Periodization for Football

The fitness work for this contains four areas:

1.      Maintaining the ability to recover quickly between moments of action on the pitch

2.      Maintaining explosiveness of action for longer during play

3.      Maximising recovery ability

4.      Maximising explosiveness

Training to maintain quick recovery

Extensive Endurance Training= 3-9 games of 10 minutes 11v11 2 minutes rest between games

Intensive Endurance Training= 5-9 games of 8 minutes 7v7 2 minutes rest between games

 Training method to maintain explosiveness of action

 This is done to raise the pace of the game for longer periods.

Repeated Short Sprinting= 2-4 series of 6-10 sprints of 15 m with opponent + finishing on goal 10 seconds rest between sprints with 4 minutes rest between series.

 Training method for maximising recovery procces

 Extensive Interval Training=2 series of 6-10 games of 3 minutes 3 v 3 with 3-1 minutes rest between games and 4 minutes rest between series

 Training  method to maximise explosiveness

 Sprinting Speed= 2-4 series of 8-10 sprints of 5 m with opponent + finishing on goal with 30 seconds rest between sprints and 4 minutes rest between series

Periodization for Football Training

 After building the base of fitness above the focus is then periodization of training. This again uses global problem solving drills designed with Hiddinks two pronged approach in mind.

 All Periodization for Football  methods contain elements like:

 – duration of work

– number of repetitions

– number of series

– rest between repetitions

– rest between series

 These elements within a training method can be used to develop overload during training. Forexample, a longer duration of work or a higher number of repetitions. The remaining questionis: which element do you change in what sequence and in what moment of time?

Extensive Endurance Training

 3-9 games of 10 minutes 11 v 11 2 minutes rest between games

 step 1. 10 min / rest 3 -2 min

step 2. 10 min / rest 4- 2 min

step 3. 10 min / rest 5- 2 min

step 4. 10 min/  rest 6 -2 min

step 5. 10 min/ rest 7- 2 min

step 6. 10 min /rest 8- 2 min

step 7. 10 min /rest 9- 2 min

Intensive Endurance Training

 5-9 games of 8 minutes 7 v 7 with 2 minutes rest between games

step 1. 8 min/rest  5- 2 min

step 2. 8 min / rest 6 -2 min

step 3. 8 min /rest 7- 2 min

step 4. 8 min /rest 8- 2 min

step 5.8 min /rest 9 -2 min

 Extensive Interval Training

 2 series of 6-10 games of 3 minutes 3v3 with 3-1 minutes rest between games and 4 minutes rest between series

 step 1. 3 min/ 6 games 3 min rest /2- 4 min

step 2. 3 min/ 6 games 2.5 min rest/2 -4 min

step 3. 3 min/ 6  games 2 min rest /2- 4 min

step 4. 3 min/ 6 games 1.5 min rest / 2- 4 min

step 5. 3 min/ 6  games 1 min rest /2- 4 min

step 6. 3 min/ 7 games 1 min rest /2 -4 min

step 7. 3 min/ 8 games 1 min rest / 2- 4 min

step 8. 3 min/ 9 games 1 min rest /2 -4 min

step 9. 3 min /10 games 1 min rest / 2- 4 min

Repeated Short Sprinting

2-4 series of 6-10 sprints of 15 metres with opponent + finishing on goal with 10 seconds rest between sprints and 4 minutes rest between series.

 step 1. 15 m /6- 2 reps/10 sec /4 min

step 2. 15 m /7 -2 reps/10 sec/ 4 min

step 3. 15 m /8 -2 reps/10 sec /4 min

step 4. 15 m/ 9 -2 reps/10 sec /4 min

step 5. 15 m /10- 2reps/ 10 sec/ 4 min

step 6. 15 m /10 -3reps/ 10 sec /4 min

step 7. 15 m /10- 4 reps/10 sec /4 min

Sprinting Speed

 2-4 series of 8-10 sprints of 5 metres with opponent + finishing on goal with 30 seconds rest between sprints and 4 minutes rest between series

 step 1. 5 m /8 2 reps/ 30 sec /4 min

step 2. 5 m/ 9 2 reps/30 sec /4 min

step 3. 5 m /10 2 reps/30 sec /4 min

step 4. 5 m /8 3 reps/30 sec /4 min

step 5. 5 m /9 3 reps/ 30 sec /4 min

step 6. 5 m /10 3reps/ 30 sec/ 4 min

step 7. 5 m/ 8 4 reps/ 30 sec /4 min

step 8. 5 m /9 4 reps/30 sec /4 min

step 9. 5 m/ 10 4 reps/30 sec /4 min

Guide lines for effective training sessions

As well as following the above concepts there are certain guidelines for effective training sessions:

1.      Only football activities should be used as the main ways to increase fitness.

2.      Intensity should not be allowed to drop during training there should always be some form of over load present.

3.      The coach has the final say on all training sessions based on what his targets are i.e he decides which areas should be worked on more intensely depending on what need improving the most.

4.      Every player must do exactly what they are instructed to do in order for the system to run properly. This provides the organisational base on which problem solving and initiative can be allowed. Tactical rules are kept very simple.

