In my opinion, 30m sprints would probably be the max. I played soccer for ten years myself, and I know most of the bursts are around 10m, with a few 20-30m break aways.
Some might recommend longer sprints, but even then I wouldn’t go over 60m. There’s no need to develop speed endurance for soccer.
Flash,
You are right, although sprint length will depend on the position played.
I believe the average distance sprinted is 30-40 metres.
So 60m sprints, as the top range would be right.
I also remember reading one study that said the difference between the premier division and the lower leagues is not the average speed but the length of the rest period between sprints.
As you progress up the leagues, the rest periods become shorter.
These papers are not directly related to sprint training and soccer, but they are about soccer and training.
I don´t really feel that a high VO2max is really a great indicator of soccer specific fitness - I just wanted to say that before you guys read these papers!
Here they are:
Research article
LACTATE AND VENTILATORY THRESHOLDS REFLECT THE TRAINING STATUS OF
PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYERS WHERE MAXIMUM AEROBIC POWER IS UNCHANGED
A.M. Edwards, N Clark, A.M. Macfadyen
http://www20.uludag.edu.tr/~hakan/sbtd/vol2/n1/4/v2n1-4.htm
Letter to the Editor
CHARACTERISTICS OF ELITE AND NON-ELITE YUGOSLAV SOCCER PLAYERS:
CORRELATES OF SUCCESS
Sergej M. Ostojic
http://www20.uludag.edu.tr/~hakan/sbtd/vol2/n1/6/v2n1-6.htm
I used to play soccer for six years, and in my opinion there is not much use for a high maximum velocity. You will hardly ever have a straight sprint over 30 or 40 meters in a soccer game, so what you should worry about is acceleration - this is, I think, quite important in order to conquer the ball.
It somewhat gets in the way of general endurance training, which is even more important to soccer, as you have 90 minutes of more or less intense movement with a lot of changes in speed, with tackles and other runs. Thus, an excellent aerobic capacity should be the number one priority for soccer players…
I would have to disagree with the last post. I think a good aerobic base is important in that it helps the anaerobic systems recover more efficiently. I used to place more emphasis on aerobic conditioning ie. I would run 10km in 36 mins once a week plus some lighter stuff as well and although I felt very fit I never really felt sharp, and I would still become quite fatigued when I had to repeatedly sprint within a short time frame. My belief is that soccer games take care of the basic aerobic fitness. I think anaerobic capacity is is more crucial in determining your performance in a match. Carefully structuring a program around this concept should yield the best results. As far as maximum velocity is concerned, I feel this is an important aspect which should be worked on especilly with the ball learning to run at near max velocity with a ball is key for a striker or winger. It’s probably true that in a game longer runs don’t come in to play that much but when they do if you have trained correctly you should be able to call apon your speed to exploit the situation
Would tempo runs not replace the long aerobic runs? Thus providing the aerobic base.
Too much aerobic running can slow you down.
Personally, I would rather be faster.
Ian King and Charlie’s combined seminar video is great. Ian King’s own endurance seminar video is also worth seeing.
I have started using tempo runs(2500m x twice/week) and found them quite useful as far as maintaining cardio however I think a good 20 - 30 min session of running at least 4 - 5 mins intervals with 90 secs rest between is a good compliment to the tempo work for soccer. I usally do a session like that every 9 - 10 days replacing a tempo session.
Why do tempo if you play soccer? You get enough aerobic training through the soccer training and matches… I would rather focus on speed
VG,
Tempo: alot will depend on how often you train, what time of the year it is, how often you play games.
My comment was only generally.
Obviously, you have to consider all the factors before deciding on your program.
I agree with wullie, it all depends on the the situaion. For me there is no way of knowing how intense a game or training session will be from week to week so I constantly adjust my training methods accordingly. I find tempo the day after a hard match really speeds my recovory both mentally and physically.
Soccer is tough on the knees hips and ankles(especially as you get older) so I want to do something that is not that intensive but gets me moving and lets me get a good stretch.
Speed is key in soccer, but best done in small doses
testing 1, 2, 3…