6 Ways to Improve in Soccer Over the Summer

If you want to impress your teammates, coach (and parents!) when soccer resumes in the fall then there’s no time like right now to get going. Your body and mind need to unwind a bit and chances are you deserve a break – but only a short one.

Here are 6 tips on how to train during the soccer off-season.

Aerobic Exercise

Your aerobic fitness should be the foundation of your soccer fitness. Without it you won’t have enough energy to play hard through an entire practice or game.

The best way to build aerobic fitness is through sustained, moderate-intensity movement. Strive for two workouts a week and make sure each lasts for at least 30 minutes. Mix it up and try to bike, run, swim, etc.

Intervals

The basic format for interval running is an easy jogging followed by several super high-speed running sprints separated by short rests, and finally a jogging cool-down. You’ll really work for this one as they should last 20 – 30 seconds and the rest periods should be equal in length.

Interval training for soccer increases a player’s ability to recover between periods of hard running and play during games, so you’re not spent after the first half.

Speed and Agility

Sprint speed is a very important ability in soccer and will get you down the field and to the ball first. Soccer specific speed is different from the kind of speed you need for track, because it often requires quick changes in direction and dribbling or kicking on the run.

To develop your soccer speed, first of all do a few short sprints of about 40 yards — some straight, others with sudden changes in direction. Try all kinds of different start positions, from standing to kneeling to facing backwards.

Strength Training

Soccer players need strength for the many physical challenges the game demands. Players should emphasize exercises that strengthen movement patterns rather than individual muscles.

Be sure to work on the whole body and not just the legs. Doing strength training at least twice a week will sure to get you results and you’ll be noticeably stronger on and off the soccer field.

Eat To Win

You hear it time after time… eat like an athlete; fuel your body; drink lots of water and no sport drinks, etc. Same applies to the summer time. Enjoy that burger but not too many of those. Most of us know what to do but seldom eat and drink properly – you’re an athlete so eat like one.

Ball Work

This is not really a tip and you should already know this. You must spend as much time as possible kicking, dribbling, passing, etc. The more you do this the more comfortable you’ll be under any circumstance.

The position you play has no relevance. You must have a high level of feel for the ball, and feel comes from nothing else but accumulating experience with a ball on your foot (all parts of it).

Juggling is one good way to develop ball feel. But even better is kicking the ball against a wall and playing rebounds in different ways. Find fun and unique ways to get this done but please do not look at this as a chore – you should love the ball – otherwise, why are you playing at such a competitive level?

Scrimmaging

Find a way to get into some games over the summer. Don’t be shy. Ask your teammates, call the high school soccer coach or drop by the indoor soccer in which you play. You’ll be amazed at what happens in the off-season. Ask, it’s the only way you’re going to find out. Send a Tweet / Snapchat to your friends and ask them.

Summary

Don’t compare yourself to other players and how much better some may be than you. Do YOUR job and give it your all – whether in the season or out of season. The summer break is a perfect time to catch up on rest and relaxation and prepare yourself bother mentally and physically for next season.

Train smart and consistent and you’ll be ahead of the game.