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Summer Soccer Training

Jun 14, 2011 | By Daniel Rhodes
Summer Soccer Training
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Professional soccer players in the United States have specially designed training programs to help them achieve peak physical fitness, mental strength and technical skill levels. Players move through the early summer preseason sessions focused on fitness, developing specific soccer skills and then finally a combination of both, mixed with some tactical sessions to coincide with the opening games of the season.

Soccer Season

In the United States, the soccer season runs from September to April. From May to August, players are involved in the preseason. Coaches from all levels of the game determine the areas where they need to focus when the players return. Summer soccer training is split into three sections: the close season, the early preseason and the late preseason.

The Close Season

Players who forget about soccer and ignore any fitness training during the six to eight weeks of the close season will suffer in two different ways. Not only will they lose any benefits of the physical condition that they had built up over the season, they will also struggle when they return to early preseason training. Keep up your fitness levels with cross-training in three 30-minute sessions per week in other sports, such as swimming or cycling. Ignore soccer during this time; your break from soccer is not for fitness or physical reasons but to provide a mental release and increase your hunger for the game as the season approaches.

Early Preseason

Reading Football Club Academy manager Eamonn Dolan believes "regardless of age and ability the basic principles of a pre-season stay the same." Start with a good warmup, extending the length of the first session to 20 minutes. Your program should include jogging, static stretching, more jogging and finally some dynamic stretching, involving movements common to soccer matches. These segments are designed for 5 minutes each and enhance a player's aerobic conditioning. Spend the rest of the session on various ball skills, beginning with ball control in pairs. Constantly rehydrate, especially in the first few sessions. This helps the body deal with the increased physical demands and reduces the chances of injury. Finish the session with a match on a smaller playing area until the fitness levels improve, as the players move from early preseason to late preseason.

The Final Push

During the final three weeks of preseason, fitness training is designed to improve speed and sharpness. After the initial warmup, organize sprint drills focused on soccer requirements. This might include running and jumping to head a ball, jogging backwards for 10 m or short, 3-m bursts of speed used to beat a player during a game. Eamonn Dolan says, "I would always sit the players down before the final training session and talk to them about the forthcoming season." Soccer sessions need to include pass and move training, tactical awareness and defensive organization. Players should discuss any concerns or areas of training where they would like to concentrate.

References

Article reviewed by Joseph Coda Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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