Ultimate Soccer Fitness Guide

The Ultimate Soccer Fitness Guide

By Andre Botelho Botelho – “The Expert Youth Soccer Coach”

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Index

Introduction __________________________ __________________________________________ ________________ 3 How To Get Your Players in Shape In Record Time Ti me ___________ 5 How To Improve The Speed Of Your Players ________________ 7 How To Prevent Injuries In Your Players ___________________

9

How To Monitor Your Players' Level Of Fatigue and Prevent Burnout Ahead Of Time ________________________________ ________________________________

11

How To Teach The Right Nutrition And The Important Role Of Diet And Hydration In Soccer ____________________________ ____________________________ 14 Soccer Fitness Fit ness Drills ___________________________________ ___________________________________ 16 Soccer Speed Training Drills _____________________________ _____________________________ 21 Soccer Conditioning Exercises ___________________________ ___________________________

27

Soccer Weight Training Program _________________________

32

Soccer Strength Training Program ________________________

38

Preseason Workout Plan _______________________________ _______________________________

42

Stretches For Soccer __________________________________ __________________________________

47
















Introduction

Coaching soccer is not just about teaching soccer skills to your y our players. Soccer fitness should be one of the t he key elements of y your our soccer training program. I mean how can you expect unfit players to play good soccer? They would not be able to even learn soccer!

Soccer is a game of stress and strain. A good soccer fitness program will prepare players to effectively deal with the stress s tress and strain of soccer. Moreover, Moreover, it will help them perform at their very best at all levels. l evels.

With this soccer fitness training e-book, you will learn about the following:

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Getting players in shape

•

Preventing injuries

•

Nutrition

•

Fitness drills

•

Speed training (accompanied with drills)

•

Soccer conditioning

•

Weight training for soccer

•

Soccer strength training

•

Preseason workout plan

•

Stretches

These topics will give you a comprehensive understanding of soccer fitness.
















Before I move on, let me introduce myself. My name is Andre Botelho and I’m the founder founder of “SoccerDrillsTips.com”. “SoccerDrillsTips.com”. I’ve been helping helping coaches worldwide for more than 5 years now and my commitment to you is to help you improve your coaching skills.

Some of the concepts you’ll find in this ebook have been tested and are proven to work, like they did for thousands of my private clients and other coaches just like you.

Coming back to me… way back in 2004, I had to give up playing professional soccer due to a knee injury. I spent 4 to 5 months recuperating recuperating from the injury.

I must say that those were the worst days of my life, as the thought of giving up soccer freaked me out. Soon after my surgery, I was invited by the president of my soccer club to coach soccer youth teams. He thought I was a perfect match for the job, as I had been the captain of the senior team for several years.

The beginning was as bad as it could get. My players were not listening to me and they were driving me crazy like hell. They were not getting the drills and most importantly they were not having fun.

That is when I decided to study and learn from the best youth soccer coaches worlwide for several years. Then I gather all the information and techniques and sat down to develop a soccer practice programs that are comprehensive, effective, and fun.

This e-book relating to soccer fitness is an important part of this kind of
















How To Get Your Players In Shape In Record Time Before the soccer season starts, as the coach, one of your main concerns should be to get your soccer players in shape. Their soccer skills are of no use if they are not in shape. Getting your players soccer fit, involves two things:

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Working on building their strength

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Working on improving their speed

This is because strength and speed are a re very crucial to soccer. In order for your soccer players to get in shape fast, you need to follow a soccer fitness program. Here, it always helps if the t he players and the coaching staff work in harmony.

Anaerobic And Aerobic Fitness

Let me discuss briefly what it means to get in soccer socc er shape. Soccer requires both anaerobic and aerobic fitness. Anaerobic fitness refers to the tolerance level of your muscles to intense activity like sprinting.

Aerobic endurance is directly influenced by your cardiovascular system. It basically refers to your long-term endurance. Aerobic exercises would involve jogging or any other activity that is performed for over 30 minutes.

So, to get your players in shape you need to include both anaerobic and aerobic exercises in your fitness program. Anaerobic exercises would help the players recover quicker and play at high pace throughout the
















game. Have your players run at intervals; do weight training, or any other exercise that puts strain on their t heir muscles.

Plyometrics Exercises

Getting in soccer shape would also means working on building the muscle strength of your players. Soccer is all about kicking the ball. Okay, not just kicking it, but kicking the ball with force and precision too.

To help build the muscle strength of your y our players, you can have them t hem do plyometrics exercises. These exercises are very effective in helping players get powerful muscle contractions, which result in power kicks.

