Skills and talent are very important in football, but even when players have all of that, without the right fitness, they could be limiting factors in their game.
Over the years, some of the best players have not been able to perform at the top level for years due to fitness.
Eden Hazard famously became a shadow of his former self after completing a move from Chelsea to Real Madrid due to fitness issues.
How can footballers avoid this? By learning and practicing the right conditioning drills to boost performance and fitness on the pitch.
With that in mind, the focus for us in this article is to touch on some of the excellent soccer conditioning drills.
In the following sections, we’ll take a look at seven of the best and most popular soccer defense drills!
7 Best Soccer Conditioning Drills
Here are the top seven soccer conditioning drills.
Pain Shuttles
If you have been a soccer person – player or coach – , the pain shuttles should not be new to you at all. They are one of the most famous soccer drills for fitness.
For this drill to be done, you will need to position five cones in a single line, spaced 5 yards apart.
Well, it is important players warm up adequately before any conditioning drill to prevent injuries and breakdowns. This is to get their bodies prepared for this soccer conditioning drill.
After the warm-ups have been properly carried out, then start Pain Shuttles by instructing the players to sprint from cone A to cone B.
On getting to cone B, the player will touch that cone and sprint quickly back to the starting point again. Then touch that cone before racing quickly to touch cone C and return to the starting point again – Cone A.
The drill continues that way until other cones (D and E) placed in other positions have been touched, and the player has returned to the starting position.
Upon completion of one set of the drill, the players will have to sprint about 200 yards forward. This is for them to stretch their muscles a bit, and catch their breath before coming back for another round.
Give or take; your players should be able to complete three repetitions of this conditioning drill, making one set. After the first set is completed, players can rest for two minutes before doing another set.
It is an interesting conditioning drill that improves the fitness level of the players. Meanwhile, this is a type of drill you can carry out on your own if you look to improve your fitness.
You can also make the drill interesting by backpedaling to the starting cone (Cone A) every time.
Other techniques like dribbling with the ball can also be carried out alongside this drill. Lastly, you or the players need to run as fast as possible.
Looking at the aim of these pain shuttles is to practice conditioning exercises and boost your players’ endurance.
This drill consists of constant stop-and-go exercises, so it is a simulation of short races players tend to carry out in soccer games.
It is an excellent soccer conditioning drill that also helps to increase speed, agility, and acceleration.
On-ball Off-ball Running Drills for Soccer
This is another essential soccer conditioning drill. Just as the name “On-ball Off-ball Running Drills” suggests, it is a 2-in-1 activity.
For set up, you will need four cones to make a 13 x 13 yards square grid. If you want your players to do more sprints, then you can adjust the marked area. Then you will put another cone in the middle.
The main objective of the On-ball, Off-ball running drill is to enhance your team’s ability to run with the ball and instantly change speed, direction, and pace.
As always, you need your players to warm up properly before engaging in this drill. The drill begins from the middle cone, players will have to dribble the ball to one of the outside cones. Then they will go around those cones and return to the middle cone.
Your player must leave the ball in the middle and race to the cone on the other side of the marked area.
After that sprint has been completed, the player will have to run to the middle again and get the ball. The player will also repeat the same thing for the other outside cone placed in the opposite direction.
Your players can then continue to repeat this drill for a set amount of time. It is also a drill you can personally carry out on your own.
Step Jumps
This is another conditioning drill you can carry out on your own. This particular one is easy to set up and carry out.
It is regarded as one of the easier conditioning drills that we have around. The starting position is to have your players stand next to a cone.
When they hear the go-ahead command, the players must vertically and laterally jump over a cone and land on both feet on the other side.
After landing on the other, they will have to return to the starting point. This jump has to be repeated for about a minute, which is one set.
Players are allowed to take a short rest of 30 seconds before going for the second set. This is a conditioning drill that will improve the fitness levels of the players.
The players need to jump the right way because landing awkwardly can cause an injury.
One thing about this particular drill is that when it is done the right way, it will improve the coordination, balance, stability, and strength of your players.
Torture Run Team Soccer Drills
This is truly a torture soccer conditioning drill. It has strict rules for the players as it aims to test their stamina, endurance, and agility over some time. This particular drill requires running and jogging along the entire length of the pitch.
Meanwhile, if the full pitch is not available, the players can run/jog around the remaining half twice to complete a lap. One end of the pitch has to be designated as the starting point, while the other becomes the finish line.
Players will then sprint from the starting point to the corner flag before walking to the other end of the corner flag. Then, they will run the full length of the pitch again before jogging slowly to the starting point.
In a bid to make the drill exciting and competitive, you can pair players up to motivate them to run at 100%.
Also, the players should make turns around the flags to hinder any form of corner-cutting. To complete one session, your players must have done at least six laps.
3-on-3 Force Marking Soccer Team Conditioning Drills
This conditioning drill is a good activity that conditions players while training them to defend against their opponents. To execute this drill, you will have to divide your players into 2 small teams of 3 players each.
Each player is responsible for just one player from the other team, and they can only mark or tackle the opposing players to whom they have been assigned. As for the playing grid, you will need a 25×16-yard grid.
In addition to that, a full-size goal post is to be placed on each width, and a goalkeeper is there. Only 2 teams can face each other at once and you can determine how long each round should be.
However, the standard recommendation is for play to go on for two minutes. As mentioned earlier, the players can only defend their man-marking opponents while employing all techniques to outfox them and score a goal at the other end.
4-on-4 Touch the Line Soccer Conditioning Drills
This is a slight variation from the drill discussed above. In this particular soccer conditioning drill, you will need a marked area of about 30×40 yards.
Then place a goalpost on each width with goalkeepers there. Only 2 teams can play at a time and they can be a group of four players or five players. 2-3 minutes per round is standard.
As soon as play begins, if the defending team wins the ball from the attacking team, the players who lost the ball must sprint and touch their goal line (end line) before attempting to win possession back. Meanwhile, the defending team will have to complete three passes to score/
This drill teaches the players patience and decision-making to avoid losing the ball carelessly.
50/50 lap runs
This conditioning drill just requires a full pitch and some cones for the markings. The idea is to sprint 50 yards and that is followed by jogging the next 50 yards.
You will mark a starting point in one of the corners of the pitch, the players will then sprint along the line to halfway of the pitch, then jog to the first corner flag before sprinting again towards the third corner and that process is followed till the players return to the starting point.
Three sprints and three jogs per lap, and that completes one set. Your players have to complete at least five sets with 1-minute rest in between the sets.
These 50/50 lap runs will help the players build their fitness, strength, and stamina to execute their skills on the pitch.
Final Thoughts
No matter how talented or skillful a player is, a lack of physical fitness will prevent the player from displaying all of those skills.
Without the right fitness level, it is impossible to outrun your opponents and utilize the techniques and skills you have to your advantage.
I have seen players with excellent ball control, dribbling, shooting, and all of that, but they could not last in a game of high intensity due to a lack of fitness.
With that in mind, it is important to maintain a balance to get the right results from a soccer match. That is why coaches need to add these soccer conditioning drills to their other workout activities.
