Soccer is a sport that emphasizes certain physical attributes--strong legs and a good cardiovascular system. Strong legs for kicking the ball and for carrying you down the field as fast as you can go. And good cardiovascular conditioning to allow you to make the many sprints and jogs up and down the field with minimal rest in between. But just because these two attributes are primary to your sport does not mean you should ignore the others necessary for good overall sports conditioning. A good soccer training program is one that addresses all of the physical components necessary for most, if not all, athletes. Speed, agility, quickness, strength, cardiovascular conditioning and flexibility are all important parts of your training for soccer.
Speed
Soccer is a sport that requires you to sprint--sometimes full-out--under control. You must be able to perform an athletic move--stop the ball, kick the ball or retreat--once you arrive at your destination. The sprints in soccer can vary in distance and duration. So the speed needed in soccer is not the same type of speed needed in some other sports like track--where maximum speed is the ultimate goal. Here, you train to not only be fast, but to be fast with control. Speed training for soccer should include sprints of varying distances, from a variety of starting positions, and with a soccer skill performed at the end of your sprint--all intended to mimic what you may face on the field. This type of speed training is more sport-specific, and will be much more useful to you than simply lining up and running as fast as you can for a certain distance.
Agility and Quickness
Soccer requires fast footwork--agility and quickness. Agility is the ability to change direction or body position efficiently, whereas quickness is about developing fast reactions. Agility and quickness training is a must no matter what position you play on the field.
Agility
Agility ladders and cones are excellent tools for improving your agility. Ladder drills such as single leg hops and the hop-scotch drill are examples of patterns that can be used for training for soccer. Cones can be set up in a variety of patterns for cutting and other movement drills.
Quickness
Training for quickness in soccer means training to react quickly to the action you'll face on the field--the ball, the opponents and your teammates. According to authors Lee E. Brown and Vance A. Ferrigno, you should train for quickness by learning basic patterns of movement first, then progress to more complex reactive training. Examples of basic patterns include exercises such as speed skaters, high skips and rope skipping. Reactive training includes sprinting and stopping or changing directions quickly on a partner's verbal command and ball drop drills.
Strength
All athletes need general strength and sport-specific strength to perform well and help prevent injuries. General body strength can be obtained through basic strength training exercises such as push-ups, squats, lunges and core exercises such as crunches. Sport-specific strength requires you take into account the specific needs of your sport. Soccer requires powerful legs and a dynamic strength in your core. So, plyometric exercises--such as squat jumps--for leg power, and dynamic core exercise such as weighted medicine ball rotational throws would be good choices for you.
Cardiovascular Conditioning
Because of the varying distances and speeds that you must run during a typical soccer match, you should train with this in mind. Vary your speeds, your distances and your rest periods to mimic what you might face in your playing position during a game.
Flexibility
Some research has shown that before practice or a match, dynamic stretching will help prepare your body for competition. Dynamic stretching exercises are ones that allow you to move a body part through its full range of motion during the stretch. After your practice or match, a good static stretch routine--where you stretch and hold the body part being stretched--is recommended.
References
- "Tennis Life Magazine"; Improve Your Agility Ability: Change of Direction Training for Tennis Players; LaRue E. Cook; February 2008
- "Training for Speed, Agility and Quickness"; Lee E. Brown, and Vince A. Ferrigno; 2005
- "Cross-Training for Sports"; Gary T. Moran and George H. McGlynn; 1997
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