Just like any other workout program, football training must work towards specific aims and objectives. Every football workout should start with a warmup, and finish with a cooldown stretch.

There are four key considerations in a football workout, which are common to all specific training routines, and these are known as the FITT rules - Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type.

Frequency refers to how regular the training sessions are. You should always allow enough time for full recovery between training sessions. Intensity refers to how hard you train. To progress, to become fitter and stronger, then the rules of overload and progression apply, i.e. aiming to increase intensity / weight in each session to promote growth and development. Time simple refers to how long a training session should last - either short and intensive, or longer and more relaxed (such as longer distance running, cycling or swimming). Type refers to specific training methods and the variety of training done. These four FITT rules should always be specified in a training program to avoid hitting a plateau, or over training, which are both detrimental to development.

Developing a football training program requires balancing the volume (endurance training) and intensity (strength training) of the workout to get results. Football training programs should focus on the four key fitness areas: Stamina, Strength, Suppleness and Speed - these are also referred to as the four S’s.

Avoid Injury - Most football injuries actually occur during training, and the biggest cause of injury is trying to do too much, too quickly, and too soon after a previous workout. Overtraining leads to injury and can set development back by weeks or even months.

Off Season Football Fitness

It is important for both professional and amateur footballers to maintain a fitness routine during the off-season. Some people refer to off-season training as the pre-pre-season training. The best way to train during the off season is to perform two or three short but intensive interval training sessions each week.

Recommended Football Fitness Training Routine

For best results in the pitch, adopt a high intensity interval training routine. A proven method for short but intensive workouts is the 4×4 minute workout, which consists of four intervals of 4 minutes, each interval having a short intensive period of 30 seconds to 1 minute, followed by 3 minutes recovery.

If you have access to a football pitch, then training should be done on the pitch. There are several football pitch circuits that can be done to allow for a varied training program.

NB. Not all pitches are the same size, so giving distances not needed. However, it should be noted that the official Football Association Rules state that the length of a pitch must be between 100 yards (90m) and 130 yards (120m) and the width not less than 50 yards (45m) and not more than 100 yards (90m).

Football Pitch Circuit 1:

The most basic, but also very intensive, circuit training routine for football are sprints across the width of the pitch. After warming up, sprint the width of the football pitch, with shorter recovery times between each sprint. Start with 30 seconds recovery before sprinting back, then reduce recovery to 15 secs, 10 secs, 5 secs and finally 0 secs, i.e. sprint back immediately.

Football Pitch Circuit 2:

A popular group exercise is varied pace running. This simply involves running around the edge of the pitch, but ensuring that the time taken for each edge is the same, therefore creating a varied pace. For the average sized pitch, 15 seconds on each side provides a good intensive workout. The lengths of the pitch provide the intensity and the width of the pitch behind the goal line provide the recovery. With most pitches the widths are run at half the speed as the lengths. With 15 second intervals, one lap can be completed in 1 minute, which makes keeping time easier. However on a larger pitch 20 second intervals may be required. To progress increase the number of laps

Football Pitch Circuit 3:

To start to work on muscular endurance, bodyweight exercises need to be included. A good circuit is to perform different exercises at each corner, for example press-ups, sit-ups, squats and lunges, and use variable running pattern between circuits similar to the varied pace running above. For example, start in the first corner with 20 press-ups, then dribble a ball the length of the pitch to the second station (corner) and perform 20 sit-ups. Then sprint the width behind the goal to the third corner to perform 20 lunges. Jog the length of the pitch to the final corner and perform 20 squats. Finally “cruise” the width back to the starting point. Cruising involves either skipping, side stepping, running backwards, or jogging with knee / heel raises. Once back at the first corner, the circuit is repeated.

Strength Training For Football

Footballers should concentrate on compound weight training exercises, which includes squats, lunges, deadlifts, cleans, shoulder presses and bench presses. These are the basic weight training exercises for athletes. It is important to train the muscles in unison rather than isolate movement. There are many different techniques that can be used, such as pyramid training. See the advanced weight training section for more information.

Speed Training For Football

Developing speed is essential for all players at all levels. Sprint drills are the only way to develop speed, however variations to the basic width sprints can improve performance further. Footballers have to constantly change direction and turn with the ball, and to do this, speed training must cannot be done in a straight line. The most simply method is zig zag running. This is best done by places cones in a zig zag along the width of a pitch, at varied distances, and then players spring the width as fas as possible around the cones. This helps strenghten and condition the supporting muscles in the ankles and hips which allow for a quick change of direction.

To develop speed over the short distance, shuttle runs are perfect. These simple involve sprinting 20 yards (half a pitch width). The easiest way to perform this exercise is to start in the centre of a pitch and sprint to one edge, rest for a short period, and then sprint the full width, rest, then return to the centre. This provides a varied distance shuttle run workout.

Cooldown and Stretch

All workouts should be followed by a cooldown and stretch. Stretching is essential to help prevent injury and also to loosen the joints and ligaments to make them more flexible, and allow them to better withstand the vigour of an intensive game of football.

All of the above football fitness workouts can be performed in teams / groups or alone in a park. If you wish to excel in your game, then improving your fitness levels is essential to ensure that you have an advantage on the pitch. Superior fitness will usually ensure team selection, so the harder you work, the greater the rewards. These football training routines are done at all levels, from school clubs to Premier League Football. Whether it is David Beckham, Manchester United, or a local pub team, soccer fitness is essential to make it to the top of the game.