Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Pre-Season Endurance - Interval Training

Profile Summary

Name:	Paul Lyons
City:	Hutton Cranswick
Country:	United Kingdom
Membership:	Adult Member
Sport:	Football/Soccer

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Description

These drills work players for a set time period and then an equal time period of rest. With soccer being an intermittent multi directional sport involving high intensity movements such as sprints that are interrupted with short rest periods (walk, jogging) before high intensity movements occurring again. Because of the nature of the game players require high endurance levels due to the repeated demands of varied physical activities they undertake and interval training is an effective training method appropriate to develop players match fitness and endurance levels.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): 15:15

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15:15

What do players do?

These drills work on a 15:15 principle. Players work for 15 seconds, followed by 15 seconds rest. Players perform the following:

1.Line up on the edge of the penalty area and on the signal run to the halfway line.

2.Immediately turn and run back to the edge of the penalty. This should take 15 seconds.

3.Rest for 15 seconds before repeating the run.

Perform a total of 10 runs for one set, making the total duration of the set 5 minutes. For a progression over the number of sessions work on 2 minutes rest between sets and look to repeat sets up to 2-4 times as players fitness improves. Also to vary the session’s sets can be interspersed with small sided and possession games that are soccer specific and mirror these high intensity running sessions.

Interval Training Session Progressions/Alternatives

1.When the players return to the penalty area make them continue a recovery jog to the touchline and back.

2.Reduce the recovery time to 10 seconds.

3.Reduce the running time to 12 seconds but cover the same distance.

4.Increase the distance for players to cover in 15 seconds.

5.If working with large numbers or players of different fitness levels or abilities then this can be a good alternative set up. Assign players to groups based on their fitness levels or abilities. All three groups start on the edge of the penalty box.

1.Group 1 - Run to the halfway line, turn and run back covering about 72 metres in 15 seconds.

2.Group 2 – Run 3 metres past the half way line before turning and running back, therefore covering around 78 metres in 15 seconds.

3.Group 3 – Run 5 metres past the halfway line, covering about 82 metres in 15 seconds.

This is an effective method to use to challenge players of different fitness abilities within a group and offer extra motivation and keep work rate high among individuals within the squad.