Aerobic Training in Football by Jens Bangsbo (Patreon)

Objectives: 

- Increase the oxygen transport system's capacity. 

- Enhance the muscles' ability to use oxygen during prolonged periods of effort. 

- Improve the ability to recover rapidly after a period of high-intensity effort.

Effects: 

The primary physiological adaptations to aerobic training are as follows: 

- Blood volume increases, and the heart becomes larger and stronger, enabling it to pump more blood per unit of time. This allows more oxygen to be transported, thereby increasing aerobic energy production during high-intensity efforts. 

- Enhances the ability to use oxygen and oxidize fats at the muscular level. This implies using smaller amounts of carbohydrates (glycogen) for a given intensity of effort, conserving the limited reserves of this fuel.

Benefits for football: 

- A higher percentage of required energy can be supplied by the aerobic system, enabling a player to work at a higher intensity for a prolonged period, throughout a game. 

- Improved endurance, allowing a player to sustain a higher effort level throughout the entire game. 

- Reduced recovery time after a bout of high-intensity effort, enabling the player to engage in subsequent activities in the game more effectively. 

- May also help minimize the deterioration of technical performance and lapses in concentration induced by fatigue, which often occur toward the end of a game.

Types of Aerobic Training:

- Aerobic Training can be divided into three overlapping areas: Low-Intensity Aerobic Training, Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Training, and High-Intensity Aerobic Training.

LOW-INTENSITY AEROBIC TRAINING:

Objective:

- Achieve faster recovery after a game or an intense training session.

Application in Football:

- During a game or intense training, small muscle tissue ruptures can occur. These damages, often present days after being induced, cause muscle stiffness, reducing performance and inhibiting the ability to replenish glycogen reserves. Players typically experience localized mild muscle soreness. 

- In Low-Intensity Aerobic Training, players engage in light physical activities, such as low-intensity football games. This type of training can aid efficient recovery and reduce muscle soreness. Low-Intensity Aerobic Training can also be used to prevent "overtraining" situations. During the season, when there are numerous competitions and/or training sessions, there might be times when the body cannot fully recover. In such situations, Low-Intensity Aerobic Training should replace physically more demanding training types. Due to its purpose, Low-Intensity Aerobic Training is also known as recovery training. 

- Low-Intensity Aerobic Training also offers psychological benefits. The need for physical recovery is often accompanied by a need to mentally relax. This can be achieved through low-intensity exercises and different activities from the usual routine.

Characteristics of Low-Intensity Aerobic Training:

- Training can be performed as continuous or intermittent exercise. For intermittent exercise, work periods should not exceed five minutes.

Organization:

- The need for Low-Intensity Aerobic Training after a game or an intense training session varies among players, depending on their fitness level and fatigue. Some players may engage in exercises more intense than those of Low-Intensity Aerobic Training on the day following a game or intense training. Therefore, activities should be chosen according to individual needs. To boost players' motivation, especially when the willingness to train the day after a game is low, a collective warm-up is advisable.

Low-Intensity Aerobic Training Exercises

In Low-Intensity Aerobic Training, it's beneficial to use exercises that don't unnecessarily stress sore muscles and avoid physical contact.

Example of Low-Intensity Aerobic Training Exercise: "Football Golf":

Area: Unlimited area.

Number of Players: 6v6 (1v1 to 13v13).

Organization: A certain number of cones are placed within the playing area. Each player has a ball. A player from one team competes with a player from the opposing team.

Description: Players must try to hit the cone with as few touches as possible. After hitting a cone, players move on to the next starting cone, located about 5 meters from the last cone.

Rules: None

Scoring: The player with the fewest touches to hit the cones wins the game and earns two points for the team. One point is awarded to each team if the game ends in a tie. The team with the most points at the end wins the game.

Variations: a) Each team is divided into groups of 3 players. Each group has a ball. Each player in the group must play every 3 touches. The ball should not stop before hitting the cone. b) "Match play." The player needing the fewest touches to hit the cone receives 1 point (tie = 0 points). If the player doesn't hit the cone within 10 touches, they move on to the next cone. The player with the most points at the end wins the game, and their team receives two points.

Coach's Suggestions: Players should receive precise instructions about the rules and the placement of the cones (including the order they should be hit). The game can be more engaging by positioning the cones in challenging spots, such as on a slope or behind a tree.

Adjusting Intensity: The game should be played at low intensity. However, players shouldn't remain idle for long periods. Variation b) should reduce waiting time. To avoid queues at the start of the game, player pairs can start from different cones.

MODERATE-INTENSITY AEROBIC TRAINING:

Objectives:

- Increase the ability to sustain efforts over extended periods.

- Enhance the capacity to recover quickly after a high-intensity effort.