Plyometrics exercises do not involve the use of free weights. Instead they involve basic exercise mechanisms and give excellent results. An example of a plyometric exercise - have your players run in slow motion, mot ion, just like in a replay.

Then, have them jump up and down using alternate legs. Slowly and steadily have them increase the length and height h eight of the jumps. Also have them increase the length of the slow motion running stride. This exercise is good for building muscle strength and flexibility.

I understand that you are keen on getting your team in shape before the season starts, but you should not neglect one important point in your fitness program- it is very important to emphasize the importance of sleep for overall fitness. Your players need a good night’s sleep, lack of which would hinder their total fitness. Talk to them about it.


















Develop a fitness program keeping in mind the above basics and you will have your players running up and down the field for ninety minutes, without feeling short of breath. After all, this is what they would be doing in any soccer game.

How To Improve The Speed Of Your Players

Speed is very crucial to the game of soccer. An effective speed training program would be based on the realistic aspects aspe cts of the game. When soccer players play on the field there are a couple of aspects such as reflexes, tactical anticipation, and agility that influence their speed.

Remember that in soccer a player is not just sprinting all the time. A soccer player needs to practice gaining speed with the ball and practice changing directions rapidly- this is what good soccer involves.

Factors Influencing Speed

Before I give you tips on how to improve the speed of your players, I feel it is important to discuss a few crucial points about speed. There are mainly four factors that would affect the speed of a soccer player.


















2. Technique: How you run affects your speed. Proper sprinting technique requires that the player touches the t he ground with the toes. Moreover, the player’s upper body should be slightly bent forward and the arms should be on the sides of the body.

3. Nutrition: Poor nutritional habits habits and body fat would impede your speed. So if you want your players to gain speed, you must first ensure that they follow good nutritional habits and those with fat baggage, work at shedding it.

4. Flexibility: A good flexible body will have have greater speed. It is as simple as that.

Some Exercises

There are lots of drills that can help you increase your speed in soccer. A good way to increase your speed is to first see how many times your foot touches the ground within one minute of running. The goal is to increase the number of ground touches that you y ou make.

Have the players kick the ball between their feet for a minute and make them count the number of times they are able to do it. Again the aim is to increase the number of touches they make in a minute. Have them


















It is also important to keep the head tucked down while running. However, make sure that they do not lose focus of the ball. After all, soccer is all about running with the ball.

The position of the arms while running is also important. The players should have a habit of running with their arms moving forward instead of moving across the body. If your yo ur players are moving their arms a rms the wrong way, incorporate drills that will help them correct it.

Following good techniques, drills, and obviously eating properly will lend a hand in improving the speed of your soccer players in no time. Good luck.

How To Preven Preventt Injuries In Your Players

As a soccer coach it is important that you take all measures to prevent injuries to your players. In soccer, you never n ever know when a player can ca n get injured, but then this holds good in the case of almost all sports. Soccer is not really a risky game, and with helpful tips you can prevent injuries during soccer training and playing.

Warm Ups


















This is because without a proper warm up, the muscles would stay cold. And training with cold muscles means that your players are more likely to suffer from pulled muscles and sprains. So always have them do some stretches and warm-up exercises before they hit the field.

By the way, advise them against doing stretches in the shower. Some players do that and end up getting hurt.

Equipment

One cannot overemphasize the importance of proper equipment in preventing injuries while playing and soccer training. Here is a list of the soccer equipment that all your yo ur players must have.

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Soccer shoes: Cleats are usually the recommended soccer shoes. Soccer shoes should fit perfectly and provide proper cushioning.

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Shin guards: Make sure that they buy the right type and fit. Also ensure that it offers appropriate cushioning.

Be Aware Of Your Surroundings

While soccer training, it is important that you and your players are


















Do not let a player who is tired, practice or play soccer. It is best to advise him/her a good night’s rest before he/she can resume practice. Also, do not let a player practice when he/she is in pain. Pain is often a warning sign of injury and you should never overlook it.

With these basic points in mind, you should be able to prevent injuries to your players while they play and practice. Obviously you can never prevent all the injuries but you can avert a majority of them with some caution.

How To Monitor Your Players’ Level Of Fatigue And Prevent Burnout Ahead Of Time While training your soccer players you should not overdo it. Overtraining your players will make them physically and mentally tired. A player who is mentally and physically fatigued will definitely under-perform under-perform in the games and also during training.

Therefore, Therefore, it is very important that as a soccer coach you constantly keep an eye on the level of fatigue in your players. Remember that prevention is better than cure.




















