When developing a conditioning program, I like to work backward from a capacity standpoint. Virtually every field sport has some GPS data out there. Even if results are limited to 1 or 2 studies, that may not be the most accurate however, it can give a general direction to plan conditioning, and if for some reason you can’t find GPS data or want to tailor it more specifically to the tactics used by your team, you can watch film and use a stopwatch (may be tedious but being better than average requires better than average work).
For me working backward typically starts with understanding the average distances traveled in a match or game. This issue is that some coaches stop there. If you look up distances traveled in a professional soccer match you will find it ranges from 3 to up to 7 miles in one game. Some coaches read this and assume if their athletes log these miles they will be prepared for a game. While they may see some improvements, I believe there are much more efficient ways to prepare for a season. The issue with running long distances is that athletes don’t reach high speeds that the game will require. For example, to run a 6-minute mile, you need to maintain a speed of 10 mph for the entire mile. While some of the top soccer players of the world have reached speeds of 20+ mph (Messi & Ronaldo – 20mph, Aumbameyang – 21mph, Gareth Bale – 22.9 mph). Not exposing an athlete to these higher speeds can create higher chances of injury. Specifically, the hamstrings are a common injury site for high speed running injuries. The hamstrings get put under high eccentric stress in stride. Additionally, sprinting requires the hip flexor to fire explosively and frequently. By not exposing the hip flexor to sprinting often before a season, they may become weak, and I have noticed a relationship between weak hip flexors and tight hamstrings which eventually lose the battle and get injured (tight muscles are WEAK muscles). (Click here for an easy way to start strengthening the hip flexor)
Now that I have established why it’s important to look past average distance traveled in a game, I’ll look at the frequency of sprints, and time spent walking, jogging, and running. To share my process, I found this article that has some GPS data on some professional French-league soccer teams. Here is what the breakdown looks like based on one half of a match:
32.2% walking >4.3 mph
38.4% low speed – 4.4 – 8 mph
19.7% medium – 8.1 – 11 mph
5.4% high speed – 11.1 – 13 mph
4.2% sprint – 13.1+ mph
# of sprints in 1 half – 12.7 ±6.1
Avg sprint distance 18.2m ±3.4m (20 yards ± 4)
Max sprint distance 35.1m ±11.3m (38 yards ± 12.4)
After reviewing this breakdown, one method of conditioning that I favor in this type of situation is a tempo type of training, mainly involving sprint work and walking. You can’t be afraid of having athletes walk as part of conditioning, they walk in games all the time, just as the research I referenced earlier shows. Things are still being accomplished, they are learning to recover from sprints while still moving.
I have been around soccer long enough to have heard every single coach I have played for or worked with, say we need to be first to the ball. This might be one of the most desired features of the game. If you get to the ball first, you get possession, more possession leads to the potential for higher attacking chances and scoring opportunity. This is equally true for all other field sports.
This isn’t the only way to condition, but this is essentially how I start my process, depending on the sport and its demands. Especially when time is limited, it is important to use methods that are efficient. Is running miles useless? No, but when time is limited, you can get much higher quality work in the same or less time than running a few miles. Are 300s useless? Probably not (but also more on the side of probably yes), but there are certainly other options that may prove to be better long term. Doing 300s or mile runs for field sports because “that’s what we have always done” is lazy. If you don’t have an educated “why” behind the things you ask your athletes to do, you are failing them.
Understanding the energy systems including how long the training effects last will help you determine what fits best for your goal. Aerobic adaptations (long duration system) last significantly longer than Glycolytic adaptations (moderately high intensity system, 10+s – ~120s), and even more than anaerobic adaptations through the ATP-PC energy system (high intensity system ~10s). Keep in mind, there are plenty of foundational adaptations that can help improve athletic performance when training the aerobic system, however, closer to the season we want athletes to be as fast, strong, and physically ready for competition which requires higher demands that come from sprinting, not running slow at long distances. Any other conditioning in-season should come from playing sport. Repeat sprint ability will build greater capacity for work and athletes should be ready for game-day following a well-thought-out conditioning plan.
If you found this post beneficial or what to know more, let me know. If there is anything you would like me to cover next time leave a comment below.
Sports Performance Thoughts 