Fitness for Club Soccer

[quickfetus]

Hey guys,

I'm a college student at an American DIII school who will be playing club soccer next year. (Against other schools, regular practices etc, but not in an NCAA league etc.) I'm 5'11, about 155 lbs, have solid calf muscles but no real upper body to speak of (other than never having lifted etc, my family history of muscular dystrophy makes developing muscle mass difficult, I think). Despite a bit of asthma, I'm in reasonable physical condition, thanks to playing soccer with friends for over an hour roughly every other day. I also play racquetball sometimes.

My diet has some things going for it (I don't eat bad meat, since I keep kosher, and I eat plenty of vegetables) but includes way too many carbs (ordering pizza, lots of falafel, etc.)

As for my soccer ability, I'm a solid-enough high school varsity defender. I don't have a long ball to speak of, but I'm pretty quick/physical and good enough in the air. I didn't actually play in high school, but played my entire life until then and currently play with a group of guys who were solid varsity players. A couple of them are definitely college level.

So, given this excessive background information: What should I do over the summer to get in shape for Club Soccer? Specific exercises? Diet? Routine? Give me your best suggestions. Anything is good, anything soccer-specific is excellent.

Quickfetus

[mattnxtc]

I assume you have good access to a soccer field... Work on doing lots of sprints of different length...(sprint to the 6 pedal backwards sprint to the 12 pedal backwards sprint to the 18 pedal backwards...do some of those with and without the ball...work on some half field sprints...do some cross bar jump touches...stuff like that...

You want to add in some distance cardio once a week or so, but really focus on the short sprints that involve cutting and stop/starting...those are what a defender especially needs to be sharp in

[Thremp]

Do maximal strength exercises for legs. Running is not a substitute for lifting.

Elite level soccer players have aerobic fitness that is far beyond what is needed. Soccer, especially in attack and defense, at lower levels is much more start/stop oriented than coaches at this level would believe.

[mattnxtc]

lifting really isnt a huge deal when it comes to soccer shape. It can help, but from knowing people from D1 to playing for one of the better D3 teams, lifting isnt going to make or break you.

Sure you want to add lifting into your routine, but make sure you are putting your effort into working on your cuts and start/stop movement.

[anklebreaker]

> Work on getting a strong and explosive posterior chain
> Work on speed
> Work on skills and technique

Look at other threads about building strength and power.
Some resources:
> crossfit.com for training programs
> expertfootball.com for soccer specific drills, techniques, and workouts

thremp, you're right about a lot of stop-go running, but you are underestimating cardiovascular requirements. Midfielders often run 6-8 miles in one game. That said, in the off-season you can/should definitely do maximal strength leg workouts.

Oh, and pay attention to flexibility.

[kyleb]

Run, run, run run run, run run, run some more, run.

Sprint, sprint, sprint with a ball, sprint sprint sprint, run run sprint, run run walk jog jog run run run sprint, sprint sprint vomit run run run run run run run with a ball sprint sprint cone drill run run run

230569823069209 shots on goal

run run run run run

cone drill

Repeat 5 times per week.

[Thremp]

Matt,

No. Skill as in every sport if by far more important. In six weeks I can still out perform many better college football players cause my skillz positioning is better, but it doesn't mean that being strong ain't good.

Ankle,

Not except for at elite elite levels. Even then its dubious to run that much.

[latefordinner]

plyometrics

I think the avg miles covered per game is about 8500m, but keep in mind most of that is at a jog or a walk. soccer is about balls out sprints for short periods of time. I agree with the interval workouts. but also. plyometrics.

in general ball control + agility >> overall fitness for soccer. I've known some elite DI players who smoke a pack a day and couldn't run more than 4 miles at once if you paid them, but have amazing ball control, shot power and accuracy

[mattnxtc]

Thremp...I am not sure how much soccer you have played, but comparing it to football isnt a good example...Best player I ever played with was probably 5'6" 120lbs or so and on the national team. Size matters to some extent, but in soccer its not as big a deal. In terms of some positions having more size can actually be a hindrance to your abilities as you wont have the movement you want.

I dont disagree that being able to run 5 miles isnt going to necessarily translate into being a good soccer player because soccer requires a different kind of running.

I will on the other hand take a 5'6" 130 lb guy who has quickness over somebody who can squats a lot of weight.

edit: fwiw I played for some of Texas's best club and high school teams and was maybe benchin 200 and didnt do a squat all of high school. (just for reference)

[Thremp]

Matt,

You're get skill confused with size. Just being bigger isn't usually going to make a person get stronger, not to mention that lifting weights does not control growth, diet does.

Almost every soccer player on the planet would be better with greater maximal strength, despite the fact it may hurt their aerobic fitness to a degree.

Though I'm not a for second going to believe that a guy who's in great physical condition can outplay a person who has much better ball skills. There such a wide gap between people in eye-foot coordination etc But in terms of GPP for soccer, there is too much long distance running and not enough maximal strength.