Duration,
Intensity and Training Requirements
Soccer is a team
sport, consisting of 11 players on each opposing team, with 10 players on
field and 1 player in the goals, played in two 45-minute halves
with a short break of 15 minutes (Sports Dieticians
Australia, 2009).
Players use their legs, head torso to pass a ball to
ultimately score goals. (Better
Health Channel, 2014, para. 1).
Soccer requires various types of fitness levels and skills
from its competing athletes.
During the standard 90 minutes of play, the players alternate
from fast and slow running patterns. Whether goal keeping, attacking or
defending, it is desirable for players to be or have:
- Fast- in both response and speed
- Lean Muscular Build
- Aerobic Endurance
- Strength and Power
- Flexibility, Balance and Coordination
Sports Fitness Advisor (2015) noted “lower body strength - required for kicking, tackling, turning and also forms
the foundation for explosive speed.
Upper body strength - shielding the ball, holding off opponents, throw-ins and also contributes to overall
power and explosiveness” (para. 7-8).
Energy
Systems used in Soccer
Soccer requires all three energy systems to come into play in order to have a successful functional outcome of a player.
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| Figure 1: Experience life (2015) noted that the "body’s three energy systems interact and support each other during the first 130 seconds of sustained activity" retrieved from https://experiencelife.com/article/all-about-your-metabolic-energy-systems/ |
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| Image 1: Body's 3 Energy Systems Retrieved from https://experiencelife.com/article/all-about-your-metabolic-energy-systems/ |
ATP-CP System
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Image 2: ATP-CP System
|
ATP-CP may be used for:
Attacking
- Dribbling the ball over to the opposite side of the field
- Free kicks or Penalty kicks
Defending
- Running back towards the goal
- Defending the goals
Glycolytic (Anaerobic) & Oxidative (Aerobic) Energy Systems
Figure 1- After the ATP-PC energy depletes, the Anaerobic and Aerobic energy system supplies energy to the body.
One thing which may help define anaerobic to aerobic energy output, is if you're out of breath or not. If you are out of breath, this will mean you're in an anaerobic state as "this usually means short bursts of activity and go into something called oxygen debt" (Soccer Training Info, 2015).
The players will have different physical demands depending on their position of play. Bloomfield, Polman & O'Donoghue (2007) reported that strikers performed most high to very high intensity activity and most contact situations.
Food & Hydration
Pre-match
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| What should I eat before a game? retrieved from (Sports Dieticians Australia, 2009) |
Sports Dieticians Australia (2009) recommends consuming a diet "rich in carbohydrates" during training periods to provide adequate energy for physically demanding trainings and to assist with recovery of previous matches.
Having good nutritional habits, preparing homemade meals and staying away from takeaway- high in sodium will also help maintain a high standard of play reducing fatigue.
On average, 5-8 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight will need to be consumed daily.
A pre-game meal should be eaten 3-4 hours before. Food should be low in fibre and fat to avoid stomach discomfort. Also stick to familiar foods.
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| retrieved from (Sports Dieticians Australia, 2009) |
During match
"It is the best
opportunity for nutrition during play, and players should
make use of this break to consume fluids. Midfielders
will benefit most from drinking sports drink during the
break as they tend to have the greatest requirements for
carbohydrate and fluid during a game."
Lollies and fruits will provide for a good source of carbohydrate, however sports drinks provides both fluid and carbohydrate, which is more ideal for player as it is "rehydration is the main priority at
half time" (Sports Dieticians Australia, 2009).
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| retrieved from (Sports Dieticians Australia, 2009) |
Post match
Aim to consume a recovery snack; containing carbohydrates, protein and fluid within 30 minutes of finishing a training session or
match. Something like a salad sandwich with
a bottle of sports drink.
A player can assess how much fluid they have lost by
weighing themselves before and after the training
session or game and aim to drink 1.5L of fluid for every
kilogram of weight lost. (Sports Dieticians Australia, 2009)
Better Health Channel. (2014). Soccer Health Benefits. Retrieved from http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Soccer
Bloomfield, J., Polman, R., & O’Donoghue, P. (2007). Physical Demands of Different Positions in FA Premier League Soccer. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, Vol 6, pp 63-70. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3778701/
Soccer Training Info. (2015). What is soccer fitness? retrieved from http://www.soccer-training-info.com/what_is_soccer_fitness.asp
Sports Dieticians Australia. (2009). Fact Sheet: Soccer. Retrieved from https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/resources/upload/file/Soccer09.pdf
Sports Fitness Advisor. (2015). Soccer Strength Training. Retrieved from http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/soccer-strength-training.html
Top End Sports. (2014). Fitness Components of Soccer. Retrieved from http://www.topendsports.com/sport/soccer/fitness-components.html
Whitney, E., Rolfes, S., Crowe, T., Cameron-Smith, D., & Walsh, A. (2014). Understanding Nutrition: Australian and New Zealand Edition (2nd Ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning Australia.
