Since soccer combines short bursts of intense explosive activity and longer runs at low to moderate levels of intensity, endurance is one of the most important physical aspects of a soccer player that influences his ability to perform effectively for the duration of a match. It is for this reason that the development of endurance is key to maintaining high performance, minimising the risk of injury and fatigue. In this article we will look at the importance of endurance in football, the types of endurance and the methods often used to develop it. In terms of the importance of endurance skills in football, we can naturally speak of their primary importance in coping with the physical demands of individual training units and matches. During a match, players on average run between 9 and 12 kilometres in 90 minutes; if we also add up the metreage during training units, we can often get up to a running volume of somewhere in the region of 45-50 kilometres per week. In order to handle such demanding physical activities and perform optimally on a virtually daily basis, it is essential that each player is adequately endurance prepared. The level of concentration of the players throughout the match is also positively related to endurance ability, as the earlier onset of fatigue adversely affects individual decision-making skills and also technique. Last but not least, endurance often plays a role in injury risk, as players with underdeveloped endurance abilities, and thus earlier onset of fatigue, tend to use unnatural biomechanics, for example, when running or jumping, which can result in subsequent injury.
As we have already outlined in our blog on the importance of measuring athletes’ endurance, endurance can be divided into 3 types in the context of football:Aerobic endurance is probably the most familiar to the layperson, as it is the type of endurance that is prevalent in, for example, marathon runners or longer distance walkers. In short, aerobic endurance uses oxygen to produce energy (movement), which comes preferentially from fats. Since our bodies can only use fat as an energy source at lower intensities, aerobic endurance helps athletes handle longer loads and aids recovery, but it goes by the wayside during sprints. Interestingly, the higher aerobic endurance players possess, the more developed their ability to use fat at higher intensities, which is a significant advantage as fat is the richest energy source in the body and its use causes lower fatigue rates.
Which brings us to anaerobic endurance, which prevails during short but intense bursts of activity, i.e. sprints, accelerations or battles for the ball, which are numerous during a normal football match, Anaerobic endurance endurance largely uses carbohydrates or creatine phosphate from muscle to produce locomotor energy, which is an advantage over fat, as these molecules do not require the presence of oxygen and thus can function even at high intensities. Conversely, the disadvantage is that their quantity is relatively limited, so they tend to be consumed quickly, which is associated with a rapid onset of fatigue. Logically, we can imagine this mechanism with a simple example of two different runs over the same distance. One run is over a distance of 1600m at moderate to moderate intensity without a break, the other run is an interval run and consists of four intense 400m runs. Even though we cover the same distance (1600m) on both runs, we will feel more exhausted after the 4x400m interval run. This phenomenon is precisely related to the use of different energy sources. While in a classic continuous and looser 1600m run we would preferentially use fats, which we have plenty of in our body, in the more intense 4x400m runs the energy sources, and thus especially sugars, are used up much faster, which would be felt in the perceived subjective fatigue. Developed anaerobic endurance allows players to efficiently and repeatedly produce high-intensity activity over a short period of time, it is therefore essential to continuously improve or maintain it at a high level using a variety of training methods, which we will review below.
In this section we can also remember speed endurance, which combines elements of aerobic and anaerobic endurance to maintain high-intensity speed over multiple repetitions in a short time sequence. Speed endurance is mainly used to produce intense activity for more than 15 seconds, or to demonstrate repeatedly intense movement with minimal rest time between repetitions.
Individual training methods for endurance development are often varied and allow a relatively wide scope for modification on an individual basis. Among the most traditional developmental exercises is interval running, which alternates shorter high-intensity sprints with a low-intensity trotting phase, with the sprint-to-trot time ratio usually at 1:3, so that, for example, a 30-second sprint is followed by a 90-second trot. To effectively develop both anaerobic and aerobic endurance, it is recommended to repeat these intervals 6 to 10 times. The fartlek, which has become extremely popular in recent years, works on a similar principle, which is usually a variable type of training that combines different intensities of running. In contrast to classical interval running, the repetitive runs in fartlek are longer: for example, a one-minute intense sprint and a 5-minute trot, which also provides an advantage with regard to simulating the changing intensity of movement during a match. For the direct development of aerobic endurance and fitness, continuous running at moderate intensity is most commonly used. In this case, we are talking about a steady run at a pace somewhere around 75% of the maximum heart rate (calculated according to the formula 220 – EAR = maximum heart rate), while the duration of this run should be in the range of 30-60 minutes. The most popular form of endurance development exercise amongst players tends to be small games, usually 4 v 4 on a smaller pitch (usually 20 x 20 metres). The so-called small games are popular mainly due to the presence of competition, whereby the players themselves do not even realise that their endurance is also being developed. In addition to the simulation of game conditions, one of the undeniable advantages of small games is that they can be easily combined with tactical exercises specific to the style of play used by the coaching staff.
Marek Petrík, MSc.
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https://www.soccerclinics.com/Misc/Tour11.html
https://www.redbull.com/in-en/fitness-endurance-training-football
