Football-specific training and physical preparation

Physical preparation is an essential aspect of soccer. It enables players to develop a good level of fitness to meet the demands of matches and avoid injuries throughout the season. A study carried out by UEFA revealed that almost 70% of soccer injuries could be avoided through adequate soccer physical preparation, particularly through muscle-strengthening and mobility-enhancing exercises. What's more, well-structured physical preparation can reduce the risk of injury by 30-50%, according to a study published in theBritish Journal of Sports Medicine.

Physical preparation for soccer also improves performance on the pitch. For example, a well-prepared player can cover up to 10 to 12 kilometers per match, with an average of 150 to 250 sprints. Endurance, speed, power and explosiveness are key components of this preparation. By increasing their ability to accelerate and change direction, players can improve their performance in game situations, as several studies on the performance of Europe's elite teams have shown.

Whether you're a player, coach or fitness trainer, integrating specific foot fitness training, using data and exercises based on this research, is crucial to maximizing results and preventing injury.

The importance of pre-season soccer fitness exercises

Physical preparation for soccer is an essential aspect of the game. It enables players to develop optimal physical condition to meet the demands of matches and avoid injuries throughout the season. Good preparation includes key elements such as endurance, speed, power and explosiveness. In this article, we explain how to structure your soccer physical preparation effectively, focusing on the different phases of the pre-season and specific methods for improving your performance.

Pre-season physical preparation: Key stages

Rehabilitation and adaptation phase (Weeks 1-2)

The aim is to re-acclimatize players to physical effort after a period of inactivity. Thetraining sessions can be broken down as follows:
Low- to moderate-intensity footwork 20-30 minute sessions of running at a light pace, gradually increasing duration and intensity.
Endurance exercises Gentle activities to restore general fitness.

Generalized foot fitness phase (Weeks 2-4)

The aim here is tostrengthen muscles and improve general fitness. This is achieved throughtargeted workouts such as: muscle-strengthening exercises Abdominals, sheathing, push-ups and squats to develop functional strength. OrMVA (Maximum Aerobic Speed) training Low-intensity splits to improve endurance. Example: high-intensity runs of 400 to 800 metres with rest periods.

Technical and tactical integration phase (Weeks 4-5)

The integration phase enables you to to transpose the improved physical condition into real-life playing situations.

Training in this phase consists of: Workshops with the ball with integration of position-specific techniques. Workshopscircuit training with combinations of physical and technical exercises. This will enable the body to remain accustomed to match efforts. Theshort-game sessions with practical exercises to prepare players for match situations.

Types of Endurance and Strength Training

Endurance :

VMA training: Improves aerobic endurance with high-intensity intervals followed by recovery periods.
Interval training: Alternates between periods of high intensity and rest, for example, 30-second sprints followed by 1-2 minutes of recovery.

Strength :

Muscle strengthening: Targeted exercises for key muscle groups. Use of moderate weights to avoid injury while developing strength.
Generalized Football Physical Preparation (PPG): Includes sheathing exercises, push-ups and squats to improve stability and functional strength.

Specificities of Football Physical Preparation according to Season

In Pre-Seasonthefocus on endurance, VMA and muscle strengthening. You can add a gradual introduction to exercises with the ball and specific techniques.

In Regular Season,Maintain physical condition with active recovery sessions, interval training and light muscle strengthening. It's also important to reduce intensity to prevent injury and ensure optimum recovery between matches.

At the end of the season,the discharge and recovery phase is essential to avoid exhaustion. Gradual reduction of training volumes and intensities, with a focus on recovery and injury management.

Weight training to complement soccer training sessions

During the season, strength training for soccer should complement classic training sessions. Indeed, coaches expect their players to optimize their physical fitness to perform well on the pitch. Whether using bodyweight or dumbbells, strength training for soccer is essential.

It aims to improve the physical qualities of each player. Regular squats or skipping rope, for example, will help you develop your thighs and buttocks.

This, in turn, will increase your explosive power and enable you to run faster in sprints. You can also add proprioception exercises to your football-specific physical preparation.

Example of leg strengthening Regular squats, lunges and skipping rope exercises develop the thighs and buttocks, giving you greater explosiveness and a better ability to accelerate when sprinting. These exercises are particularly beneficial for strikers or midfielders who have to string together intense, repeated efforts.

It is also important to include proprioception exercises in physical preparation. These exercises, such as balancing on one leg or using unstable boards, help to strengthen stabilizing muscles and improve coordination, thus reducing the risk of ankle and knee injuries.

