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Men's Soccer
Training Objectives & Fitness Preparation For Men's Soccer
Transition Training copyright 2005 Douglas Stone
A new season begins for me on February first. It's preseason and our preparation for the fall begins. My objective is to help each athlete reach his athletic potential. What we have outlined in this training manual are movements to enhance your playing performance. The movements can be done with or without resistance. They can be done in any order. Like the game of soccer, the movements should flow from one to another and be done with focus and intensity. Training is a stress. Done correctly your body makes adaptations and these adaptations will increase your performance. Performance enhancement means your reaching your athletic potential. Note that prior to any training session a complete warm needs to take place. (Refer to suggested warm-up scenarios). Muscular contractions are more efficient when you're warmed up and ready to train. Training needs to be progressive, if your chinning 10 repetitions at the end of April then your objective by August should be approaching the 15 range or more. Transition training is about moving from one exercise to another and changing the speed of the movement in the exercise. The game of soccer demands changes in speed and direction. Your training should reflect these demands. Movement done in a controlled manner requires feel and focus. For example when squats are done in a 10 second down and 10 second up pace you feel the engagement of the muscles involved and have to focus on the form and execution of the exercise. Transition training is demonstrated from doing a slow controlled squats to a lateral hurdle jumps to walking lunges to box jumps then back to slow squats. The order and number of repetitions in each exercise is a matter of your creativity and training objectives. Speed and skill wins soccer matches. Having the strength and endurance to play Division I soccer and play it well is our common goal. Set your objectives and train with them in mind. Remember that rest and recovery are key to proper training. Also, proper nutrition is vital for the adaptations of training to take place. I'm available via email and/or the phone.
Doug Stone
Fitness Preparation For Soccer
There are misconceptions that exist about how best to condition for soccer athletes. For a program to be effective, a conditioning program must be designed on the basis of the specific demands of the sport.
Some of the confusion concerning the best way to train may be due to an incorrect focus on the distances that a player runs during a game. While actual distances covered depend upon the level of play, position, and competitiveness of the match, it has been determined that the soccer athlete covers somewhere between 2,000 and 10,000 yards. Because of this, there is a tendency to focus on slow low distance running as a preparation for the game itself.
What is needed is a sport-specific conditioning program that meets the energy demands of soccer. This means the athlete must develop both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.
The following program will help guide you in the direction that a top soccer athlete (especially Division I) is capable of performing.
Aerobic Training
One of the primary benefits of aerobic conditioning for soccer is that it allows the athlete to perform at a higher intensity for a longer duration by improving the ability to recover more quickly between high-intensity bouts. There are many benefits from this which result in getting to the ball more frequently, moving into space more effectively, and transitioning from offense to defense more quickly. As aerobic conditioning improves, players should commit less technical and tactical mistakes.
As far as training the aerobic system for soccer, it is recommended that the aerobic conditioning program be at least 5 weeks in duration. Aerobic training can be divided into 2 phases, general and specialized. General aerobic training lasts 3 weeks. During this time, players should run a minimum of 4 times per week, at a moderate pace that allows conversation. The time period run should be between 30 and 40 minutes.
Specialized Aerobic Training During this period, running starts to relate more closely to soccer fitness. The pace of the running is increased. Walking, jogging, and sprinting are combined into one workout. This type of running should still be between 30 and 40 minutes. Varying the pace, as in this segment, may also be recognized as Fartlek training (speed play). Again, as in the general training, the athlete should run at least 4 times a week. This specialized training should be at least 2 weeks in duration.
Interval Training
After completing the aerobic training, the athlete should now have a good training base. Because of the need for training specificity, there should now be a shift in emphasis from longer duration training to interval training. Interval training is considered one of the most effective methods of improving the physical conditioning of the soccer athletes.
Interval training occurs when periods of work are alternated with periods of rest. There are many advantages to this system. Interval training allows the athlete to undertake a more intense workload over a longer period.
Pattern running
Pattern running is effective because of the specificity of training. In the sport of soccer not all runs are made in a forward direction so it is important to incorporate directional runs into a workout. Pattern running should be initiated during the interval time frame of training.
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There are no events scheduled for the next 60 days.
 HEAD COACH: JOHN O'CONNOR
ASST. COACH: MITCH STONE
VOLUNTEER GK COACH: BEN SMITH
ATHLETIC TRAINER: LAUREN GOLEY
DIR. OF SOCCER OPS.: FRANK BERGRENSTRENGTH COACH: DOUG STONEACADEMIC ADVISOR: NICOLE POLOSKI
MEN'S SOCCER LINKS
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