Types of Training to Increase The Efficiency of The Soccer Player

Introduction

Soccer typically is a 90-minute game, consisting of 2 halves, 45 minutes each with many shorter adaptions of the game played throughout schools and for leisure for example Goro cup and indoor soccer. Soccer is a high-intensity sport and an exercise that involves both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Soccer uses two types of energy systems, the Alactacid system, and the aerobic system mainly as well as the lactic acid system. The Alactacid system is used in short sharp sprints in soccer, explosive bursts on and off the ball.

The energy is supplied for the first couple of seconds by the ATP in muscles and then up until about 15 seconds, the ATP/PC system is used. The lactic acid system is used in quickly getting up and down the pitch the both defend and attack in periods of the game without a stoppage that requires intense running for 2-3 minutes. The aerobic system is then used for continuous jogging and movement for extended periods of time to reposition during the game.

It would seem reasonable to think that all 3 of these systems will be used consistently by all eleven players on the field, however, this is not the case. For different players on the pitch, the amount of use of these systems can be completely different. For a midfielder, the aerobic system will be used for long periods of the match so glycogen stores must be higher and the athlete needs to have good aerobic fitness. For strikers and wingers, the alactacid system will be used the most for those short sharp bursts during the game, and wingers will also need a strong lactic acid system to get up and down the wing to both defend and attack.

Defenders and goalkeepers will use drastically less of the 3 systems with goalkeepers occasionally needing short sharp bursts, and defenders generally jogging and walking until a sharp burst is needed to defend a player from scoring. Offensive players will have much higher percentages of running, these bursts rely on the ATP-PC system. Midfielders will have higher percentages of jogging but for prolonged periods and therefore rely on the aerobic system for much of the game.

Training required for a football player

A soccer player must be at peak fitness and continue to look to improve individual performance while also looking after the body. Continually using and developing the skills needed in soccer improves important skills in soccer like agility to distinguish the elite athletes from the average players.

1. Specificity – Sport-specific, position-specific, and skill-specific training must be used in order to improve an athlete's performance. Soccer luckily has a range and depth of specific training in order to get the desired result from training.
2. Reversibility – An athlete can lose skill due to inactivity, this is called reversibility. Adaptions made as a result of training are only maintained if training continues at the levels needed to improve. If an athlete has an interruption to their training in soccer due to an injury, this can cause reversibility. This leads to warm-up and cool-down.
3. Warm-up and cool-down – Warm-up and cool-down are very important to keep an athlete on the soccer field and not miss valuable time to improve. The warm-up is very popular in soccer as it allows the players to physically and mentally prepare and a good warm-up reduces injuries and can increase performance on the field. Soccer warm-ups usually are used to get circulation and blood pumping around your body which includes drills and sport-specific movements such as a mini-game or passing the ball in lines. Flexibility is also a part of the warm-up with static stretching and also stretching while in lines running towards a cone and then jogging back. The cooldown can assist with recovery and prevention of injury. It generally involves low-intensity activity to assist the heart rate to return to resting heart rate.
4. Training thresholds – is the level of intensity needed in order to stress the body enough to cause an adaption or improvement in performance and are very important to improve a soccer player's performance. Not enough intensity in training will cause a player to plateau and too much intensity will cause the athlete to fatigue. The aerobic threshold, the point at which anaerobic energy pathways start to operate, is considered to be around 65% of the maximum heart rate. This is approximately 40 beats lower than the anaerobic threshold. The Maximal Oxygen Consumption, better known as VO2 max, is one of the most popular indexes for endurance athletes. VO2 Max refers to the amount of oxygen your body can consume during a maximal effort. This is measured in liters per minute per kilogram of body weight. The air we breathe has a set amount of oxygen. Obviously, the bigger Vo2, the more air available, and potentially the more endurance and work rate your player will have. Training thresholds should be optimized and changed throughout a season, continually increasing intensity at a slow rate as players become fitter during the season to build the fitness of these soccer players which is crucial to improving the performance of an individual player.
5. Variety - There are many varieties in soccer, and it is important to apply these different skills to improve multiple areas of the game and mix it up to make sure the player or team doesn’t get bored. The variety of drill examples includes: Dribbling in tight spaces, and body and ball control. A multitude of 1 v 1 game attacker vs defender, 2v2, and so on. Passing and kicking techniques and specific drills. shooting, fast footwork, fitness, crossing, and heading drills.
6. Progressive overload – Progressive overload allows athletes to continuously improve throughout the training season. Overload must be applied for performance to improve. A coach must adapt drills to continually improve performance through modifications and adaptions to specific soccer drills.

There is a fine balance that an athlete needs to have between training and preparing for a game of soccer and recovery. Coaches and athletes need to understand that there are various types of training that are specifically designed to develop aerobic capacity, strength, and flexibility. Peak performance can be reached in soccer with a combination of these things and recovery.

