Football is increasingly defined by its dynamism. It is therefore not surprising that there is hardly a game left that does not discuss the absolute mileage, intensive runs, sprints and other performance data of the teams or individual players.
But what role does endurance play in the form of mileage in modern soccer and how can it be trained?
Are there any connections to individual or team performance?
Anyone who has seen the match between the ball artists from Spain and the physically strong Moroccans, we will undoubtedly say “YES”.
Even after playing for over 120 minutes, the Moroccans still managed the Iberian outdoor players to double, usually even triple. Sofyan Amrabat stabbed forward 50 times from his central position, sideways or double backwards — he was everywhere on the pitch. Achraf Hakimi moved speed by speed on his right outer lane and thus relieved his team and at the same time restraint among the Spaniards, who did not want to catch a countergoal as the playing time continued.
Now the question is how can you also take your endurance to the next level.
You'll get answers in this post — and maybe one or the other myth about endurance training in soccer will be dispelled.
In modern soccer, mileages of more than 14 km are recorded over a playing time of 90 minutes. As an example, Vladimir Darida's current Bundesliga record of 14.34 km in 90 minutes on matchday 29 of the 2019/20 season.
Now this is far from being synonymous with success, but further running data also shows that the mileage parameter is constantly becoming more relevant in modern soccer.
Scientific studies and evaluations of the data show that the longest running distance in a game is completed by midfielders (Bradley, 2009 & di Salvo, 2007); the lowest mileage of field players is the center defense. A decrease in mileage in half 2 was determined across all positions.
This is immediately followed by the question:
How can this decrease be minimized? More about that later.
This simple sentence can be explained in more detail using the example of the marathon compared to soccer.
While the marathon runner has the goal of running at the highest possible constant pace over a distance of 42.195 km, there is a completely different requirement for endurance performance in a soccer game over 2x45 minutes.
Here, the individual load is sometimes significantly more intense with a much shorter duration.
To get even further into this, can you still talk about sprint performance on the outside track during the umpteenth sprint? Or is it rather an endurance deficit that makes us miss the three steps to the ball in the 80th minute?
The answer is quite clear, it is a specific deficit in the endurance sector.
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Endurance training is certainly more than widespread forest running in the offseason.
Simply put, you could hardly train more specifically than doing a constant forest run.
Let's briefly think of the example of running a marathon above. Time is often a limiting factor in training, so why waste time with unspecific units, which also result in hardly any adjustment and therefore improvement?
A variety of studies show a direct relationship between maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and game performance.
And the good news for this point: the VO2 max is very good and also time-saving to train.
Because the decisive training stimulus is the turnover of oxygen per unit of time, which in turn is synonymous with intensity in training.
Apart from physiological principles and scientific wisdom, interval training with higher intensities also appears significantly closer to the target load when viewed alone.
Now the answer cannot be to focus exclusively on short maximum loads, as training management is, as is often the case, about the right balance between load and relief in order to prevent injuries and not provoke overload.
If the forest runs smoothly, the energy turnover per unit of time and therefore also the turnover of oxygen per unit of time is quite low. The mere expansion of the scope as a soccer player can therefore even be regarded as counterproductive.
Runs of over 30 minutes are much more used to burn fat and undermine the goal of adjusting VO2 max.
Simply put, a purely volume-based training approach in soccer is rather slow and this is certainly not effective for performance on the pitch.
In the end, there will be no black or white, because training must ideally be tailored to individual needs.
However, since in soccer, as in other ball and team sports, there is often a balance between different content, its necessity and the available time budget, the available time should be used as wisely as possible.
This is exactly what our training, which is tailored to the requirements of soccer, offers you.
Together with our expert Hosea Frick from HYCYS Institute We have constantly developed our endurance training and equipped it with the latest technology.
The result: soccer-specific endurance runs with GPS tracking
In our endurance area, players can specifically improve their mileage, improve sport-related parameters and finally be in top form physically towards the end of the match.
Hosea is managing director of HYCYS, a training institute for systematic,
holistic, scientifically based performance enhancement for endurance athletes. Hosea, who completed his master's degree at Sport University Cologne graduated, manages the Munich location at HYCYS, which is ideal for him as a mountain bike and cycling racer.
Whether it's cycling, triathlon or soccer, Hosea Frick has many years of professional experience. Amateur players can now also benefit from his know-how.
Hosea knows what efficient, well-structured training in soccer looks like not only because of his training support from Bundesliga team Fortuna Düsseldorf. For him, it is important to find a sensible balance between load building and regeneration phases.
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Di Salvo, V., R. Baron, H. Tschan, F. Calderon Montero, N. Bachl, and F. Pigozzi. “Performance Characteristics According to Playing Position in Elite Soccer.” International Journal of Sports Medicine 28, No. 3 (March 2007): 222—27. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-924294.
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Helgerud, Jan, Lars Christian Engen, Ulrik Wisl?? Ff, and Jan Hoff. “Aerobic Endurance Training Improves Soccer Performance”: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 33, No. 11 (November 2001): 1925—31. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200111000-00019.
Mohr, Magni, Peter Krustrup, and Jens Bangsbo. “Fatigue in Soccer: A Brief Review.” Journal of Sports Sciences 23, No. 6 (June 2005): 593-99. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410400021286.
Slimani, Maamer, Hela Znazen, Bianca Miarka, and Nicola Luigi Bragazzi. “Maximum Oxygen Uptake of Male Soccer Players According to Their Competitive Level, Playing Position and Age Group: Implication from a Network Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Human Kinetics 66, No. 1 (March 27, 2019): 233—45. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2018-0060.
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