These 6 Exercises Will Make Any Soccer Player Fit and Fast

Any soccer player who does these 6 exercises will increase their soccer fitness and their soccer speed in less than 21 days. It is a great pre-season soccer conditioning and soccer speed program. This soccer conditioning program will make any soccer player fast and fit very quickly.

Because soccer is such an explosive sport where players are expected to have great speed and agility too, designing a conditioning and speed program that focuses on these needs is quite important. So with that said, here are the 6 speed and conditioning exercises soccer players should be doing. Also, I have included a brief explanation of the exercise and why it is important.

These 6 exercises should be broken up into 2 groups of three. I have also included suggested groupings. One group of three exercises should be done 2 times in one week and the other group should be done one time during the week. On the following week, switch it up so that the one group of exercises that was done just once the previous week is done twice this week, and the group of exercises that was done twice the previous week is done just once this week. Keep this similar rotation for the three weeks. Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday training days work best.

It is also recommended for the soccer player to warm up their body and stretch themselves out sufficiently to do these exercises. Any player considering this program should consult with their doctor before embarking on it.

All of these exercises are done as fast as a player can go.

The First Group of Exercises are:

5-10-15 Yard Shuttle: This 60 yard shuttle is designed to enhance a soccer player's acceleration speed and change of direction performance. The game of soccer is a game of quick bursts of speed and quick change of direction. This shuttle will help all soccer players gain this edge. Players should do 4-6 repetitions of this exercise with a one minute rest in between.20-40-60 Yard Shuttle: This 240 yard shuttle now taxes the soccer player's fitness with short and medium distance explosiveness. This exercise will help all soccer players gain excellent conditioning. Players should do 3-4 repetitions with a 2 minutes rest in between.200 Yard Shuttle: Here a soccer player runs 100 yards, stops and runs back to their starting point. The player is working under one minute starts. That means if it takes a player 40 seconds to complete this shuttle, they have 20 seconds of recovery (rest) time before they run the next 200 yard shuttle and so forth. A player is working on building up to 10 runs in 10 minutes. This is an excellent exercise to gain a solid conditioning foundation.

The Second Group of Exercises are:

10-20-30 Yard Shuttle: This 120 yard shuttle is a beefed up version of the 5-10-15 yard shuttle. It presents training at an anaerobic level making any soccer player explosive and powerful throughout the course of the game. Players should do 4-6 repetitions of this exercise with a 90 second rest in between.30-60-90 yard Shuttle: This 360 yard shuttle not only adds great conditioning for a soccer player but is also adds mental toughness as well. This exercise is excellent for many players but especially for midfielders. Players should consider doing 2-3 repetitions of this exercise allowing for a 3 minute rest in between.300 Yard Shuttle: This shuttle is a staple in many soccer conditioning programs. Place two cones 25 yards apart. The soccer player then runs out to one cone and then runs back and repeats this (up and back) 6 times to complete the 300 yards. It is an excellent conditioning and change of direction exercise. Players should consider doing 2-3 repetitions with a 3 minute rest in between.

This program is an excellent pre-season program for any higher level soccer players (U15 and above). It will help them become very fit and very fast which will make them a valuable player to their team.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this speed and conditioning program for soccer players.

Have a great day!

Gary Christopher

[http://www.soccerandspeedcoach.com]

To get free weekly insider coaching tips delivered right to your inbox, go to my website [http://www.soccerandspeedcoach.com] and register. Every week I'll send you players and coaches reports and insights on developing soccer skills and speed skills along with some great audio interviews you can download for free.

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Soccer Exercises For a Well-Conditioned Soccer Player

Soccer players require both strength and endurance.

The proper soccer exercises will give you stamina to out-perform your opposition in a 90-minute soccer game. It is a game of constant movement. But you need more than just endurance.

To become a talented soccer player there are 4 types of soccer exercises that you should perform regularly:


Endurance training - get the wind you need to last 90 minutes. You know that you hate being taken off the field before.
Sprint training - to allow you to get to the ball faster than your opponents.
Strength training for soccer - so when you must battle an opponent for the ball, you can get position, and win the ball in the air, or on the ground.
Flexibility training - to stretch and strengthen your muscles to prevent injury and encourage muscle growth.

Endurance Training

As a soccer player we hate to hear "SUBSTITUTION". So to keep this from happening, try these endurance-training tips:


Always warm up before any endurance training run.
50% training will give you 50% during a game. Keep your long distance pace as high as possible. 2 miles in 12 minutes is a good target.
Work hard enough to get out of your comfort zone. And continue to expand your comfort zone as you improve.
Give your body time to recover. If you train hard every day there will be no juice left in your tank, and your body can only take so much.

Sprint (speed) Training

There are times when we just need to work on our speed. Sure we all want to get as much time on the ball as we can, but we cannot always have the ball. Work without the ball! Although it is a good idea to practice speed drills with the ball, doing both types of soccer exercises will be of greater benefit in the long term.

Here are a few exercises to help improve your speed:


Tuck your head down and get into position for exploding after the ball or your opponent. This will give you more control over your body than if your head is flying around up there somewhere. Just keep your eyes open.
Move your arms forward and backward parallel to your body. Not across the body. This increases your momentum, and gets everything moving in the same direction.
Lead with your toes. Starting off on your heels will not give you the balance or acceleration that you need.
Get your feet hitting the ground as many times and as fast as you can. The more you do this, the faster you will become.

Strength Training

Weight training for soccer is an excellent way to improve your strength to win challenges for the ball. In the air, and on the ground. It's about improving your overall strength, not becoming muscle-bound. I suggest you visit my weight training for soccer page for more information.

Flexibility Training

To improve the flexibility of your muscles it is important to understand the following:


Warm up for 5 - 10 minutes before stretching. Light jogging will work.
Hold each stretch for 15 - 20 seconds.
2 - 3 stretches per body part.
Do not bounce. Hold the stretch in place.
Start at the bottom and work your way up. Ankles, calves, hamstrings, quads, waist and hips, arms, chest, shoulders, neck and head.
Don't hold a painful stretch. You should feel a tightness in the muscle, but not pain.
Breathe! Do not hold your breath.

If you combine those facts with these great stretching exercises you will be a step ahead of your opponents.

Always allow yourself RECOVERY TIME. Recovering from any of the soccer exercises that you perform will allow to continue to improve. This will improve your overall conditioning for the long-term.

Wayne MacLean has over 30 years of experience in the game of soccer. As a soccer coach, soccer player, soccer referee, and all-around soccer fan, Wayne is now adding a new dimension to his love of soccer. He now writes many articles and creates soccer videos to help those that are involved in soccer, are new to soccer, or just want to know more about soccer. Check out my Soccer Exercises blog for more great soccer exercises and training information.

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