The importance of the upper body

It's important not to neglect the upper body, which is often underestimated in soccer training. A player with a strong upper body will find it easier to withstand physical duels and defensive pressure. Exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups and the use of dumbbells help to strengthen the arms, pectoral muscles, back and abdominal muscles. This provides overall balance and better stability, essential for explosive movements and rapid changes of direction on the pitch.

Make sure you don't neglect the upper body during your strength training sessions, too, so as to achieve overall balance. Doing push-ups or dumbbell exercises is a great way to build up your arms, pecs, back and abdominal muscles. You'll gain power and be better able to withstand the intensity of duels during a soccer match.

Customized training programs

Adapting training programs to each player's individual physical capabilities is crucial to maximizing performance while minimizing the risk of injury. Every athlete has unique physical characteristics - whether in terms of strength, endurance, speed or explosiveness. A generic approach can lead to sub-optimal results and, in some cases, to overloads that increase the risk of injury.

Why Adaptation is Essential

A personalized program allows you to adjust the intensity, duration and type of exercises to suit the player's specific needs. For example, a central defender with great strength but limited endurance will need training focused on improving aerobic fitness. Conversely, a fast striker may focus more on muscle strengthening to improve duels and ball protection.

Physical tests such as VO2 Max, VMA or the Cooper test play a key role in this personalization. They enable coaches to accurately assess each player's current capabilities and adapt programs accordingly. For example, a player with a low VMA score will benefit from fractional training sessions to improve endurance, while a player with good endurance but low explosivity will benefit from strength training and plyometric sessions.

Injury prevention and accelerated progress

Personalization helps prevent overtraining, one of the main causes of injury. By adjusting the workload according to the player's recovery capacities and weak points, trainers guarantee steady progress without endangering the athlete's health. What's more, by integrating adapted exercises, progression becomes faster and more effective.

This individualized approach not only optimizes each player's performance, but also prolongs their sporting career by avoiding recurrent injuries. In short, a tailor-made training program is the key to combining rapid progression with safety, helping players to reach their full potential.

Essential equipment for physical soccer training

Provide your players with quality equipment for soccer training exercises! We offer you the accessories you need to set up a good physical preparation. Start by equipping your pitches with strong, durable soccer goals. Some models, such as theprofessional 11-a-side soccer goal can even be easily transported, allowing you to offer fun, dynamic exercises. As part of your specific physical preparation for soccer, it's also essential to equip yourself withstudsandhoopshoopspoles andagility hurdles. Elastic bands, medicine balls and step machines are also very useful for improving and/or maintaining physical fitness.

Here are some recommendations for equipment use

• Elastic Bands :

Resistance exercise: Fasten the bands around the ankles to perform resistance side-walking and sprinting exercises. This strengthens stabilizing muscles and improves explosiveness.

Strengthening exercise: Use the bands for squats and lunges, adding progressive resistance to develop leg strength.

• Medicine Balls:

Power Exercise: Perform explosive throws against a wall to improve upper-body power and shooting strength.

Rotation exercise: Perform trunk rotations while holding the medicine ball to strengthen abdominal muscles and obliques, essential for twisting movements on the court.

• Step-ups:

Climbing exercise: Use the running boards for alternating ascent exercises, which improve leg power and endurance.

Agility exercise: Incorporate fast climbing exercises with changes of direction to work on speed and agility.

• Examples of Exercises with Minimum Equipment

Light footing with elastic bands: Use bands to add resistance while jogging, improving your endurance and speed.

Squats with Medicine Ball: Hold a medicine ball at chest level to perform squats, increasing difficulty and muscle strengthening.

Stake sprints: Arrange stakes in a line to perform slalom sprints, improving agility and reaction speed.

This will enable your players to string together repetitions during physical training to perform well in matches. When the sporting level of two teams is equivalent, the one that is better prepared physically often ends up winning the match. That's why it's crucial for players and coaches to pay particular attention to physical preparation for soccer.

While stamina and endurance need to be worked on at the start of the season, it's just as important not to neglect strength-building exercises throughout the year. By combining a diversified and adapted soccer fitness program with quality equipment, you can maximize your players' performance and enable them to give their best on the pitch.

Discover our wide range of equipment to optimize your soccer training and help your players achieve their sporting goals!

How to assess players' physical progress?

Physical preparation in soccer relies not only on daily training, but also on regular assessment of players' fitness levels. This makes it possible to monitor progress, detect any shortcomings and adapt training sessions accordingly. Among the most commonly used tests for assessing player fitness are VO2 Max and VMA tests, as well as specific protocols such as the Cooper test and the VAMEVAL test.

