Soccer players require proper conditioning to succeed in the sport. They benefit from agility, flexibility, and quickness. In addition, soccer players must build endurance to handle 90 minutes on the pitch. Players can build stamina through various running drills, such as shuttle runs.
Shuttle runs involve setting up a trio of cones in a line spaced 20 to 30 yards apart. Players sprint from the first cone to the second and back to the first. Then, they dash to the third cone and return to the starting cone, completing a rep. With five-minute breaks between each rep, the aim is to complete five reps for a total of 500 yards.
Another drill, designed to mimic the soccer match's stop-and-go flow, uses the entire field. Players sprint at full speed from the corner flag to the halfway line, then cycle down to 50 percent effort until reaching the far corner flag. The player then jogs along the goal line and, upon reaching the end, speeds up to 100 percent until reaching the halfway line. From here, as before, the players run to the corner flag at 50 percent and complete another jog along the goal line to finish the circuit. Continuing this pattern across 30 to 45 minutes simulates half of a soccer game and helps build endurance.
