Soccer endurance training is important, as it allows players to maintain a high level of strength, agility, flexibility, and quickness. Having stamina can help you to have a more competitive advantage.
Building stamina is more than practicing soccer endurance drills, but it is also changing your mentality and understanding your body. Your body needs proper nutrition, sleep, and oxygen in order for you to give it your all and build your endurance.
How to Improve Stamina in Soccer: 5 Methods
Stamina is important for soccer players because it helps them become capable of performing at their best. Strengthening stamina involves a lot of acceleration, deceleration, sprinting, changing directions, and jogging for recovery.
Whether you are a full back or you are one of the goalkeepers, improving your stamina should always be a priority. You can improve your stamina in soccer by practicing these five training methods.
1. Stop and Go Soccer Drills
Stop and go endurance drills are one of the best high intensity workouts to add to your training program for soccer, as they are exactly what you do during a game of soccer. When practicing stop and go soccer drills, you combine sprinting and jogging for about 30 to 45 minutes.
The stop and go running workout for soccer helps your body to adapt to running constantly during a game. Stop and go endurance drills also help prevent injury by exercising your core and lower body muscles.
To practice a stop and go drill, you must alternate between jogging and sprinting and warm up your muscles before starting.
Begin sprinting at maximal effort from the corner flag to the halfway line. Then, decelerate to half effort to the other corner flag.
Slow down and jog around the goal line. Once you are at the end of the goal line, spring back at full force back to the halfway line. Then, decelerate again and slow down to a recovery jog. You can practice reps for this training session for up to 45 minutes.
2. Shuttle Runs
Shuttle runs are a simple exercise to help improve stamina and get better at soccer. You will need to practice quick changes of directions using cones.
To practice shuttle runs, set up two cones across from each other, at least 40 yards apart. Run to one cone, touch it, and run back to the other cone. See how many times you can touch the cone in 30 seconds.
To make the shuttle runs more challenging, you can add a third or fourth cone to the mix and practice different adaptations. You can also have a friend from your soccer team pass a ball to you each time you get to a cone. While high speed shuttle runs are simple, they can be a fun and creative way to help you build stamina.
3. Get Proper Sleep and Nutrition
While soccer conditioning is important, getting the right amount of sleep and nutrition helps to fuel your body. When your body has enough fuel, you will naturally perform better.
To help build your stamina, start eating more meals that consist of rice, protein, beans, and salads, around two to three hours before you practice elite soccer.
Eating healthier can make a significant difference when trying to have more stamina. You will feel less tired when you feed your body nutritious foods and get enough sleep each night.
4. Planks
Planks help to strengthen your core muscles, specifically the abdomen, pelvis, hips, and lower back. Strengthening these muscles are essential to help improve your stamina, balance, and stability.
Planks challenge all of your core muscles to work together, and can be combined with other stamina building endurance exercises. When practicing planks, you can add bridges, supermans, Russian twists, and flutter kicks to make the exercise even more effective.
5. Breathe Correctly
It is important for your body to receive as much oxygen as possible. The way you breathe can play a huge role in improving your stamina.
The proper breathing technique involved inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. Properly breathing not only can help improve stamina, but it can help you recover quicker when you are tired, allowing you to get faster at soccer.
Why is Speed Endurance Important in Soccer?
Soccer endurance training is important, as it helps your body give its maximal effort for longer periods of time. Without endurance, you will have a difficult time focusing on the game, dribbling, and sprinting and will become fatigued.
What Position Requires the Most Stamina in Soccer?
While all positions in soccer require stamina, the full back position requires the most stamina. As a full back, you are constantly running up and down the field and are contributing to the attack, but your main purpose is to defend. Stamina is needed for this position due to the constant running and sprinting during soccer fitness training.
Aerobic vs Anaerobic Exercises
Both aerobic and anaerobic exercises can help you build stamina. Before practicing these exercises, it is beneficial to understand how they differ.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic fitness requires oxygen. When we are not exercising, we produce energy through a process called cellular respiration, where oxygen is used to produce energy for our muscles. Aerobic endurance exercises allow us to exercise for an extended period without becoming fatigued.
Aerobic exercises are also known as cardio workouts. Some common aerobic cardiovascular exercises include running, swimming, walking, or hiking. These exercises improve stamina because we do the exercise for a long period of time.
Anaerobic Exercise
Anaerobic exercise are opposite of aerobic, as it means without air. Anaerobic exercises are physically demanding exercises that cause you to feel out of breath quickly, such as strength training or sprinting.
You should ot practice anaerobic exercises for extended periods. An aerobic exercise that becomes too intense is considered anaerobic.
Life Hacks to Improve Stamina
When learning how to increase stamina for soccer, there are some life hacks you can follow.
Hydrate
Staying hydrated and drinking enough water will help you to maintain your concentration and performance for soccer. When learning how to build stamina for soccer, drinking plenty of water is a great way to start.
Hydration prevents excessive elevations in heart rate and body temperature, keeping your body calm, even when working hard. In addition, hydration delays fatigue and can help prevent injuries associated with dehydration.
Workout Your Glutes
Glutes are one of the most important muscles in your lower limb. They give us the ability to change direction, make quick cuts, and sprint.
When you have stronger glutes, you have a better running technique, more stability, and can better practice endurance training for soccer. During a game, a good tip to follow is to tense your glutes when you are tired, as it can provide an instant boost in running.
Train in Altitude
If you have the ability to do so, practice soccer endurance training or soccer finishing drills in a place with great altitude. This can make playing a game at sea level easy, since your body will become used to working harder in a high altitude.
Altitude soccer training sessions cause an increase in hemoglobin, the molecules that bring oxygen to your muscles. When you compete at sea level, your body will be more efficient in transporting oxygen to your muscles.
What Are the Best Endurance Fitness Drills for Soccer?
There are many endurance drills to choose from when learning how to improve stamina for soccer to improve your fitness level. These drills will help you to step out of your comfort zone and better practice soccer endurance training, especially during the off-season.
- Shuttle runs
- Stop and go drills
- Stairs workout for stamina and speed
- Speed hill sprints
- Dribble and run
- Planks
- Jogging
- Aerobic and anaerobic exercises
- Push ups
- Plyometric exercises, such as burpees or squatting
Final Thoughts
Practicing soccer endurance drills is a great way to help build stamina. Having greater stamina can help you to sustain your best physical and mental effort for a prolonged period during a soccer game.
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