Here's an exhaustive list of tests used to assess a player's physical condition:

VO2 Max test (Maximum Oxygen Consumption)

The VO2 Max test is used by professionals to measure a player's maximum capacity to consume oxygen during intense physical effort. It assesses aerobic endurance, i.e. the body's ability to use oxygen efficiently to fuel the muscles during exercise. This test is generally carried out in the laboratory using a mask connected to a gas analyzer, while the player runs on a treadmill with progressive intensity until exhaustion.

• Usefulness: A player with a high VO2 Max will be able to sustain a high-intensity effort for longer, which is crucial in soccer, especially for repeated pressing and sprinting phases.
• How to adjust training: If the results show a VO2 Max below expectations, specific aerobic training (long jogging sessions, endurance splits) will be intensified to improve muscle oxygenation capacity.

VMA test (Maximal Aerobic Speed)

The MVA test determines the highest speed a player can maintain using only his aerobic system. There are several ways to test MVA, but one of the most popular methods is the VAMEVAL test, where the speed gradually increases every minute until the player can no longer keep up.

• Usefulness: VMA is used to calibrate split training sessions. A player with a high VMA is able to withstand sustained game rhythms, and can alternate sprint phases and recovery more effectively.
• How to adjust training : If a player has a low VMA, short, intense interval training sessions (e.g. 30/30, 15/15) should be introduced to increase his aerobic running speed.

Cooper test

The Cooper test is one of the simplest ways of assessing a player's endurance. It involves running as far as possible in 12 minutes. The distance covered is then compared with standard scales to assess the player's aerobic fitness.

• Usefulness : The Cooper test gives a direct indication of overall endurance. A player capable of covering a long distance in 12 minutes is generally well prepared to withstand the prolonged efforts of a match.
• How to adjust training: A player who scores low on the Cooper test will benefit from moderate-intensity endurance training to improve his ability to maintain a constant effort.

VAMEVAL test

The VAMEVAL test is a more progressive version of the VMA test. The player runs on a track marked out by studs, following beep tones that dictate a gradual increase in speed. This test continues until the player can no longer keep up.

• Purpose : The VAMEVAL test determines both VMA and aerobic endurance, two key parameters for a soccer player. It's a more precise test than the Cooper test, and enables fine-tuning of training sessions according to the maximum speed achieved.
• How to adjust training : If the VMA obtained is low, the trainer can incorporate long split sessions (e.g. 4x1000m) to improve the player's aerobic capacity.

In short, fitness tests are not only used to assess the condition of players at a given moment, but also to personalize training plans in order to improve each player's performance in a targeted manner. Regular assessment enables us to constantly adjust the workload, avoid overtraining and optimize progress throughout the season.

How can weight training be integrated into soccer physical preparation?

Strength training is essential for soccer players, as it improves power and explosiveness and helps prevent injuries. However, it must be balanced with aerobic training to maintain the necessary endurance on the pitch. A good program combines 1 to 2 muscle-strengthening sessions per week, with exercises such as squats, lunges and sheathing, taking care not to compromise endurance.

Integration often takes place at the beginning of the week, with strength-focused sessions followed by aerobic-boosting interval training. For example, squats can be combined with short sprints. Strength training should also be functional, targeting the muscles involved in play actions, and include sheathing to stabilize the body.

Physical tests, such as VMA or VO2 Max, can be used to adjust the training program according to individual needs: a player with good endurance but low power should focus on explosiveness, while the opposite will require endurance work. This combination of workouts will optimize performance while reducing the risk of injury.

Conclusion

Physical preparation is a fundamental pillar of success on the soccer pitch. By judiciously balancing strength, endurance and speed training, players can achieve optimum levels of performance while reducing the risk of injury. Key phases such as pre-season are essential for restoring general fitness and integrating specific elements such as explosiveness and aerobic resistance.

By adding regular tests such as VO2 Max, VMA, or the Cooper test, coaches can tailor training sessions to meet the individual needs of each player, guaranteeing continuous progression throughout the season.

Last but not least, the use of specific equipment such as elastic bands, medicine balls or stepping stools helps to diversify and optimize physical training.

However, we mustn't neglect nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, which are essential to physical well-being when you're performing at your best. This has an impact on results as much as on the physical and mental state.

With the right preparation and the right tools, you can maximize your players' performance and enable them to shine at every match.