There are benefits of a soccer player having a high level of aerobic fitness. These benefits include an improvement in performance and potential avoidance of some injuries. The keys to training this system are following some basic principles common to all aerobic training and ensuring it is tailored to the soccer players demands. In other words, while running for long distances in a straight line at a constant pace may be adequate aerobic training for certain purposes, such as in building an aerobic base in preseason, it does not reflect the aerobic demands of a soccer player.  

It looks like grass, it feels like grass – it ain’t grass!  By now, most players have played on the synthetic turf fields popping up all over the lower mainland.  While this new development in field surfaces has many benefits, especially in terms of durability, has created a host of new concerns.

Have you had several consecutive injuries?  Are they a result of a gradual or progressive onset versus trauma (i.e. a tackle or collision)?  Do you, as my partner Alex McKechnie used to remark, “look like a Ferrari but run like a Fiat”?

A soccer player will cover an average of 10 km of ground over the course of a 90 minute game. The endurance required to maintain soccer specific movements over this distance and duration is technically referred to as aerobic fitness. Midfielders, especially in the modern game where they are often asked to be involved in attack and defense, require the most aerobic fitness. It is not a coincidence that I was a defender, the least aerobically demanding of the positions.

Surprisingly, one of the most common questions still asked in the clinic is “Should I use ice or heat after injury?”  Those that have enjoyed the soothing comfort of a hot tub after an injury, only to come out with the injury looking like something off the Discovery Channel, will attest to the answer being a resounding “ice”.