Cardiovascular Fitness for Soccer

[Paco Joe]

I was planning on joining my college's soccer club this coming fall semester, and my main concern is building up the cardiovascular endurance for it. I haven't exercised in quite a while, so right now you could say I'm at rock bottom as far as fitness goes. I have about 2 and a half months to prepare.
I'm willing to work pretty hard, of course, it's just that I want ot be sure I'm doing it right and getting the most benefit for the work I put into it.

Does plain ol' jogging work the best? Or does it not coincide well enough with the frequent and drastic changes of pace that soccer involves? I've typically run on a treadmill to get in shape, but I've heard that this can be pretty hard on the knees or something like that and doesn't allow you to go as fast as you could - any credibility to that? Is jogging on a track a better idea?

Is fartlek running a better idea? All I know about it is that it's a form of running that involves speeding up and slowing down, much like soccer.

Finally, if I do some typical jogging, I'm aware that there are right and wrong ways to go about it. I've heard varying accounts as to what duration and intensity is best and what the best rate of increasing that duration and intensity over time as you gain fitness is. I was just wondering what guidelines some of you go by, or if I'm just being too nitpicky and need to get my a$$ away from the computer and into the gym pronto.

thanks in advance for any help

[nvan_football]

OK, here're some tips.
When I do conditioning, I either do it on a nice soft grass or just street concrete (long distances, endurance)

The stuff I do on grass includes ordinary sprints 50-60 meters, never really tried to count how long is the short side of the field is here. I usually do 3, may be 4 of them a day. Plus there's a thing called 'interval training' (hope the spelling is right) The idea is that you run a long distance periodically changing your pace from jogging to sprinting. If you feel that you're way too out of shape try to mark a rectangle, say, 10x10 meters; jog evenly 3 of those sides, then accelerate as fast as you can for the next 10 meters, then slow down and jog along the circle again. Repeat the whole thing once and once again. When you feel strong, mark a bigger rectangle - may be half of the pitch.

You can also try running long slopes and staircases or in a dry sand. It's pretty hard, though, so first just jog for a little while and then increase amount of work gradually.

And obviously play the game at least couple times a week, 'cause it's not enough to be just fit - you should better have some mad skills for trying out for a varsity team. Hope this is gonna help somehow.

[i07m]

I would start with regular jogging, and once you get the feel for it go on to sprinting. The type of running varies on the position, in my opinion. After you feel you really got it going, then try doing ladders, and increasing pace as you go. If you don't know what ladders are, you can do pacer, which isn't as extreme. Pacer is just running back and forth using however much space you need, we usually do close to 35 feet, increasing speed as you go. At first, a walk is needed, but once you get into the high 80s you'll need to start sprinting.

Jumproping is also something that helps. And though it may look weird for a college student to be hopping around jumproping, it works. Jumproping while jogging is quite fun, and it really helps. Running backwards is also excellent for defenders and midfielders.

While jogging/running/what-not I suggest dribbling the ball, it helps, not only with control, but direction and speed. Throw some turns and tricks in there and you'll be getting glances of amazement from any on-looker.

But really, it all comes down to the mentality, if you believe you can run up and down the field without tiring, then you can. Good Luck, hope I helped.

[Fulham Fan]

Would swimming help?

[servotron]

Swimming would be awesome training for getting your lungs/heart into shape, and of course it works the muscles as well.... but it doesn't do much for your joints/ligaments/tendons/etc that are going to be TAXED when you start to play soccer every day at a competitive level. These parts of your body need to be stressed and strengthened as well in order for you to avoid injury more successfully.

I would do this every week if I had 2 1/2 months to get into shape (and I actually had time to do it) :

Sunday: Swim... get that heart rate up and keep it there. LEG STRENGTH WEIGHT TRAINING.

Monday: Jog. Keep the heart rate up, and sprint every now and then. CORE STRENGTH WEIGHT TRAINING (abs, obliques, back)

Tuesday: Swim again...giving your joints/tendons/etc a chance to rest
LEG STRENGTH WEIGHT TRAINING.

Wednesday: Jog, but work on series of cut-overs, etc... you NEED to make sure your legs are strong enough to make sudden cuts, etc or you could end up hurting yourself.
CORE WEIGHTS

Thursday:
Take the day off...eat lots of meat, and very little fat. Gotta build those muscles in your sleep. Get good rest, sleep is of the utmost importance.

Friday: More swimming.... then run...combine everything you've done into one or two workout sessions. LEG WEIGHTS

Saturday: Run run run.... you're going to get to rest your joints on sunday when you only swim.

Don't underestimate leg weight lifting... you might think your legs are strong, but everything about soccer, skill-wise becomes easier if your legs are extremely strong. You'll have better balance, a stronger kick, and less cramping. The core strength stuff is also very important...but if you HAVE to skip something, skip a day or two of core strength.

This is just an example... I'm no doctor, but I know what I personally need to do in order to be the best soccer player I can be...


But really, it all comes down to the mentality, if you believe you can run up and down the field without tiring, then you can. Good Luck, hope I helped.

Now hold on a second.. I've tried that and it doesn't always work!!! ;) I have had a few times where the ol' legs just won't go any further. Of course that's usually after game 2 or 3.......

[Paco Joe]

Maybe I gave the wrong impression here....
this isn't the college varsity team I'm thinking about joining; it's just a soccer club for ordinary students. So it's not really that crucial that I devote every ounce of my being to it. But hey, if you're gonna do something, might as well do it all out, huh?

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions, and keep 'em coming!

[servotron]

even if it's just intramural or just for fun, you'll have a huge advantage on the field and even more importantly, probably have WAY more fun if you're not constantly gasping for breath! :)

Jogging and swimming will help you the most in short order.. throw in some sprints too, and you'll be good to go!