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With many years at the professional level, I have endured many pre-season preparations. Many football players forget that it is a crucial period to lay the foundation for a successful and injury-free season. My goal during these periods was always to improve my footballing abilities whilst also preparing my body and mind with physical and mental fitness workouts. The obsession for improvement and hunger to be the best in my position motivated me to be the fittest, fastest, and most mentally prepared athlete in my team. It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional or an amateur player looking to climb to the top. A focused pre-season will give you an advantage over your competitors on the football field.
In this article, I will discuss some critical elements of pre-season preparation for football players with you.
Mental Preparation
A crucial but often overlooked element in football by players or coaches. From my experience, it plays a significant role for any footballer who is serious about reaching their ultimate goal. Many athletes don’t realise that mental fitness is as necessary as physical or technical ability. Let us begin this section by exploring some key elements of mental preparation for football players.
Goal Setting
So you have decided that this season will be yours. But like most things, a football season can have many obstacles. That’s why you must realise that setting achievable goals for the upcoming season is integral to mental preparation. Let me share my goal strategy with you, so you can see how this works. First, set your training goals. I aim to be the best in each training session with maximum effort. The first in and the last to leave. It has worked for Cristiano Ronaldo, so why not copy from one of the greatest of all time? Next, I set team and individual goals, such as winning a championship or improving my statistics. With these clear and attainable goals, I have the focus on what I want to achieve. As a result, I will have the motivation to outwork anybody to reach my goals.
Visualisation
One of my previous mental coaches introduced me to this powerful technique, a fundamental pillar of mental preparation in football. Most elite footballers utilise it, so why not take advantage of it? Use your imagination and see yourself achieving your goals and dreams. This involves seeing yourself successfully performing specific skills, making great passes, assisting a teammate or scoring goals. I have also witnessed a confidence boost, reduced anxiety and developed a winning mindset. That’s why I believe it can also work wonders for you. So give it a try. You won’t regret it.
Mindfulness
I have been through it, and so have many other football players. Becoming distracted or feeling judged by journalists, pundits, coaches, or fans can happen to anybody. Mindfulness ensures that you’re fully present during training or matches. This has eliminated my fear of past mistakes or future outcomes. By developing mindfulness, you can enjoy improved concentration and focus with reduced stress, just like many other players who practice it.
Stress Management
We all know football can be highly stressful, especially during matches. That’s why I have developed effective stress management techniques to help me maintain my focus to perform under high pressure. Unfourtnally, stress can’t always be avoided in our lives. But it can be reduced with the proper strategies. Deep breathing is one of the best exercises for calming down. Here’s how to do it:
Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
Count from 1 to 5 in a rhythmic pattern.
Let your breath out slowly, counting from 1 to 5 again.
Stay with this for at least 5 minutes.
Try to practice the topics above, like visualisation and mindfulness, which also helps with high-stress levels.
Confidence
In my opinion, the last and most important part of mental preparation in football. It is a skill that I believe can be trained. I have seen and felt how high or low confidence can affect your performance on the field. If you want to build high and everlasting confidence like elite football players, put in a few extra training sessions in your program. The more reps you get, the harder it will be to outwork you. This feeling alone has allowed me to elevate my confidence through some of the most challenging times in my career. Believe in yourself and your abilities to increase your chances of success. Goal setting, visualisation, mindfulness and stress management are all fundamental pillars of confidence, so make sure not to skip one of them.
Nutrition
Football is evolving drastically every year. Your competitors are getting faster and fitter, and so should you. Understand that you must fuel your body correctly to take your game to the next level. Therefore nutrition plays an essential part in every football player’s pre-season preparation. You need to eat a balanced diet to gain a competitive advantage. This will provide you with the correct nutrients to help you perform at a high level, reduce recovery time after training or matches and avoid injuries. This section will cover what nutritional elements you need to include in your diet for a successful pre-season.
Hydration
As high-performing football players, we must regulate our body’s temperature with large amounts of fluids, especially during warm weather. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that it is only used to diminish your thirst. I have worked with some of the best nutritionists. Who have all indicated that proper hydration levels can help lubricate joints, transport nutrients and eliminate waste products. So aim to drink at least 3-4 litres of water daily and include some sort of electrolyte drink. This ensures that your body is fed with the right minerals, which helps your body perform at a high level. Check out the urine chart below to monitor your hydration levels. Make sure to take action before it reaches the lower end of the scale.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your body’s primary and fastest energy source. They should make up a large portion of your daily caloric intake. Any football player who neglects this key element during the pre-season should have a severe reason for doing so. If you’re looking for good sources of carbohydrates, look no further than whole-grain bread, cereals, fruits, vegetables, or pasta. Consume enough carbohydrates to maintain your energy levels during training and matches throughout the pre-season.
Proteins
Pre-season training sessions can be brutal for your body. You need to rejuvenate and recover your muscles fast if you want maximum benefits from your training sessions. You can get high-quality protein from lean meat like chicken, fish, dairy products, or beans. I also include whey protein isolate shakes in my diet. This makes it easier to reach my protein requirements for the day. As a general rule, eat 1 to 1.6 grams of protein daily for every kilogram of your body weight.
Fats
Hear me out! Fats might have a bad reputation, but they’re essential to a balanced diet. Think of them as the unsung heroes of nutrition. Sure, they don’t get all the attention carbohydrates or proteins do. However, they still play a significant role in keeping you healthy. Healthy fats like nuts, seeds, olive oil and avocados can be your allies on the football field, providing energy and helping you recover from brutal training sessions and matches. But make sure to steer clear of unhealthy fats. These bad boys, found in many processed foods, can be your worst enemy on the field, slowing you down and making it harder to perform at your best. So, give healthy fats a chance – your body (and your game) will thank you!
