Opening day!

[BigG]

Hehe. Oh whats wrong with your team G? I dropped a 15:30 for 3 all at once! /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> /tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />

 

I am telling you, you are like Samson.... cut that hair and you couldn't DRIVE a 15:30!

[soccerrules25]

All the sports you mentioned aren't high on 80 minutes of constant running (with sprints interspersed).

 

The reason I tried the 12 minute 2 mile was that I had to do that both in high school and in college (as a soccer player) and I wanted to see if my boys could do it too. I found that several can, some came close, but others couldn't. I talked to our track coach and several conditioning coaches, and asked what a good time was for me to expect these boys to come into season. They said that for 2 miles, a 13:00 to 13:30 is good, then a 15 minute break, followed by a 6:00 mile. They said that as the distance decreases, the pace should increase.

 

It is said that an average soccer player sprints 5 miles in a 90 minute game. I want my players capable of playing a full 80 minutes without needing a sub.

 

And running is one of the easiest ways to see who is willing to go the extra mile (yes, pun intended). Cuts are hard enough, but running is totally objective (and not subjective).

 

Dins... I came up with the "fitness sessions" as a result of the same quandry you are facing right now... what to do with the guys who don't make the time, but are good soccer players. It also "rewards" those players who worked hard all off season, because if they make the time, they are "one and done". By requiring the fitness practices, the players who didn't make the times will still be able to make the team (and save a great player) but also get in the shape that you were wanting them to be in in the first place. Those players who say, "forget it"? Well, that isn't the kind of player that I want to work with anyway (though absolutely no player has said that to me in the past 15 years of my coaching).

 

Soccerrules, this actually is cross country, just with a ball at your feet! /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

[soccerrules25]

I agree that a Soccer player needs to be in shape, but based on the great players I see in Premiere League, etc. it looks like they are more sprinters than Cross Country runners.

 

Just seems to me training Soccer players with Long Distance running would slow them down. Of course, maybe you do more speed training during the season.

 

I am glad to hear you give them 13 1/2 on two miles. That seems more reasonable.

 

Good luck this Season!

[BigG]

I agree that a Soccer player needs to be in shape, but based on the great players I see in Premiere League, etc. it looks like they are more sprinters than Cross Country runners.

 

Just seems to me training Soccer players with Long Distance running would slow them down. Of course, maybe you do more speed training during the season.

 

I am glad to hear you give them 13 1/2 on two miles. That seems more reasonable.

 

Good luck this Season!

 

Many thanks!

 

Just to clarify, though, I do require 13:00 flat. (I'm not getting THAT soft!) /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

[dins8]

I agree that a Soccer player needs to be in shape, but based on the great players I see in Premiere League, etc. it looks like they are more sprinters than Cross Country runners.

 

Just seems to me training Soccer players with Long Distance running would slow them down. Of course, maybe you do more speed training during the season.

 

I am glad to hear you give them 13 1/2 on two miles. That seems more reasonable.

 

Good luck this Season!

 

 

Premier league players can make a 12 minute 2 mile; in fact, a great deal of colleges use a 12 minute two mile as their fitness test IN ADDITION to numerous other tests. Check up on what Indiana, Wake Forest, UCLA, UNC and other elite collegiate programs have their players do for fitness tests--it is remarkable.

[BigG]

Premier league players can make a 12 minute 2 mile; in fact, a great deal of colleges use a 12 minute two mile as their fitness test IN ADDITION to numerous other tests. Check up on what Indiana, Wake Forest, UCLA, UNC and other elite collegiate programs have their players do for fitness tests--it is remarkable.

 

Agreed... we even had to do it at Carson Newman. 12 two mile, followed by 6 one mile, followed by 3 half mile. All in the same day with breaks in between.

 

While college is different, I still think top high school programs need to raise the bar and expect greatness.

 

Again, it might not work for every program. I just have found that it benefits mine.

[akula21]

Lots of great ideas here, the cooper test is your standard 2 mile in 12, 1 mile in 6, 800 in 3 and a 400 in 90 seconds. Some have modified this, but the way that I was exposed to was it was total time. So if I missed time on one, I had to make it up on another, which is tough unless you are match fit.

[akula21]

I have actually gotten away from straight fitness to combined fitness and open play during january. I can't coach, but at least we are getting touches and the kids know we are watching so they play hard. I have sacrificed some fitness for tryouts and an early scrimmage, but found I gained alot more with training fitness with a ball at our feet when I can coach and teach. Plus, I have a secret weapon when it comes to training athletes for sports specific functional training.

[easttnref]

Is the secret weapon your girlish figure or your hair?

[akula21]

Come on ref, you know "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard".

Actually, spending the last 4 years training athletes for different sports helped expose me to alot of myths in training and ways to maximize our time spent. Most of it deals with injury prevention, but the days of those boys running the way I ran in high school over a decade ago are over for my teams.

 

Again, whatever works for each situation and team. Our school is too small for me to expect 40 plus soccer players coming out. Think our numbers are maxed at 24 this season which means I really have to try and help each player get fit and reach their potential b/c I need them in practice to train properly.

[BigG]

Come on ref, you know "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard".

 

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[reaction]

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