U13 2012

Players and parents know that I really insist on fitness and running, an aerobic activity. Our running, with a few bright exceptions, has been quite disappointing lately given that these kids are in competitive soccer. Now they are on vacation and still very few go for the weekly runs that the coach asks them to do. (wonder if they expect other players to pick up the slack?)

An article was published today by the Montreal Gazette on this subject. Some excerpts below. The article starts with a comparison with what people know well in Canada: hockey.

"Unlike hockey, [..] soccer players rarely leave the pitch during regulation play. Their shifts can last 45 minutes, versus 30 seconds for the average hockey player, and don’t require an intensity that demands quick substitutions for a fresh pair of legs.

But that doesn’t mean soccer players don’t measure up when it comes to fitness. Soccer players are in good shape. They need aerobic endurance, explosive speed and the ability to change direction and pace multiple times during a game. What they don’t need in comparison to hockey players is the kind of size necessary to throw and receive a bodycheck.

By contrast, soccer players are leaner and spend more time honing their aerobic endurance versus the anaerobic power needed in hockey. Soccer games last 90 minutes with no scheduled time out and only a short break between periods, which means players spend more time in dynamic play than hockey players do.

[...] For years, soccer data was compiled using theoretical models, but recently tools like computers and GPS units have provided a more accurate assessment of what happens during game play including collecting data on how much territory soccer players cover and the average speed they maintain while on the pitch.

[...] the best European professional players cover a distance of eight to 12 kilometres per game, with three per cent more distance covered in the second half of the game compared with the first. From 1,000 to 1,400 ball touches are made during the average match, which, when combined with changes in direction and speed, are the hallmark of what Europeans call “the beautiful game.”

As any hockey fan can attest, soccer’s speed of play is vastly different from what takes place on an ice surface that is small in comparison to the expansiveness of a soccer pitch. Only one to three per cent of a soccer match is played at top speed.

Sixty-two per cent of the total distance covered during a soccer game is spent standing, walking or jogging, with only 1.5 to 2.5 kilometres spent sprinting. On average, high-intensity sprints occur every 90 seconds and last from two to four seconds.

Time with the ball is relatively short, with only 1.2 to 2.4 kilometres per game spent by players moving the ball and the average possession lasting 18 to 170 seconds.

With so little time spent with the ball, soccer players spend most of the 90 minutes of match play travelling up and down the field creating offence or responding to the tactics of the opposition, which is where fitness plays a major role. Soccer players need superior aerobic fitness to stay competitive for a full game.

Because of the different roles each position entails, the need for speed and endurance differs between players. Midfielders cover the most distance over the course of the game (11,770 metres), which measures almost three per cent more than forwards (11,337) and seven per cent more than the defensive squad (10,932).

When it comes to speed, forwards rack up the most distance spent sprinting, double that of the midfielders, which suggests that forwards should work on developing their explosive speed and midfielders spend more time improving their aerobic endurance.

Data like this allow coaches and trainers to model their training programs accordingly, making sure that players train according to the specific needs of their sport and position. It’s also interesting for soccer fans and parents who follow the game from the sidelines.

Soccer may not be in our blood the way hockey is, but with more than a million players registered with Soccer Canada, it’s the nation’s most-played sport."

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