Aerobic Training

The two most common training methods for soccer used for developing aerobic fitness are Interval, Fartlek, and Circuit training.

1. Interval Training - Dividing training into sets and repetitions is used by track athletes, especially sprinters, this type of training can transfer to a soccer player who wants to run faster or boost endurance. A soccer player may already perform high-intensity shuttles separated by short recoveries to improve speed endurance. This may also have the added benefit of boosting your aerobic system because volumes of research have shown that the best way to lift your VO2max (an index of aerobic fitness) is to train at an intensity close to, or above, VO2max. With the demands of the sport in mind, the coach should carefully consider and balance each of three key aspects of the session: intensity, duration, and recovery. Each of these can combine to understand which energy system is utilized to provide the bulk of energy in the muscles utilized during the session. Sprinting quickly is only one aspect of soccer, and there may also need to be a session dedicated to the ability to repeat sprints in rapid succession. This will require a different type of interval session because the player is working on the recovery aspect. Here the player should cut the recovery between bursts so that the work is repeated before the HEPs (High Energy Phosphates) are fully back to resting levels. Such activity requires a greater contribution from glycolysis, a different energy pathway that breaks carbohydrates down, producing ATP very quickly. A series of such sessions may well improve not only lactate tolerance but also the time required to replenish the HEP stores, both of which should enhance soccer fitness.
2. Fartlek Training - Another type of session can work on both of these aspects as well as on the oxidative system. Although not a structured interval session split into reps and sets like those already described, 'fartlek', mixing fast with slow work, can be of immense benefit to those who play field sports. The session should not just use running, but also jogging and walking to fit in with the demands of the sport. After all, no soccer player actually runs for the whole 90 minutes of a match-the pace is varied. Similarly, the direction of work should not always be straight ahead. This may be important for the track runner who has to cover the ground as quickly as possible in one direction, but the player of the game has to go forwards, backward, and from side to side. When starting out fartlek training u need to think about the aims of the session first before you go to exhaustion and make sure the session is specific to the demands of your sport in terms of intensity, duration, and volume. You must also consider carefully the mode and length of recovery.
3. Circuit training - Circuit training is an extremely good way to build both strength and stamina. Circuit training utilizes a group of strength exercises (usually six to 10 or more) that are completed sequentially (one exercise after another). Each exercise is performed for a specified number of repetitions or for a prescribed time period before moving on to the next exercise. The exercises within each circuit are separated by brief, timed rest intervals, and each circuit is separated by a longer rest period. The total number of circuits performed during a training session may vary from two to six depending on your training level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), your period of training (preparation or competition), and your primary training objective (You may be developing total work capacity, boosting your power, or engaging in 'active rest,' for example.)

Strength Training

In soccer, lower body strength is required for kicking, jumping, tackling, twisting, and turning and also forms the foundation for explosive speed. Upper body strength is required for shielding the ball, holding off opponents, and throw-ins and also contributes to overall power and explosiveness.

1. Strength training - strength is the maximum force that a muscle group can exert in a single, momentary contraction. In soccer, good maximal strength is beneficial for holding off opponents and shielding the ball. More importantly, it also forms the foundation of muscular speed and power.
2. Muscular Power - Power is a product of both absolute strength and the speed of movement. Increase either one (without lowering the other) and you increase explosive power.
3. Strength Endurance - Strength or muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle group to perform repeated, high-intensity movements. Strength endurance is essential for soccer - and like power, perhaps more essential than all-out strength.

Flexibility

Flexibility refers to the range of movement about a joint. The flexibility of a joint is dependent upon the extensibility (ability to extend without causing tissue damage) and elasticity (the ability of a muscle to return to its original size and shape after being stretched or shortened) of the structures surrounding it (e.g. the ligaments and fibrous joint capsule).

Joint flexibility is an important factor in the performance of skills and especially in injury prevention. Testing flexibility can help diagnose if the player is at risk of injury. Soccer players at all levels are often shown to have poor levels of flexibility, especially in the hamstring and adductor groups.

Static stretching is very effective in improving flexibility and is generally recommended for soccer players as it involves holding a slow maintained stretch which encourages muscle lengthening to occur. Static stretching is just as effective as ballistic stretching in producing gains in range of motion.

It is also is preferable to ballistic (dynamic) stretching because of the latter often being associated with injury. Ballistic seems to help maintain the existing range of movement but does not improve the length of muscles involved. A stretch reflex is initiated triggering a transitory lengthening of the muscles which may lead to a build-up of muscle scar tissue, therefore, losing elasticity (there is a danger of exceeding the extensibility limits of involved tissue). Ballistic stretching tends to elicit pain and soreness both during and after exercise. Ballistic movements should not be included in a stretching session but maybe part of the training program.