Get back to business

The first week back at training after the close-season break is often challenging for you and your team.

Depending on how they have spent the summer, pre-season can be hard work for the players. Muscles seize up, legs tire out and the next day they are likely to feel stiff and sore.

Getting in shape for the big kick-off means revisiting all those skills and techniques that had been finely tuned last season and then forgotten in favour of Xbox skills!

Young players need to shake the cobwebs from their brains, leave behind long hours spent watching soccer on television - or even not engaging with the sport at all - and remember the how to, why to and when to.

It isn’t just about the long, hard slog to get limbs moving - it is about getting players to kickstart their speed of thought and get their bodies to match it. 

First touch, weight of pass, shooting and accuracy are all very relevant to a pre-season workout. Young players need to be able to perform repeated sprints and changes of direction at will, which can be difficult after time off.

Use fast games with lots of touches to get players back into the groove. A lot of sessions should focus on getting the basics right because that is the rock that fitness is built upon – if players forget the basics, they will be struggling on matchdays, too.

"Muscles seize up, legs tire out and the next day players are likely to feel stiff and sore..."

Don’t forget goalkeepers, either. Make sure they are joining in sessions so they are getting their muscles built up for the new season, and able to rediscover the throwing and kicking actions needed to find their team-mates over different distances.

The pre-season training sessions on the following pages all focus on using skill and technique to control the ball and to take advantage of changes in possession. It is vital that players get back into using these skills.

Remember, fun is one of the main reasons players turn up to your sessions. If you run pre-season like it’s a military exercise, with all running and no ball play, you will have a bunch of unhappy kids who will not want to come back. Make it light-hearted and they will not want to leave.

Also, don’t forget the drinks breaks. When players come back to training they will probably sweat a lot, especially if it is hot.

Their young bodies will not be prepared for a sudden burst of energy and so hydration is more important than ever. Players who become dehydrated dip in performance; they will have less concentration, co-ordination, power, motivation and speed.

Now that you and your players are ready for the serious business of soccer to start again, all you have to do is follow the pre-season sessions overleaf. Good luck!