CHAPTER 1: FITNESS REQUIREMENTS OF SOCCER

Soccer is arguably the most popular sport in the world with competitions such as the World Cup and
European Champions League attracting enormous television audiences worldwide. It has now become
one of the most popular sports in the US and Canada, especially among children, with millions of
registered youth players in organized leagues.

Soccer is a very physically demanding sport and conditioning has become an integral part of soccer
training, as tactics and systems of play have changed over the years. Indeed, counter attacks and high-
pressure defending are key parts of the high-tempo, modern-day game, and attaining high levels of fitness
is critical to succeeding. Players today are quicker, stronger and have greater stamina than ever before. In
fact, one of major differences between top class and mediocre players is the amount of high-intensity
actions they perform during a game.

The greater contribution of fitness towards soccer performance has placed an added emphasis on
designing and implementing effective strength and conditioning programs. Several factors have to be
considered in the design of these programs; most importantly, you must understand the various physical
requirements of the sport. Soccer is a multi-dimensional and dynamic sport that incorporates speed,
agility, balance, endurance, power as well as repeated sprint ability; and it is essential that conditioning
coaches choose exercises that closely resemble game situations. The different positions will also have
specific fitness requirements, especially with older and more advanced players, and this also needs to be
considered when planning your conditioning program.

FITNESS COMPONENTS OF SOCCER

Soccer is an intermittent, labor-intensive sport that requires players to perform repeated high-intensity
bouts over the course of a game. This is illustrated by the extraordinary heart rate values players maintain
during matches, which averages close to 85% of their maximum heart rates. Performing sprints, jumps,
dives and other explosive actions throughout the match increases blood lactate levels, and is largely
responsible for fatigue experienced during, and especially towards the end of, a match.

High -i ntensity Actions

Although soccer also involves lower intensity activities such as walking, jogging and even standing still,
it is having a detailed understanding of the amount and nature of the high-intensity actions that is critical
to the conditioning coach. This is because the amount of high-intensity actions performed has a
significant impact on performance and match outcome. In fact, teams in the highest divisions of European
leagues perform significantly more sprints and high-intensity runs than te ams in lower divisions. Such a
difference is also evident between higher- and lower-ranked teams within the same division.
Undoubtedly, having a higher capacity to perform these actions will prove beneficial.