Fitness is an important part of your overall football game. In this article I will present some exercises that you can use to prepare yourself for the upcoming season.

You don’t have to do these exercises during training – you can always just do them by yourself.

Drill One

In this drill you should put 10 cones spread 20-25 yards apart.

1. Start by jogging to the first cone.

2. Then sprint to the second cone.

3. Jog to the third cone and so on.

Important Points

You may also perform this drill by running side to side or backpedaling. The important thing is to perform this drill with maximum focus and effort in order to benefit from it.

Drill Two

This drill is great for improving your burst speed in opposite directions.

1. Simply, put 10 cones up (5 yards between each one in a straight line).

2. Now, sprint from the first cone to the third cone.

3. Backpedal from the third cone to the second cone.

4. Continue the exercise by sprinting from the second to the fourth cone and backpedal to the third (and so on).

Important Points

Make sure to focus completely on doing your very best during the whole drill without cheating! In football, you are not supposed to sprint during 90 minutes.

To perform well, you need also to have good distance condition in order to stay fit during the whole game. Running 4-5 miles two days per week will keep your endurance on a stable level during your whole game.

Drill Three

Stair runs will increase your feet work greatly. In order to practice on this exercise I usually like to visit our hockey arena that is open for public purposes.

In the arena we have stairs on each section that helps people get them to their seats. These stairs are pretty short, however the longer the stairs are the more physical effort will be required from you.

Important Points

I usually like to perform at least 20 stair runs but if your stairs are enormous you could limit your runs to 10 or so. The important thing is to concentrate on your task 100% and avoid cheating.

Summary

In order to prepare well for your football season you have to prepare early. My recommendation is to start at least 3-4 months before your first game.

However, some coaches will force you to start preparing for your upcoming season 6 months before your first regular football game.

Fitness is a crucial part of your football game and you really need to take it seriously.

Believe me, all football players hate pre-season soccer training no matter what they say 🙂