If you are playing soccer at a high level, staying in shape is a year-round proposition. A college or professional trainer might even declare that you don't really have an off-season, calling this the "transition" part of your training program instead. Fitness coaches such as Pierre Barrieu for the U.S. men's national team and Dawn Scott for the women's team work with the master calendars to bring players to peak form in time for the Olympics and World Cup every four years, as well as qualifying matches along the way. You can also look at your soccer fitness rhythm 12 months ahead.
Step 1
Enter onto a paper or electronic calendar relevant dates for your soccer team, including tournaments and major matches, for the next year, suggests Greg Gatz in "Complete Conditioning for Soccer." Mark opening day and the start of preseason, typically two weeks to two months before opening day. Working backward, mark in four weeks of self-guided off-season training before preseason. Insert two-week recovery blocks for rest or cross-training at the end of the season or during school holidays.
Step 2
Test your baseline conditioning by timing yourself with the six-minute run, advises Gatz, who conducts fitness training for the soccer teams at the University of North Carolina. Arrive at your baseline anaerobic endurance by running seven 30-meter sprint tests. Record your vertical leap. If your soccer program can provide hurdles, cones, a stopwatch and means of playing a CD, conduct additional baseline measures of your abilities on the Myrland hurdle under test, the Illinois agility test and the beep test to complete your overall profile on cutting ability, agility and dynamic balance. Retest yourself every six weeks to monitor progress.
Step 3
Improve your total-body strength in the off-season through body-weight exercises or work in the strength room including lunges, dead lifts, squats and side lifts. Improve your athletic conditioning with timed 120s, which are sprints that cover the length of a typical soccer field. Add soccer-specific conditioning by participating in small-sided games, either informal ones or organized by your coach, as well as pattern runs, which are long half-field runs typical of the patterns for your position as forward, midfielder or defender.
Step 4
Taper off the intensity of your strength work and aerobic conditioning once the competition season begins to avoid over-conditioning and fatigue, unless you play 15 minutes or less a game. Gradually decrease your work and allow more time for fun or free time as the season progresses. Maintain hydration and good sleep patterns.
Step 5
Cross-train with swimming, biking or tennis after the season winds to a close, recommends Skidmore coach Ron McEachen in a chapter on soccer fitness in "The Soccer Coaching Bible," and prepare to repeat the annual cycle.
Tips and Warnings
- Avoid becoming a player who looks at himself as a fitness machine and overtrains to the point of exhaustion or injury. Include rest days, Gatz advises.
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