5.      As the session progresses tactical rules are taken more strictly to improve the ability to function effectively tacticly when fatigued, the coaches role is to point out where players make mistakes when they fatigue and then direct how to improve this area.

6.      If there is a solution to a problem decided upon the every aspect of performance relating to that solution must be performed with full discipline and work rate, as allowing players to become slack in skipping good habits is damaging to the team discipline and organisation.

7.      Rest sessions should be used for problem solving questions which relate to the tactical situations the team are facing.

8.      Interventions are made only up to the point where the tactical aims are performed effectively for a given situation after this the exercises will be repeated for habit building and fitness.

9.      The aim of tactical games is to focus on reading the situation, solving problems and decision making as these areas when trained properly create a dramatic improvement in performance.

Periodization for Football- additional notes:

Week 1 and week 2 you play 11v11/10v10/9v9/8v8 with always 2 min rest, it's a Extensive Endurance training because the HR is between 130 and 160. If you go then to week 3 and 4 you play 7v7/6v6/5v5 with always 2 min rest, now it's a Intensive Endurance Training because there are not so much players on the field and there is more action the HR is between 150 and 185. In week 5 and 6 you go to games with 4v4 and 3v3 this is the most intensive part and this is the Extensive Interval Training. This games are played to get the phosphate system faster recover.For example this is the the list for Extensive Interval Training:.

step 1.   2 times   6x1min   / 3min rest

step 2    2 times   6x1min   / 2.5min rest

step 3    2 times   6x1min   / 2min rest

step 4    2 times   6x1min   / 1.5min rest

step 5    2 times   6x1min   / 1min rest

step 6    2 times   6x1.5min /1min rest

step 7    2 times   6x2min    /1 min rest

step 8    2 times   6x2.5min /1min rest

step 9    2 times   6x3min    /1min rest

step10   2 times   7x3min    /1min rest

step11   2 times   8x3min    /1min rest

step12   2 times   9x3min    /1min rest

step13   2 times  10x3min  / 1min rest

there is always a 4min break between the series.

First of all you have to get smaller rest times, then you can start to get bigger work time. I work that way and the HR went in the rest time down, after 6 months of work, from 120 in the  rest to 100 in the rest, that means that my players recover faster.

If have also the times for the other games if someone needs them.

For example it's week 5. Every step is one practice. If you have step one in your schedule you play 1min 3v3, than make a 3 min break, repeat this 6 times.... -> this is 1 series

now you have a 4min break

and then you repeat the same like in series one, this is all in one practice.

You can make this drill only once a week (wends day) because you need 72h of super compensation. In week 6 you play again 3v3 or 4v4 but now you play step 2!

Then you start again with week 1. Remember it's now extensive endurance training. So the next time you play 3v3 or 4v4 will be again in 5th week or circle 2.

Periodization for Football Weekly Structure

Saturday : MATCH

Sunday: Recovery like soccer-tennis

Monday: Free day

Thursday: Tactic practice to get ready for wends day

Wendsday: Condition ---> that's the day you put in the different steps

Thursday: Tactical + Underload (half of the conditional training in the next week, so the body can a Little bit adjust to the next hard training on wends day)

Friday: Tactical training plus 6x5m sprint, 30sec rest for the muscle to get ready

Saturday: MATCH

Also there are two sprint programs that alternate every 2 weeks.

Week 1 :

8x40m progression to 80% of max speed

Week 2:

9x30m progression to 90% of may speed

Week 3 and 4:

There you have this steps again...

step1 is (6x15m sprint with 10 sec rest) 2 series of this with 4 min rest between

There are 3 types of sprinting.

1. Player 1 sprints from point A to point B. ---> the player has a explosion

2. Player 1 sprints with player 2 from point A to point B in a competition. ---> bigger explosion

3. Player 1 sprints with player 2 in a competition after the ball, who will touch the ball first---> the biggest explosion, this means against OPPONENT when it was posted in the post before by another user.

 In week 5 and 6 there are power and speed activities that are always one on one for the ball.

step one is for example:

6x 5m with 30sec rest

4min rest

4x15m with 45sec rest

4min rest

2x25m witch 60 sec rest

Why so much rest?

You need to maintain an explosion every time, and for this you need a full phosphate system. 5m is a Small bite of ATP, 15m is a bigger bite of ATP and 25 is an even bigger bite of ATP. So you get more dynamic starts from your players.

One thing more:

The conditioning practice on Wends day is built up like this:

Lets say it's our 1 Cycles 5 Week

1. Warming up : It must be intensive because it's a hard training 15'

2. Soccer sprints step1

6x 5m with 30sec rest        ca. 3.30'

4min rest                                  4'

4x15m with 45sec rest            4.30'                           >19'

4min rest                                 4'

2x25m witch 60 sec rest         3'

3. Main condition part  3v3/4v4 step1

step 1.   2 times   6x1min   / 3min rest      

                                                                 6x1' work x2 = 12'

                                                                 5x3' break x2= 30'

                                                                 1x break of 4' between the series=4' 

                                                                  >46' for step1

total practice: 80minutes plus time for taking on fluid