Information On Preseason College Soccer Training

By Andrea Davidson


If you're a soccer player that is in college, one important factor that determines whether you're fit for the start of the season is what you do before it starts. How you prepare can have a profound impact on whether your team is successful. By doing some basic college soccer training drills you're more likely to be ready once the referee blows the whistle to start the game.

The better trainers will have planned the sessions in advance. Usually you'll start your fitness regime around five to six weeks before the first game. At the very begging things will probably be taken quite slowly, with light jogging and light warm-ups in the first week. Stretching is usually a big factor because many players are quite stiff at the start of preseason.

As soccer players use their legs most of the time these muscle groups need to be thoroughly worked out by doing moving and static exercises. The moving exercises usually involve standing on the spot and moving the legs and arms in circular patterns. This stretches the legs and arms, loosening the muscles. Static exercise is usually less intense and involves a great deal of stretching.

A lot of the emphasis is on match fitness. Running is therefore very important because it allows you to build up stamina. Cardio and aerobic exercises are usually increased gradually, the players running longer distances as they build up more stamina. Cross country runs are fairly popular, as these not only make players fitter, they build up camaraderie.

As the season draws near, most trainers will focus on the getting players ready for actual games. This means more working with the ball and more sprinting, as this is a key component of soccer. By this time players are usually separated into teams, with one team working on their fitness by closing down the other team with the ball. The opposing team, in the meantime are actually working on their close quarter ball control, trying to pass around their opponents.

It does not matter if you're a defender or a midfielder, every player should practice shooting. Normally this takes place when the session is nearly over, plus it gives goalkeepers the opportunity to practice stopping shots. After this comes a gentle warm down. This is a time to take things easy, so as not to strain the muscles the players have worked.

When starting out in preseason it is best to start on light work, because the players that return will probably not be very fit. It takes a while to build up stamina and this is done partly by a injecting a sense of fun into the sessions. Players can become bored very easily, therefore they often need motivating during fitness work.

Preseason college soccer training is about keeping players motivated enough to be fit for the start of the season. Working slowly at first, so that players build up fitness gradually, makes the most sense. At all times the accent should be on conditioning and in improving their basic touch and all-round play. It should be remembered that players cannot really get match fit until they have played a few preseason games and a few competitive matches also.




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