Endurance training for football
May 18th, 2009Endurance training for football
The sport football demands a lot from its players. It requires its players to possess a multitude of abilities. Hence strength training forms the basic foundation for any football player. To reach the full potential, using absolute strength is just not enough. Whatever is gained in strength should be converted into explosive power. The player with the greater power is the best one on the field. The other factors required for a player to have are flexibility and mobility, muscle balance and endurance, explosive acceleration and speed. Significant anaerobic energy is required by the players during running on a field. This means, a player with better muscle strength can perform better without being fatigued or requiring a long recovery period. Since football players need to run very fast, endurance training is a must for them. A basic strength training program is required by the football players to optimize their performance. The program should include different types of strength training as football calls for the use of diverse kinds of strength which differs from position to position. Strength training for football is a science that necessitates the use of a structured approach. Besides, focusing on specific muscle groups, it is also necessary to strengthen the core strength of the body. Core muscles include all the muscles that stabilize the pelvis and spine. Abdominal muscles, spinal musculature and pelvic musculature all come under the core category of muscles. Core training program helps by increasing the efficiency of movement, improving stability and balance, reducing the risk of injury, power output from legs and arms increases besides the core musculature resulting in an overall enhancement of performance. Balance boards, medicine balls and stability balls can be used for core training programs. A simple weight training program for increasing the endurance of football players is as follows: Warm-up session should be included before the actual training program so as to loosen the muscles and make them contract and relax easily. The actual training program includes doing push-ups, lunges, sit-ups and similar exercises. Push-ups can be up or down or done with a clap. Similarly, sit-ups can be done with hands behind neck and crossed on shoulders position. Medicine balls, stability balls next come into the picture. They mimic movements that cannot be done with free weights. The right combination of weight training programs would cause a significant increase in the performance of football players on field.
