Overview
Stamina training for soccer can be extremely dull---certainly less exciting than passing or shooting drills---but it remains one of the most important aspects of the game. Forty-five minutes per half is a long time to be constantly running, and if you don't have decent endurance levels, you won't be able to make those fast sprints to the ball when it counts. Stamina training entails activity of moderate intensity (70 percent to 75 percent heart rate), conducted for periods of five minutes or longer.
Preparation
Before beginning any training session, make sure to stretch properly and loosen up your muscles. Keep plenty of water around and don't be afraid to hydrate while you train, especially on warm days. In addition, be wary of overpractice and taxing your body beyond safe limits. If you injure yourself while training, your efforts will invariably suffer a setback.
Personal Exercises
Exercises such as push-ups, squat thrusts, chin-ups and abdominals will improve your stamina if you practice them regularly. Work on performing a set number of exercises per minute: 40 push-ups per minute, 40 squat-thrusts per minute, 10 chin-ups per minute and 40 abdominals per minute. If you can't do these right away, build toward these goals gradually. The more you practice, the easier they will become.
Running Exercises
Running exercises are the heart of soccer stamina training and will improve your ability to perform on the field. The trick is to liberally mix periods of moderate jogging with sudden bursts of speed. Jog for 100 or 200 yards, then sprint for 20 or 30 yards, then jog for another 100 or 200 yards, followed by another sprint, and so on. You can intersperse them with brief periods of running backwards---a key skill in soccer---and use (very) occasional cool-down periods of walking to keep from overtaxing yourself.
Intensity Training
Intensity training involves pushing your body harder than you would with long-distance training. Experts suggest using hills for this: run as fast as you can up to the top of a slope, then jog slowly down again, and repeat the process several more times. This approximates the sudden bursts of speed that you need on the soccer field, while conditioning your body to handle it more readily.
Regularity
Once you have established a stamina program that works for your fitness levels, keep at it. Practice it five to six days a week, even during the off-season when you don't have games scheduled. The more regularly you practice, the more your body becomes used to the conditions, and the more readily it will respond when you need it to on the field.
