Soccer Training And Fitness

Question:

What tests have been done to prove that soccer training improves Endurance, Strength, Flexibility and Co-ordination?

Response:

There is no absolute proof.

Whether or not soccer training improves endurance, strength, flexibility and coordination depends on a combination of two things:

1. The initial condition of the athlete
2. The content of the soccer training program

There are measurements to test the fitness condition of athletes, such as lactic acid build up, lung capacity, heart rates at exertion, at rest and time required to get back to rest, speed measurements, time and distance, strength tests, etc.

Example 1:

A person has not engaged in any physical activity for years. The measurements indicate that the physical fitness level is low overall, say 2 on a scale of 0-10. The person joins a recreational soccer team. There is one training session a week that lasts one hour. During the session, this person is very static and moves little such that the heart rate does not change much. There is one game a week and this person plays for 10 minutes but doesn't run much. This person's fitness level will not improve, although they me claiming that they are in soccer training.

Example 2

Take the same person joining a team. The team trains 3 times a week for two hours. Training is rigorous and endurance, speed and strength training is built into the program. Our previously inactive person participates as much as possible and is able to do more and more each week. There are two 90 minute games a week and the person increases playing time from 10 minutes to 90 minutes and runs the typical 8-12 km per game, with the normal amount of sprinting. That person will improve fitness and can say that soccer training improved their fitness.

Example 3:

A person joins the same team as in example 2. However, this person has been a triathlete for the past five years competing at a high level. They just decided to do something else. It is very likely that this athlete's fitness level will be reduced as a result of a change to a less intense and demanding sport.

The real answer is that any increase in endurance, speed, coordination and flexibility training will improve the fitness of a person. It doesn't matter what the sport is that provides the training, what matters is the training program the person is subjected to relative to what they did before.