Vitamins and Minerals
It is time to pay close attention to vitamins and minerals if you want to conquer pre-season. These tiny little nutrients are like your secret weapons on the field. They help keep you healthy, boost your performance, and ensure your body is ready to tackle even the most demanding pre-season training sessions and matches. To get all the vitamins and minerals you need, fill up on fruits and veggies, go for lean meats and dairy, and don’t forget about fortified cereals. And if you’re feeling extra fancy, you could consider a daily multivitamin supplement. Just to make sure you’ve got all your bases covered.
Physical Fitness
As I mentioned, pre-season sessions can often be physically demanding and require a combination of endurance, strength, speed and agility. In this section, I will provide valuable gems that will help you build a strong foundation that targets all aspects of physical fitness to help you perform like a machine on the football field.
Endurance
The modern game requires a lot of running and high-intensity actions from you. You must ensure you target all three endurance systems correctly if you want to be in peak condition. Throughout any activity on the football field, you will encounter different types of situations that require specific energy demands. Sometimes energy must be supplied very quickly to your muscles to deliver high-intensity results. And sometimes, it doesn’t need to be provided at a high rate. So, it must be delivered over a more extended period. Let’s take a look at the three energy systems:
Anaerobic Alactic (ATP-CP): High-intensity
Your body will use this system if you have high amounts of short-duration intensity and acceleration. The system doesn’t use oxygen, but rather your body’s CP stores (short for creatine phosphate) to create energy for a short duration. Use the Arrowhead exercise below to target ATP-CP directly.
Anaerobic Lactic (Glycolytic): High to medium intensity
This system is used by your body for activities that last from 10 seconds to roughly 90 seconds. It doesn’t require oxygen but can work at a capacity for much longer. Therefore, your body produces waste products such as lactic acid accumulate in the blood and in muscle cells. This is the burning feeling in your muscles. Shortness of breath and fatigue are all symptoms of lactic acid buildup, which can impair your ability to perform. The Quadrado exercise below perfectly targets the glycolytic system and improves your dribbling abilities simultaneously.
Aerobic: Low Intensity
The aerobic system provides energy for low- to medium-intensity activities that can last hours. Unlike the previous energy systems, the aerobic system requires oxygen and takes longer to reach its maximum capacity. After a hard training week, target the aerobic system by going for a light 40 to 50-minute jog. Which also helps you recover faster.
Strength Training
Nowadays, almost every professional footballer spends time in the weight room. It’s one of the most essential aspects of pre-season that should be neglected no matter what level you play at. Therefore if you want to boss the pitch, you need to build power, speed and endurance, which can all be achieved through weightlifting exercises, resistance training, and plyometrics. Consistent strength training builds muscles and helps reduce the risk of injury by strengthening the muscles, joints, and connective tissue. This translates to fewer strains, sprains, and other common injuries during football.
Speed and Agility
This crucial component of physical fitness can seriously benefit you on the football field. Most positions require fast bursts of speed and quick directional changes. Include speed and agility sessions once or twice weekly in your pre-season program to leave your competition in the dust. Set out two cones, each 20 meters apart, to work on your linear speed. As for agility, use the Arrowhead exercise mentioned in the endurance section of this article.
Flexibility
To reduce the risk of injuries and preserve your muscles’ longevity, you need to pay close attention to this component of physical fitness. Football players at every level should include flexibility training in their regular training programs. Use static stretches for 30 to 60 seconds to improve your flexibility at the end of each training session. This prevents muscle tightness which can lead to injuries. Throughout my career, I have stuck to three basic stretching exercises that will significantly benefit your body’s well-being. The first is the kneeling hip and quad stretch, also called the couch stretch. Followed by the seated single-leg hamstring stretch. And lastly, the squatting adductor and groin stretch. Always listen to your body. On some days, certain body parts may need more attention than usual.
Skill Development
This final part of the guide can be the difference between a mediocre and a standout performance on the football field. Always remember that skills development is a lifelong process. Even the most skilled players continuously work on this element to perfect it. No matter how good you get, there is always room for improvement. So, grab a football, get out on the field, and have some fun while working on your skills!
Practice Makes Perfect
The old saying holds true in life and on the football field. You need to practice daily to improve and witness progressive results. The key is to focus on one or two skills at a time and then master them through repetition.
An amateur practices until he gets it right. A professional practices until he can’t get it wrong.
Be Creative
Just watch football players like Ronaldinho. He was never afraid to experiment and try new moves. So be creative with your footwork and test new skills during your training session so you can eventually perform them in matches. Check my 5 Football Skills To Beat Defenders article if you need inspiration.
Trust the Process
Becoming a skilled football player takes time and effort, but it can also be a lot of fun. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Make a mistake? Don’t sweat it. Just shake it off and keep practising. Remember to embrace the process and enjoy the journey towards your goal.
Find a Training Partner
Practising with a friend can make skills development even more effective. I was lucky to have a brother who shared the same dream, so we always pushed and learned from each other to improve our game. The right partner will motivate and help you reach your training goals more effectively.
Final Thoughts
So now that we have covered all the crucial aspects of pre-season preparation for football players. You need to get out there and put it all together. Always start with a good mental state. Get your mind in the game, trust your skills and have positive vibes. And don’t forget to have fun while you’re on the grind. Keep your nutrition on point, put down junk food, and fuel your body with healthy ingredients. This ensures that you get the most out of your training sessions. Stick to a well-organised physical fitness program with strength, endurance and speed sessions. This will give you an edge over your opponents so you can run circles around them. Lastly, incorporate a few skill-focused sessions into your pre-season preparation to ensure that you continuously master the art of ball control.
There you have it, ballers! Your guide for the best football pre-season preparation you will ever have. Remember to focus on our covered topics, have fun, and enjoy the journey.
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