Physiological Symptoms

An over-trained player will show physiological and performance related problems. Some of the physiological symptoms exhibited by an overtrained soccer player would include:

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Fluctuations in blood pressure

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Loss of appetite

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Chronic fatigue

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Complain of headache

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Chronic soreness in the muscles

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Excessive sweating

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Elevated morning pulse

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Frequent illness

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Hormonal imbalances/changes imbalances/changes

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Gastrointestinal complaints like, diarrhea and nausea

•

Irregular menstrual cycle




















Preventing Fatigue

By keeping an eye on burn out symptoms, you will be able to help your players before it is too late. A good coach also als o takes effective measures to prevent a burnout in the first place.

•

Do not increase the training load all of a sudden. This will lead to fatigue. The ideal thing to do is to gradually increase the load.

•

Carefully plan and implement your training strategies. Set realistic goals before your players. A good thing to do is to have your players undergo tapering training. This will help them peak slowly so that they will be perfectly ready before the competition. Sometimes players peak too early and then they over-train to maintain their level of fitness till ti ll the competition. This often leads to fatigue f atigue in players.




















How To Teach The Right Nutrition And The Important Role Of Diet And Hydration In Soccer Soccer is a physically challenging sport. It is a sport whose players are required to be mentally and physically fit. One of the key elements of soccer fitness is nutrition. The soccer coach has to ensure that the players are eating healthy food, they are getting the requisite amount of calories and that they are a re properly hydrated.

A coach should not assume that a new player or member of the team would be aware of what to eat and how much to eat to be fit to play soccer. So, your first responsibility as a soccer coach is to introduce your players to the importance of eating nutritious food.

Important Nutrients

You can start by explaining to them the constituents of the right




















•

Fat: The level of fat intake should be very low in soccer players. This is because in sports where lots of running is required, the body will use glycogen fuel, which is i s derived from carbohydrates.

•

Protein: Soccer players normally need to eat 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Protein helps repair muscles and boosts the immune system. Fish, chicken, milk and yogurt are good sources of protein.

•

Calcium: This mineral is necessary for strong bones. Low fat products like milk, yogurt, and cheese are good go od for the players.

•

Iron and zinc: Iron carries oxygen through the body. Low oxygen in your body would mean that you will get tired fast. Pork, Po rk, chicken, and red meat would take care of iron requirement. Players need zinc because it helps to t o repair body tissues.




















lost fluids. Watermelon, oranges, and bananas are some of the fruits that help replenish water in your body.

Proper nutrition is absolutely necessary for soccer players pl ayers because that is what separates winner from losers. Only players that are a re physically fit can give their best during practice sessions a nd games.

Soccer Fitness Drills Soccer is a very strenuous game and obviously to succeed as a soccer player one needs to be physically fit. This is where soccer fitness training and drills come into the picture. Also remember that it is very important for players to eat right, drink enough water, rest and exercise properly to become physically fit for soccer.

Importance Of Fitness






















Building

A proper soccer fitness training t raining program would impart endurance, muscle strength, speed, agility, and flexibility in soccer players. Soccer players need muscular strength because that helps in shooting, tackling, and running.

Muscular strength also means fewer injuries. Moreover, strength training helps correct muscle imbalances in soccer players. pl ayers. It has been noted that soccer players tend to develop overly strong quadriceps, in comparison to their hamstrings. A proper fitness program will correct






















fitness drill. Besides being a great fitness drill, d rill, this also helps in passing, moving and turning skills.

Step By Step Instruction

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Step 1: X2 will pass the ball to X1 who starts to play on the offense and is allowed to score in either goal.

•

Step 2: If X1 scores a goal then X2 will pass him/her another ball. And again X1 can score on both goals.






















Diagram






















Age: 6 - 14 Level: Intermediate Time limit: Each game for 3 minutes

Example II - High Pressure Soccer Fitness Drill Drill

Step By Step Instructions •

Step 1: Set up a 20 yards by 10 yards field. Divide the field i nto two equal parts. Set up two goals at one end of the field.

Step 2: One player will be the defender. He will occupy one part






















Diagram
























Soccer Speed Training Drills Speed and agility are two very important elements of soccer. Speed refers to the ability of the player to reach a high velocity of movement, which could be running, cycling, swimming, and any other locomotive






















So, incorporating speed training drills in your soccer fitness program will help players develop their overall soccer fitness and skills. Now, let l et us discuss some soccer speed drills that your you r players will have fun doing.

Drill #1: Lateral Agility Drill






















Diagram






















Step By Step Instructions

First Variation

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Step 1: Divide the team into two halves. The drill will start where






















Diagram




































































































































































































































































































































































Ultimate Soccer Fitness Guide

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