This includes jump-squats, plyometric drills, and interval training. Doing circuits with exercises like mountain climbers, sprints, and things that get your heart rate going, will get you in ideal condition in no time.

Flexibility:

Flexibility is another disregarded necessity for soccer, but it is very important considering the amount of injuries that take place in the game. Many soccer players do some static stretching right before a game, but this can actually be harmful. Dynamic stretching done routinely, followed by static stretching, will reduce chances of injury. 

Nutrition:

This last section is crucial, but has lots to it. Having a healthy diet is a key contributing factor to being physically fit. I won't go too in depth here, but will just highlight a few things you can be conscientious about in terms of your diet.

• Drink LOTS of water!
• No alcohol or smoking
• Avoid sugary foods
• Consume starchy carbs after exercising or the night before a big game, but reduced otherwise
• Load up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein

Hopefully this gave you a strong outline of what you should do to get in your ideal condition for soccer. It can be quite the commitment, but if you ease into it, your body will thank you, and your opponents will not!