How to keep your endurance during football competitions

This week we look into the world of football and in particular how to stay in good shape during any potential competitions you have in the near future. With the European championships coming up this month many of the world’s best players will be looking to perform at their peak for a tough three to four week run.

A large part of remaining on top of your game is to be able to hold an advantage in the endurance and cardiovascular stakes. Football is a game that is largely based around being the fittest and the strongest on the pitch. This comes from being able to withstand large amounts of cardio and keep in top form whilst doing so, so having a fantastic cardio and endurance base is essential for players.

If you have your own competition coming up you may be asking how you can best stay ahead of the rivals with your own training. We will break down the key factors you should be trying to work on ahead of your games.

• Cardio based training
• Nutrition
• Rest
• Managing injuries

These four areas are the ones that all top players should be self-managing during their own career and so should form the core of your own specified training also.

So let’s start with your cardio based training and how we can keep up our endurance during competition times. The cardio strength of any player should be a huge part of your time and focus and should make up a large portion of your goals as a player. Being able to run for the entire 90 minutes of a match will separate you from the rest and give you an important physical edge when it comes to the tight moments in games.

Having that edge in the endurance stakes will automatically make you a threat when it comes to the opposition and will set you apart from the other players. So how can we maintain a good endurance base?

You should already have a solid cardio based training regime under your belt and you should be near the peak of your fitness at this point. The key to maintaining this is to not overdo any training during the actual competition itself. You should know your physical limits when it comes to games and training and you should only aim to hit these in game time. To reach your limits in games then in training the following few days would be foolish so be sure to restrain your efforts in the training time between games in order to keep your endurance high for the games.

Using the correct re-fuelling processes can help massively after games so make sure you are eating the correct types of foods after matches for your body to repair. Stretching should play a huge part in your post match efforts too as the release of any lactic acid from the muscles can help them to recover that much quicker for the next game. Following these simple rules can sometimes be a tough thing for people who genuinely love to play the game at every opportunity but giving your body the adequate rest in-between efforts can only help your performance down the line.

Next week we will look at the effect that nutrition has on your physical efforts and how much of an important role it plays in a sport like football. Meanwhile, get out there, get your boots on and go ‘Do The Damn Thing!’

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