Football is all about stamina, skill, and pushing the boundaries of physical performance.
Maintaining the same energy and intensity throughout a 90-minute game can be a challenge if your endurance isn’t up to scratch, which is where running comes in.
There are countless health benefits to going for a run, from relieving stress and anxiety to improving balance and coordination.
In terms of your football performance, running helps to make your heart and lungs more resilient to repetitive movements and increases stroke volume to better deliver oxygen to working muscles.
This guide discusses how exactly running can make you a better footballer and play a game like never before.
Table of Contents
Endurance
Running gets your heart pumping and improves your body’s ability to process oxygen so you don’t tire out quickly. It’s the best way to increase your stamina as a footballer.
Begin by starting small and increasing your workload every day, every week to help you run farther and faster – or both. Maintaining a reasonable base level of endurance is essential for field-based sports.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah boasts some of the most impressive stamina in the Premier League, leading Red fans to buy new shirts with his name on the back every year.
In fact, in 2023, Salah ran his most impressive time yet with 7.1 kilometers in 29 minutes and 46 seconds.
Speed
You won’t run at the same pace throughout a match and running is critical to keeping up with the rest of your team.
The fastest Premier League footballer is currently Chiedozie Ogbene, a speedster who plays for Luton Town and clocks in at 37 kilometers per hour.
Interval training is a great way to mimic the combination of sprints, high-speed runs, and jogging, as well as the intensity of a proper game.
Switching up the tempo of your running will keep you constantly challenged. Increase your sprint intervals or reduce the mid-tempo intervals as you train.
Agility
Staying agile throughout a match is another skill that a footballer needs to have. This means changing direction quickly and smoothly, especially when dribbling the ball or intercepting to tackle.
The aim is to move as fast as possible without sacrificing technique so be sure to incorporate speed and agility drills when you are running.
This will help you strengthen the muscles you need for quick turns and guarantees that each step has more power behind it.
Recovery
Recovery runs are a great exercise to help you feel better after a football match. Running is analgesic and can reduce muscle soreness so you will likely get some relief from a run after training or a match. Also known as active recovery, it can assist your nervous system recover from fatigue.
