Soccer is the game of endurance. When you are preparing to represent your team in your custom soccer uniforms, you need to work hard to build your stamina. If you don’t want to be left behind in the field you need to work on your endurance, agility, and flexibility.
Here are 10 insanely effective conditioning and fitness drills to help you shine in your custom soccer uniform on the field.
Drill No 1: Full Field Intervals
Purpose:
This drill helps you to build the stamina required for a 90-minutes long match. The higher your stamina is, the lesser you will be tired on the grounds.
Setup:
You need the open field for this drill.
Drill Routine:
In this drill:
- First run the full field in a straight line. Make sure to sprint the field in 20 to 30 seconds.
- Next, jog back to the starting point in 60 seconds.
- Repeat for 8 to 10 reps.
Drill No 2: 25 yards Shuttle Runs
Purpose:
Soccer is the game of endurance. Stamina is the most crucial element to last in the ground for the whole game and to avoid losing scores. This drill helps to build your stamina and increase your core strength.
Setup:
For this drill, you need five cones placed at 5 yards distance from each other. The total length of the cone line setup is 25 yards.
Drill Routine:
In this drill:
- First, run from the first cone to the second then come back to the first. Then run to the third cone and come back to first again. Keep running until you cover all the cones. However, make sure to complete the sprinting in 30 seconds or a maximum of 60 seconds.
- Then allow yourself to breathe for 30 seconds.
- Finally repeat the drill 3 to 5 times.
Drill No 3: Conditioning Square
Purpose:
Besides improving your stamina with a greater amount, this drill also helps you to improve your energy levels, lower body strength, agility, and body control.
Setup:
For this drill, you need 4 cones to set up in a square formation. Each cone is 10 yards apart from the other.
Drill Routine:
In this drill:
- Firstly, jog one complete lap around the square.
- Next, run at full speed for half the lap, and jog for the remaining half.
- Then, sprint through the full lap around the square.
- Without taking a break, proceed with doing 10 push-ups, 10 crunches, and 10 squats.
- Now, take a break for 30-60 seconds.
- Repeat the drill for 4 to 5 reps.
Drill No 4: On and Off the Ball Drill
Purpose:
This multipurpose drill helps you to maintain your touches with the ball while simultaneously helping you with fitness off the ball. Also, it helps to improve your sprints. Additionally, it increases your control over changing your directions, changing of speed, and changing of pace.
Setup:
For this drill, set up a grid with 4 cones, each at 13 yards apart. You can also adjust the size depending on how much fitness you want to build. Or how long you want your sprints to be.
Drill Routine:
In this drill:
- Begin with dribbling the ball from one corner of the grid to the other diagonally.
- Then dribble around the end cone and come back to the middle.
- Then leave the ball in the middle and sprint to the opposite cone.
- Finally, sprint back to the middle and dribble the ball to the next corner.
- Repeat the drill for multiple reps or when you complete every single cone twice.
Drill No 5: Dribbling Over Cones
Purpose:
This fitness drill helps to improve your stamina along with improving your control over the ball.
Setup:
For this drill, you need a triangular formulation of the cone. Arrange 8 to 10 cones, a half yard apart on a slightly angled line. Place a cone at 5 yards. Place the exact 8 to 10 cones on the other side of this cone. Finally, place another cone exactly opposite to that middle cone such that it is now in the middle of the starting cones of both cone lines.
Drill Routine:
This drill is quite simple. In this drill:
- You start with dribbling from one side of the cone line and end up on the middle cone.
- Then dribble quickly to the opposite cone on the other side.
- Then you come back to the middle cone and finish dribbling through the cone line on the other side.
- Now leave the ball there. Sprint straight to the start of the other cone line and sprint back.
- Take a break for 30 to 60 seconds between each set.
- Repeat for 3 to 5 reps.
Drill No 6: Striders
Purpose:
This is a simple and effective drill to improve your fitness and stamina in a greater amount. It also helps you to pace yourself and manage your accelerations.
Setup:
For this drill, you need a width of the field.
Drill Routine:
- Sprint to the other side of the field and back in 35 seconds.
- Then take rest for about 25 seconds.
- Next, sprint to the other side of the field and back in 30 seconds.
- Then again take a rest for about 25 seconds.
- Next, sprint to the other side of the field and back in 25 seconds. Take another 25-second break.
- Finally, sprint to the other side of the field and back in 20 seconds. Take another 25-second break.
- Once you get down to 20 seconds, you now increase your time again. The sprinting time for the new laps will now be 25 seconds, 30 seconds, and so on.
- In conclusion, you start sprinting with 35 seconds, decrease your time to 20 seconds, and back it up to 35 seconds again in one rep.
- Repeat for 2 to 4 reps for an effective fitness training session.
Drill number 7 to 10 helps to improve your speed, agility, and stamina easily and efficiently. In addition, it also helps in improving coordination, power, and speed endurance. They all use the same setup. For these drills, you will need 6 to 8 pairs of cones half a yard apart in a straight line. Then place the soccer ball on the side of the last cone. Next, place two gates, five yards behind the starting cone. Each gate should be 3 yards in width and placed side by side. Finally, place one single cone at 10 yards at the end of your cone line.
Drill No 7: One Step
- Begin with sprinting through one step over each pair of cones.
- Then sprint to the final gate and jog back towards the ball.
- Next, sprint the ball toward the starting point.
- Take rest for 60 seconds. The recommended work/rest ratio for this drill is 1:5. If you take 20 seconds to complete one rep, then take the next 60 seconds for rest.
Drill No 8: Sidestep
- Begin with sprinting through your side over each pair of cones.
- Then sprint to the final gate with full intensity and jog back towards the ball.
- Next, sprint the ball toward the starting point.
- Take rest for 60 seconds. The recommended work/rest ratio for this drill is 1:5. If you take 20 seconds to complete one rep, then take the next 60 seconds for rest.
Drill No 9: 2 In 2 Out
- Start with sprinting two steps outward of the cone and two steps inside the cone.
- Follow the remaining steps from drill number 8.
Drill No 10: Shuffle
- In this drill, sprint through the cones while shuffling through the sides.
- Then sprint to the final gate but jog back towards the ball.
- Then sprint the ball towards the starting gate.
- Finally rest for 60 seconds.
Bottom Line
So, there’s that. Top 10 insanely effective drills to improve your fitness and stamina in a greater amount. The greater amount of time and work you will invest in your drills, the sweeter would be the fruits of your success.
