Fitter teams win more games – it’s as simple as that. Of course, we know that most clubs will not have a fitness trainer or a well-equipped gym. But there is a lot you can do yourself. The drills in this section look at how you can help your players to get fit, stay fit, avoid injury and recover more quickly. How many times have you seen a close game decided in the last 10 minutes because one team is fit and the other is running out of energy?
in Email newsletters, Fitness and Diet, Warm Ups
I keep fit pretty much all year round due to being outside coaching most of the time. And with the enforced lay off in the UK due to the coronavirus pandemic I've been keeping myself fit in other ways. However, being fit and having muscles ready to play sport is on a different planet. MORE
in Email newsletters, Fitness and Diet
During lockdown or anytime you find you cannot get your team to training for a period of time you should make sure they are doing things to keep fit. They need things that they will find are fun and things that they will want to do because it is a competition. Without matches they are missing that competitive edge and that will add to their boredom when they cannot get out and play. MORE
in Email newsletters, Fitness and Diet
It's been a long lay-off for some of us and getting back into shape for the season ahead is an important part of coaching preparation. And not just for you the coach. This week I have been coaching at clinics for teams to get them back into playing contact games before they go to play friendly matches. MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, Fitness and Diet
Agility ladders are great ways to get youth players getting their feet ready for ball skills, warming up ankles helping prevent injuries. Also great to use when you're on your own... MORE
in Email newsletters, Fitness and Diet
Okay I'm not going to use the bored word here... not yet anyway! I enjoy plenty of exercise even though it is either in my front room or in the garden. I don't want to get like Pep Guardiola said "a little bit fatter!" MORE
in Email newsletters, Fitness and Diet, Pre-season
Don't just dig out your boot bag the day before training is due to start and polish your boots... there's more to getting ready for the new season than that. Map out your pre-season fitness blueprint for you and your players. MORE
in Fitness and Diet, Pre-season
You don't have to be on a football pitch to start your pre-season – players and coaches alike can be a bit creative at the beach and set themselves some targets for the holidays. So put sunbathing on hold get yourself in shape for the coming season! MORE
in Email newsletters, Fitness and Diet
Coaches and players alike will be planning for pre-season over the summer months – it is good practice to prepare yourself and your players for the physical push towards the new season. MORE
in Fitness and Diet, Practice plans
Improving your team’s fitness in the pre-season period could be the key to a winning start. These practices aim to develop fitness through the use of a range of movements, changes of speed and the use of smallsided games. MORE
in Fitness and Diet, Tips and advice
If you ask a budding footballer these days what they focus the most on, to reach the top of their game, you will hear most talk about hard work, training and exercise, but it is very rare to find a young player mention MORE
in Email newsletters, Fitness and Diet, Tips and advice
Getting and staying fit for the first part of the new season is vital to a successful coaching strategy. If your players are not fit enough to play the way you want it is a pointless beginning to your campaign. Here are 6 activities to help you. MORE
in Fitness and Diet, Practice plans
Increasing the sprinting speed of your team will have them reaching the ball faster than their opponents all over the field and can change the outcome of a match. MORE
in Fitness and Diet, Tips and advice
This five minute fitness drill can be used during your training sessions for a quick break to help coaching points sink in, or as an incentive for a drinks break. Great for stretching calves. MORE
in Fitness and Diet, Return to play, Warm Ups
Get brains and muscles into gear with this quick warm-up for training. It works on movement, agility and vision. MORE
in Email newsletters, Fitness and Diet, Tips and advice
Staying fit in the off-season is vital for players and coaches alike. Although the temptation might be to go on holiday and forget about fitness for a while, it's important to stay in good shape so that you're ready for pre-season training. MORE
in Email newsletters, Fitness and Diet, Warm Ups
The benefits of a dynamic workout to your team to get them ready to play a match cannot be ignored. Young players have to give their muscles a range of dynamic and progressive movements to prepare them for the game. If they don’t you’ll be risking them getting a injury when the game starts. Warm... MORE
in Fitness and Diet, Practice plans
This training session is designed to develop your players’ facility for intensive endurance. This could give you the advantage you need to win more matches. MORE
in Fitness and Diet, Practice plans
This training session is designed to develop the players’ ability to transition from low-level activities to high speed running in game like situations. MORE
in Fitness and Diet, Practice plans
This session uses the top two tiers of the strength-power-speed pyramid. The exercises in this session will help players to develop explosive power and the ability to quickly change pace. MORE
This five-minute fitness drill is all about giving your players the ability to hit bursts of speed during a game. MORE
in Fitness and Diet, Tips and advice
It doesn’t take rocket science to understand that a lot of energy is lost after a soccer match. During the half-time break, a player has an opportunity to replenish energy using carefully selected food substances. MORE
Leg press with a ball... this five minute fitness drill can be used during your training sessions for a quick break to help coaching points sink in, or as an incentive for a drinks break. MORE
in Attacking, Fitness and Diet
This is all about teamwork and teammates using the ball or stopping opponents from winning it. Press hard and the defenders will win the three balls in the fastest time MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, Fitness and Diet
Zinédine Zidane set up a challenge for the Danone Nations Cup. Get your players to try this one and see if they can beat the 20 seconds that it took Zidane MORE
