Pre-season work is a vital part of an overall soccer training program to ensure a team is ready for the first league game. The objective of pre-season training should be to raise the team's fitness, skills and cohesion to a level that makes the transition from training to playing games seamless. Chances are a team will not peak in performance on the first day of the season but a thorough pre-season program can help prepare the team.
Individual Fitness
Pre-season training in soccer typically includes aerobic endurance exercises. Since soccer games can last up to 90 minutes, cardiovascular fitness is of paramount importance. Interval training is a good way to build endurance. Strength training and flexibility exercises should also be a part of the pre-season training program. Dedicate a certain number of hours per week for the weight room and focus on total body workouts.
Team Building
Incorporate simple team-building exercises into daily training plans. Encourage team members to spend time together during non-game situations, such as stretching routines. Coaches must assess each player on the team and determine if any are interfering with the team's progress and cohesion. Coaches should spend time with each player privately to build rapport and trust. Learning each player's nuances is key in forming a harmonious team that feeds off itself to improve performance. Schedule team-bonding events away from training and set team and individual goals for the season.
Nutrition
Make nutrition a major part of pre-season training. Encourage players to only eat healthily and provide sample meal plans for the team. The goal is not to make anyone on the team feel out of place because he may be overweight but rather to make the overall health of the team the responsibility of its members. Everyone is responsible for adopting healthy eating -- a step that promotes good athletic performance on the field and a positive attitude toward the game.
Training Phases
Split the pre-season training period into several phases. Determine first how long pre-season training should last. A nine-week training period, for instance, can be split into three phases. The first phase focuses on building basic fitness and endurance levels along with fundamental soccer drills. The second phase introduces scrimmage games into training, while the elements of the first phase are maintained. In the third phase, the focus shifts from fitness and endurance building to more advanced soccer drills, rehearsing set plays and playing scrimmage games at full-length. By the end of the third phase, the team should have the tools necessary to begin a season.
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