Soccer Fitness Routines For Player Development

By Andre Botelho (SoccerDrillsTips.com)

Soccer fitness is part of soccer training. Most of the players need continuous training involving leg development and stamina building. Coaches also need to work on flexibility, speed and good balance.

Muscle coordination is another aspect, including prevention of injuries. Another important area that needs development is how the players run so that they are able to do it with swiftness.

• Fitness Training For The Under 14 Age Group

In the course of the practice session, you can build in 1 v 1 and 2 v 2 games with rigorous activities. But make sure, there are adequate rest periods in between. Include interval runs, involving runs, organized with cones arranged 6 – 8 meters apart. You can have the players repeat it a number of times, depending on the age level.

To get your team practice finishing technique, do it after a brief game, so that it builds their fitness as well as skills. There are plenty of videos that show exactly how leg development must be done, as your players need strength as well as power to handle that ball on the field.

To build flexibility in your players, include both stationary exercises as well as those that involve being on the move. This should be done, prior to and after a practice session is over.

• Developing Speed, Nimbleness, and Balance

When you make your practice plan, always include games that involve a lot of running. The classic tag works very well here. You can vary these, with getting your players to catch the ball balanced on the right foot and then alternating it with the left foot.

Injury Prevention exercises can be done by standing on the ground and practicing balancing on one leg, say for a minute each time. If you coach girls, get them to do inside leg lifts. They will also benefit from developing their hamstring, which can be achieved by moving on all fours on the ground.

It is important to develop the technique of running fast on the field. Focus on how your players start running, so that they don’t perform unnecessary movements with their arms, wasting time. They must also practice swiftness in the positions that they need to be on the field.

Whether it is during the season or the off-season, soccer fitness training is a constant process. Youth soccer players can be encouraged to develop their stamina through riding their bicycles, which is both fun and makes a good variation.

Andre Botelho
SoccerDrillsTips.com