{"id":1301,"date":"2023-04-07T15:51:56","date_gmt":"2023-04-07T13:51:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthprofile.digital\/developing-endurance-in-football\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T10:49:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T09:49:15","slug":"developing-endurance-in-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthprofile.digital\/en\/developing-endurance-in-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Developing endurance in football"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since football combines short, intense explosive activities with longer periods of running at low to moderate intensity, endurance is one of the most important physical attributes of a football player, influencing their ability to perform effectively throughout the entire duration of a match. For this reason, the development of endurance is crucial for maintaining high performance levels and minimizing the risk of injury and fatigue. In this article, we will focus on the importance of endurance in football, the different types of endurance, and commonly used methods for their development. In terms of the significance of endurance abilities in football, we can naturally speak of their primary importance in meeting the physical demands of individual training sessions and matches. During a match, players run on average 9 to 12 kilometers over 90 minutes, and when training distances are included, weekly running volumes can often reach approximately 45\u201350 kilometers. To cope with such demanding physical activity and to deliver optimal performance on an almost daily basis, it is essential for every player to be adequately prepared in terms of endurance. Endurance abilities are also positively related to players\u2019 levels of concentration throughout the match, as earlier onset of fatigue negatively affects individual decision-making abilities as well as technical execution. Last but not least, endurance often also influences injury risk, as players with insufficiently developed endurance capacities\u2014and therefore an earlier onset of fatigue\u2014tend to adopt unnatural biomechanics, for example during running or jumping, which may subsequently result in injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As we have already outlined in the blog on the importance of measuring athletes\u2019 endurance, endurance in the context of football can be divided into three types. Aerobic endurance is probably the most well-known even among the general public, as it is the type of endurance predominant in marathon runners or long-distance walkers. In short, aerobic endurance uses oxygen to produce energy (movement), which is derived primarily from fats. Since the body is able to utilize fats as an energy source only at lower intensities, aerobic endurance helps players cope with prolonged physical load and supports recovery capacity; however, it plays a lesser role during sprints. Interestingly, the higher the level of aerobic endurance players possess, the more developed their ability to utilize fats even at higher intensities, which represents a significant advantage, as fats are the richest energy source in the body and their utilization leads to a lower level of fatigue.
Which brings us to  anaerobic endurance, which predominates during short but very intense bursts of activity, such as sprints, accelerations, or duels for the ball, all of which occur frequently during a typical football match. Anaerobic endurance primarily uses carbohydrates or creatine phosphate stored in the muscles to produce movement energy, which is an advantage over fats, as these molecules do not require the presence of oxygen and can therefore function at high intensities. The disadvantage, however, is that their supply is relatively limited and is depleted quickly, which is associated with the rapid onset of fatigue.
This mechanism can be logically illustrated with a simple example of two different runs over the same distance. One run covers a distance of 1600 meters at moderate intensity without breaks, while the second run is interval-based and consists of four intense 400-meter runs. Even though the total distance covered is the same (1600 meters), we will feel more exhausted after the interval run of 4 \u00d7 400 meters. This phenomenon is related precisely to the use of different energy sources. While a continuous, easier 1600-meter run would primarily rely on fats, which are abundantly available in the body, the more intense 4 \u00d7 400-meter runs deplete energy sources\u2014especially carbohydrates\u2014much more quickly, which is also reflected in higher perceived fatigue.
Well-developed anaerobic endurance allows players to efficiently and repeatedly produce high-intensity activity over short periods of time; therefore, it is essential to continuously improve or maintain it at a high level through various training methods, which we will discuss below.
In this section, we can also mention  speed endurance, which combines elements of aerobic and anaerobic endurance to maintain high-intensity speed over multiple repetitions within a short time frame. Speed endurance is mainly used to sustain intense activity for longer than 15 seconds or to repeatedly perform high-intensity movements with minimal recovery time between repetitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Individual training methods for developing endurance are often diverse and allow relatively wide scope for individual modification. Among the most traditional development exercises is interval running, which alternates shorter high-intensity sprints with a low-intensity jogging phase, with the time ratio of sprint to jog usually being 1:3\u2014for example, a 30-second sprint followed by a 90-second jog. For the effective development of both anaerobic and aerobic endurance, it is recommended to repeat these intervals 6 to 10 times.  A similar principle is used by fartlek training, which has become extremely popular in recent years and represents a variable type of training that combines different running intensities. Unlike classic interval running, the repeated runs in fartlek training are longer; for example, a one-minute intense sprint followed by a five-minute jog, which offers the advantage of better simulating changing movement intensity during a match. For the direct development of aerobic endurance and overall conditioning, continuous running at moderate intensity is most commonly used. In this case, it refers to steady-paced running at around 75% of maximum heart rate (calculated using the formula 220 \u2212 age = maximum heart rate), with a duration ranging from 30 to 60 minutes.
Among players, the most popular form of endurance training tends to be small-sided games, usually 4v4 on a reduced pitch (typically 20 \u00d7 20 meters). These so-called small-sided games are popular mainly due to the presence of competition, during which players often do not even realize that their endurance is being developed. In addition to simulating match conditions, one of the undeniable advantages of small-sided games is the fact that they can be easily combined with tactical exercises specific to the playing style used by the coaching staff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marek Petr\u00edk, MSc.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hill-Haas, S. V., Dawson, B. T., Coutts, A. J., & Rowsell, G. J. (2009). Physiological responses and time\u2013motion characteristics of various small-sided soccer games in youth players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(1), 1-8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modric, T., Versic, S., & Sekulic, D. (2020). Aerobic fitness and game performance indicators in professional football players; playing position specifics and associations.  Heliyon<\/em>, 6<\/em>(11).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Murphy, D.F., Connolly, D.A.J., and Beynnon, B.D. (2003). Risk factors for lower extremity injury: a review of the literature. British Journal of Sports Medicine 37, 13 29. 10.1136\/bjsm.37.1.13. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rankovi\u0107, G., Mutavd\u017ei\u0107, V., Toski\u0107, D., Preljevi\u0107, A., Koci\u0107, M., Nedin-Rankovi\u0107, G., & Damjanovi\u0107, N. (2010). Aerobic capacity as an indicator in different kinds of sports.  Bosnian journal of basic medical sciences<\/em>, 10<\/em>(1), 44.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watson, A., Brickson, S., Brooks, M.A., and Dunn, W. (2017). Preseason Aerobic Fitness Predicts In-Season Injury and Illness in Female Youth Athletes. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine 5, 2325967117726976-2325967117726976. 10.1177\/2325967117726976<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.soccerclinics.com\/Misc\/Tour11.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.redbull.com\/in-en\/fitness-endurance-training-football<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since football combines short, intense explosive activities with longer periods of running at low to moderate intensity, endurance is one of the most important physical attributes of a football player, influencing their ability to perform effectively throughout the entire duration of a match. 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