Endurance in Football
Endurance – that's the secret advantage that sets you apart from all other players! If you dominate the pitch for 90 minutes, you have to be unstoppable. It's the moment when you make that decisive sprint in the final minutes while your opponents give up, exhausted. Professionals cover 10 to 12 kilometers per game – and that's just the beginning! Want to know what it feels like to decide the game in injury time while everyone else is at their limit?
Now's your time! Get the stamina that will make you an invincible player who dominates for 90 minutes! You're just one step away – schedule your free initial consultation now and get started like a pro!
Importance of Endurance in Football
✓ Increased game performance: Endurance-capable players can deliver consistent performance throughout the entire game, which can be crucial, especially in the final stages of a game.
✓ Improved recovery: Good stamina promotes faster recovery between intense in-game actions, such as after a sprint or a tackle, and improves overall post-game recovery.
✓ Lower risk of injury: Well-trained endurance reduces the risk of injury because the body is better prepared for stress and fatigue, which often leads to injuries, sets in more slowly.
✓ Mental Strength: High endurance can also boost a player's mental strength, knowing that he is physically capable of persevering under pressure.
Endurance Types in Football
✓ Basic endurance: This refers to general fitness and the body's ability to remain physically active over a long period of time. It is particularly important in laying the foundation for specialized endurance in football. Basic endurance is often trained through continuous, long-term, moderate exertion such as jogging or cycling.
✓ Specific football endurance: This form of endurance is particularly important because it refers to the ability to perform repeated high-intensity sprints and runs during a game, followed by short rest periods. This type of endurance differs from pure basic endurance because it is adapted to the dynamic demands of a football game.
✓ Speed endurance: This is the ability to perform at a high level in short, explosive actions such as sprints or tackles until the end of the game. Speed endurance is crucial for players who are often in running duels or who have to quickly switch between offense and defense.
Training Methods to Increase Endurance in Football
endurance runs
Endurance runs are a classic method for improving basic endurance. For footballers, medium to long distances in the aerobic range (heart rate at around 70-80% of the maximum heart rate) are suitable.
✓ Goal: Increase aerobic endurance
✓ Example: 45-75 minutes of easy running at a moderate pace
interval training
Interval training is a particularly effective method for increasing specific football endurance. It involves alternating phases of high intensity and recovery phases.
✓ Goal: Improve anaerobic capacity and speed endurance
✓ Example: 10x 30 seconds sprint, followed by 30 seconds light trot, with 2 minutes rest after 5 sprints.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
HIIT is an extreme form of interval training that particularly promotes speed endurance. The short, intense bursts of exertion optimally prepare the muscles and cardiovascular system for the high demands of the game.
✓ Goal: Improve anaerobic endurance and increase maximum performance
✓ Example: 8x 20 seconds of maximum exertion (e.g. sprint, burpees), followed by 10 seconds rest.
football-specific endurance training
These are exercises that take place directly in the context of the game, such as small game formats (3-on-3, 4-on-4) on a small field or running routes without the ball in goal-scoring situations. This training simultaneously promotes tactical and technical skills as well as football-specific endurance.
✓ Goal: Promote football-specific endurance and improve match practice
✓ Example: 5x 5 minutes 4-on-4 on half the field with 2 minutes break in between.
Example training plan for endurance in football
Week 1-2: Build basic endurance
✓ Monday: 40 minutes of continuous running (70-75% of max. heart rate)
✓ Wednesday: 6x 400m interval run (80-85% of max. heart rate), 1 minute break each
✓ Friday: 30 minutes of fartlek: Alternate between 2 minutes of easy jogging and 1 minute of sprinting
✓ Sunday: 60 minutes of easy cycling or swimming for active regeneration
Week 3-4: Develop speed and football-specific endurance
✓ Monday: 10x 30 second sprint, followed by 1 minute trot break
✓ Wednesday: Small-field games (e.g. 5-on-5) with high intensity, 1 minute playing time and 2 minutes break
✓ Friday: HIIT: 8x 20 seconds maximum load, 10 seconds rest
✓ Saturday: 30 minutes of easy jogging or bike ride
This plan can be customized depending on your level of play and individual goals to maximize endurance.
Exercises for passing with ball reception and ball control
The exercises are mostly arranged according to difficulty to allow for a gradual increase in demands.
In addition, many of these exercises can easily be performed with more players by forming additional groups.
As a coach, there are of course no limits to what you can do – you can vary, combine or adapt the exercises to suit the needs of your players and training goals.
1. Simple ball reception
✓ Goal: Control the ball after a flat pass.
✓ Setup: Two players face each other in a 10x10 meter field.
✓ Number of players: 2 players
✓ Procedure: Player A plays a flat pass to player B. Player B stops the ball with the inside of his foot and passes it back with the other foot after two contacts.
✓ Coaching tips:
Secure your ankle to stop the ball precisely.
Tilt your upper body slightly forward to maintain balance.
✓ Variations:
Limit ball contacts to a maximum of one.
Play the pass harder to increase the difficulty.
2. Ball reception with change of direction
✓ Goal: To control the ball and change direction at the same time.
✓ Setup: Two players, 10x10 meter field.
✓ Number of players: 2 players
✓ Procedure: Player A passes the ball to Player B, who receives the ball with the inside of his foot and takes it in a new direction. Player B then makes a 90° turn to the left or right and returns the ball.
✓ Coaching tips:
Use the first contact to steer the ball in the new direction.
Look up in front of the reception to scan the room.
✓ Variations:
Add cones as opponents to simulate more pressure.
Reduce the time for changing direction to a maximum of two seconds.
3. Receiving the ball with the chest
✓ Goal: Safely control high balls.
✓ Setup: One player passes, the other stands ready to receive the ball. Playing area: 10x10 meters.
✓ Number of players: 2 players
✓ Procedure: Player A throws the ball up, Player B receives it with his chest and brings it to the ground in a controlled manner before returning it.
✓ Coaching tips:
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Arch your chest slightly upwards to cushion the ball.
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Lower your body quickly after contact to maintain control.
✓ Variations:
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Throw the ball from different heights.
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Add a bounce before receiving the ball.
