A very good argument can be made for naming soccer as the most physically demanding of all team sports. Games can run over 90 minutes. The only field larger that I can think of belongs to rugby. Rest periods do not regularly occur as they do in football. To be soccer-fit, players need explosive strength, quickness and stamina.

What is the impact of fitness in soccer? One study showed that a 10% increase in endurance resulted in over a 20% increase in with-the-ball involvement and a 100% increase in the number of sprints performed during the game. Sold yet? Here is some soccer training information to help get you started.

Warming Up and Stretching
Like the benefits of a Vegan lifestyle (oh yes, I said it) there are a lot of bad misconceptions around stretching. We are so used to stretching before working out or playing that it is has become habit. Stop. Do not stretch cold muscles, ever. Don't take my word for it. There is plenty of information online about stretching. Its amazing how many PhDs and knowledgable people I see still routinely stretching before playing.

What you should do is get your heart rate up and warm the muscles you are about to use to prepare them to do what you are about to demand of them. Move your arms and legs in their full range of motion. In some places this is called ballistic stretching. This is good. When you see soccer teams before the game jogging back and forth kicking at the air or skipping around, this is what they are doing. Now you are ready for the good stuff.

Anaerobic Fitness
During a soccer match you are likely going to execute a number of explosive movements like sprinting or leaping. After enough of these intense actions your muscles create lactic acid. That's what makes your muscles feel badly late in the match. Anaerobic fitness is your bodies ability to deal with lactic acid and recover. Better anaerobic fitness means you can sprint, quickly change directions, accelerate and jump more throughout the game.

To build anaerobic fitness you need to stress your muscles beyond capacity. Your body will compensate for this by strengthening your muscles thus improving anaerobic fitness. Training this way can also improve your overall power and speed.

Plyometrics is a great way to train for soccer specific speed and power. Basically plyometrics uses explosive movements to stress the muscles. It differs from weight training in that it focuses on achieving a maximum output quickly as opposed to maximizing the output without regard to time. Basically we are talking about explosive power and quickness. Plyometric exercises generally include any explosive movement like jumping, sprinting, changing directions and even kicking a ball.

There are some important keys to remember when performing plyometrics. Start simple, plyometric exercises range in intensity. Avoid hard surfaces. Training mats and grass are good. Concentrate on technique rather than making yourself fatigued. Young players that are still growing need to be careful of this type of training. They should really be focusing on ball skill anyways.

Here are some basic examples of plyometric exercises. Former OSU men's soccer coach Mick McDermott happens to be an expert on this subject and wrote an nice article on plyometric soccer training.

Aerobic Fitness
When you are in cruise control your body is able to replace all of the oxygen used by your muscles with the oxygen your lungs take in. This is called aerobic fitness. It is all about your cardiovascular system. The measure of aerobic fitness is your VO2 max or the maximum amount of oxygen your body can consume over time. Because soccer generally requires players to be in constant motion for 90 minutes or more aerobic fitness is important. The result of good aerobic fitness is the ability to run faster for longer periods of time without getting tired.

When concentrating on aerobic fitness the goal is strengthening your heart. This has to be done at a mild work rate that does not make you out of breath. Keep your heart rate under control, between 70-80% of your maximum and expect to work for at least a half hour.

For soccer players jogging works well. One soccer fitness site recommended at least two miles every few days. The great thing about jogging is that it can be done with a ball. Aerobic fitness training with a ball is a great was to improve game stamina and on-the-ball technique and touch. Other common aerobic training methods include swimming, biking and jump rope.

Rest and Recovery

It is important to allow the body to recovery from fitness training and match play. A no-activity rest day should be taken once a week. Active recovery includes light exercise and stretching. It is a good idea to include active recovery into a fitness routine to avoid over training and injury.

Youth Fitness Training

There are a lot of warnings against intense fitness training for young players prior to adolescence. This is especially the case with plyometrics and weight training. The typical youth player is training with the coach one or two times for practice and then at a game. This limited amount of coaching time should be spent on soccer skill and technique. Any fitness training should concentrate on teaching good technique to prepare for future training.