Getting fit for soccer is always a challenge for any player. Why? Because for most players a conditioning program is guesswork at best or the phrase ‘the pros use this program so I should too’ often comes up. However, this is rarely the case and the key to getting fit for soccer is including interval training into your program.
The heart rate graph above is taken from a 16 year old female soccer player during an actual game. As you can see this player has multiple bouts of higher intensity efforts followed by periods of brief recovery.
In addition to interval based patterns, we also know from recent research that soccer players perform a variety of fundamental movement skills before and after turning with the ball. These skills include walking, jogging, shuffling, skipping, jumping, backpedaling, etc.
Taking these two variables into consideration, the Center of Athletic Performance recently performed a study looking at different interval programs and how closely they mimic the movements and cardiovascular demands of the game.
Below is a graph of the same player performing a variety of specifically timed fundamental movements over a ninety second period. These include:
· Walking
· Backpedaling
· Shuffling
· Jogging
· Running
· Sprinting
Although the graph below does not exactly mimic the random nature of a game, the wave-like heart rate patterns do mimic the heart rate peaks, valleys, and duration very closely.
So what’s the best way to get fit for soccer? Other than play small sided games, the interval workout above is a great place to start! For more information on this workout and other challenging drills with the ball checkout the Fit for Soccer DVD at http://www.athletebydesign.com/.
>
No comments:
Post a Comment