Soccer Exercises For a Well-Conditioned Soccer Player

Soccer players require both strength and endurance.

The proper soccer exercises will give you stamina to out-perform your opposition in a 90-minute soccer game. It is a game of constant movement. But you need more than just endurance.

To become a talented soccer player there are 4 types of soccer exercises that you should perform regularly:


Endurance training - get the wind you need to last 90 minutes. You know that you hate being taken off the field before.
Sprint training - to allow you to get to the ball faster than your opponents.
Strength training for soccer - so when you must battle an opponent for the ball, you can get position, and win the ball in the air, or on the ground.
Flexibility training - to stretch and strengthen your muscles to prevent injury and encourage muscle growth.

Endurance Training

As a soccer player we hate to hear "SUBSTITUTION". So to keep this from happening, try these endurance-training tips:


Always warm up before any endurance training run.
50% training will give you 50% during a game. Keep your long distance pace as high as possible. 2 miles in 12 minutes is a good target.
Work hard enough to get out of your comfort zone. And continue to expand your comfort zone as you improve.
Give your body time to recover. If you train hard every day there will be no juice left in your tank, and your body can only take so much.

Sprint (speed) Training

There are times when we just need to work on our speed. Sure we all want to get as much time on the ball as we can, but we cannot always have the ball. Work without the ball! Although it is a good idea to practice speed drills with the ball, doing both types of soccer exercises will be of greater benefit in the long term.

Here are a few exercises to help improve your speed:


Tuck your head down and get into position for exploding after the ball or your opponent. This will give you more control over your body than if your head is flying around up there somewhere. Just keep your eyes open.
Move your arms forward and backward parallel to your body. Not across the body. This increases your momentum, and gets everything moving in the same direction.
Lead with your toes. Starting off on your heels will not give you the balance or acceleration that you need.
Get your feet hitting the ground as many times and as fast as you can. The more you do this, the faster you will become.

Strength Training

Weight training for soccer is an excellent way to improve your strength to win challenges for the ball. In the air, and on the ground. It's about improving your overall strength, not becoming muscle-bound. I suggest you visit my weight training for soccer page for more information.

Flexibility Training

To improve the flexibility of your muscles it is important to understand the following:


Warm up for 5 - 10 minutes before stretching. Light jogging will work.
Hold each stretch for 15 - 20 seconds.
2 - 3 stretches per body part.
Do not bounce. Hold the stretch in place.
Start at the bottom and work your way up. Ankles, calves, hamstrings, quads, waist and hips, arms, chest, shoulders, neck and head.
Don't hold a painful stretch. You should feel a tightness in the muscle, but not pain.
Breathe! Do not hold your breath.

If you combine those facts with these great stretching exercises you will be a step ahead of your opponents.

Always allow yourself RECOVERY TIME. Recovering from any of the soccer exercises that you perform will allow to continue to improve. This will improve your overall conditioning for the long-term.

Wayne MacLean has over 30 years of experience in the game of soccer. As a soccer coach, soccer player, soccer referee, and all-around soccer fan, Wayne is now adding a new dimension to his love of soccer. He now writes many articles and creates soccer videos to help those that are involved in soccer, are new to soccer, or just want to know more about soccer. Check out my Soccer Exercises blog for more great soccer exercises and training information.

Soccer Gear For Every Soccer Player

Choosing the right soccer gear can be a difficult chore. It doesn't matter whether you are choosing youth soccer gear, or gear for adults. It doesn't have to be painful. But with so many choices available, you need to ensure that the gear is of good quality, and will last through the soccer wars.

Buying cheap soccer gear will sometimes have you buying that same item more times. That will make it more expensive in the long run. Many times it is best to spend a little more up front and buy longer lasting gear.

With my over 30 years in soccer I have made some good choices, and some bad choices when choosing soccer gear.

I have to laugh when I look in my gear bag and see a pair of turf shoes that I have had for over 20 years. Obviously I haven't played a lot of games on turf! But they were definitely a good choice. And I can actually still wear them!

Start at the Bottom!

Soccer footwear!Whatever position you play, it doesn't matter. You could be playing as a goalie, midfielder, defender, or striker. Sneakers are not the way to go! Unless you want to continually slip around and miss the ball because you can't get your foot planted. You will never improve your soccer game that way.

Indoor or outdoors?Indoor soccer shoes are flat bottomed and made of a material that is more firm than a standard sneaker.

Outdoor soccer shoes come in models made for hard fields, firm fields, or soft / wet fields. Some have removable cleats so you do not have to buy a new pair of cleats if one or two studs wear down early.

Soccer Shin Guards!Not only do they prevent injury, they are now a mandatory piece of soccer equipment. It only makes sense. Most of the action is in that area of your body.

Soccer Socks!Soccer socks are used to hold your shin guards in place and are part of a complete soccer uniform. They used to be so plain and boring. Red, blue, green, yellow. You get the picture. But with increased interest in soccer comes increased options for colors. Can you say Fuschia soccer socks?

Soccer Shorts!Baggy shorts are not soccer shorts. They may be in-style but that does not mean that they are good for the soccer field. The less restrictive your shorts are, the better it is for your game. They also have to fit your team's uniform and take the beating that sliding, diving, and falling down will give them.

Soccer Jerseys!Your soccer jersey will express the personality of your team. And of course it should blend well with your shorts and socks. However some people want to buy replica soccer jerseys to support their favorite soccer club. Those are available for every major soccer team in the world.

Soccer Goalkeeper Gear!Outfitting a soccer goalkeeper is the same as any player on the field, with a few differences:

Goalkeepers wear shorts or long pants with padding on the hips. This padding helps prevent injuries from the numerous times that they dive for a ball during a game.
Goalkeepers wear special goalkeeper gloves to give them a better grip on the ball.
A goalie jersey usually has padding on the elbows to reduce the impact on their bodies when they land.
With all that gear, a great choice to carry it all is a soccer backpack.

I actually still have some soccer uniforms from when I was 16. Go figure?

Wayne MacLean has over 30 years of experience in the game of soccer. As a soccer coach, soccer player, soccer referee, and all-around soccer fan, Wayne is now adding a new dimension to his love of soccer. He now writes many articles and creates soccer videos to help those that are involved in soccer, are new to soccer, or just want to know more about soccer. Check out my Soccer Gear for more great soccer information for yourself or your team.

The Soccer Drill Sargeant