Application in Football:

- A top player covers a distance of approximately 11 kilometers during a football game, engaging in various physically demanding activities. Hence, players need high endurance. This endurance can be improved using Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Training and can be complemented by High-Intensity Aerobic Training. The desired effect is an improvement in the ability to maintain a high work rate and good technical performance throughout the game.

Organization:

- Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Training can be done as continuous or intermittent exercise. For intermittent exercise, work periods should not exceed 5 minutes.

Example of Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Training Exercise: "Cone Knockdown"

Area: Half of a football field.

Number of Players: 5v5 (3v3 to 8v8)

Organization: Each team defends a row of cones (five or more). The cones are placed in a straight line with at least one meter between them, in each team's half of the field.

Description: Each team tries to knock down the cones of the opposing team with the ball. When a team knocks down a cone, they must stand it upright on the opponents' line and, additionally, retrieve one of their own cones and place it on the same line. The player who knocks down the cone has to perform this task while the other players continue the game. Note: playing both behind and in front of the cone line is allowed.

Rules: None.

Scoring: The game is won by the team with the fewest cones remaining at the end of the specified time.

Variations: a) When a player knocks down an opponent's cone, it is placed on their own cone line. The winning team is the one with the most cones at the end of the game. b) The distance between the cones can vary, or they can be placed in small groups. c) A cone can only be knocked down with a first-touch shot. d) If the player carrying the cone between the two lines is hit with the ball, the cone is returned. e) Cones don't have to be placed in a line; they can be positioned anywhere inside the team's half of the field. f) The game can be played with two balls. g) All players must be behind the cones to knock them down (scoring only from behind).

Coach's Suggestions: To prevent players from working in small groups, more cones can be added, or the distance between the cones can be increased (see variations b) and e)). Once players are familiar with the game, they can be allowed to change the initial position of the cones they are attacking and/or defending. Teams should be encouraged to discuss strategy; for example, is it better to place the cones in small groups or spread them out as much as possible? Variation a) can be used to make the game more challenging for the team leading the score.

HIGH-INTENSITY AEROBIC TRAINING:

Objectives:

- Increase the ability to sustain high-intensity efforts over extended periods.

- Enhance the capacity to recover rapidly after high-intensity efforts.

Application in Football:

It has been demonstrated that the total distance covered at high speeds during a game is related to the level of football being played; in other words, top players cover greater distances at high speeds. Hence, it's crucial for players to endure high intensities for extended periods. The foundation of this capacity is aerobic development (high maximum oxygen consumption), achievable through High-Intensity Aerobic Training.

Overlap with Speed-Endurance Anaerobic Training:

During High-Intensity Aerobic Training, the lactate-producing energy system can also be stimulated briefly, creating some overlap with Speed-Endurance Anaerobic Training. The coach must ensure that the effort's intensity during High-Intensity Aerobic Training does not become so high that it exclusively turns into speed-endurance training. If the intensity is too high, players won't be able to maintain a sufficiently high work rate during subsequent periods, and the desired effect of High-Intensity Aerobic Training won't be achieved.

Organization:

When using exercises for High-Intensity Aerobic Training, each player's effort intensity varies continuously. However, a slight decrease in intensity for a short period will cause only a minor drop in heart rate. Thus, a player can maintain a heart rate above 80% of their maximum for most of the training time.

Fixed Time Intervals:

The duration of effort and rest periods is specified. If exercise periods exceed 1 minute, rest periods should be shorter; otherwise, the overall exercise intensity will be too low. The following scheme provides examples of the relationship between effort and recovery. The shorter the effort period, the higher its intensity should be. Rest periods should involve some low-intensity recovery activities (Low-Intensity Aerobic Training). The initial intervals in the scheme should not be confused with those used in Speed-Endurance Anaerobic Training. There is a notable difference in effort intensity. During Speed-Endurance Anaerobic Training, the intensity should be high throughout the exercise period, whereas during High-Intensity Aerobic Training, it should be considerably lower.

Example of High-Intensity Aerobic Training Exercises:

1. "Goals Galore"

Area: Approximately 1/5 of a football field with six small goals.

Number of Players: 5v5 (3v3 - 7v7)

Organization: Extra balls should be positioned in the corners of the field.

Description: Players must attempt to dribble the ball inside one of the goals (which can be done from both sides). If the ball goes out of bounds, a new ball is taken from one of the corners by the team that wins possession.

Rules: Players cannot pass through the goals except when dribbling the ball. There cannot be two successive points in the same goal.

Scoring: One point is scored whenever a player dribbles the ball inside a goal.

Exercise Type: Fixed time intervals, for example, 3 minutes of exercise and 1 minute of rest.

Variations: a) Points can only be scored when the ball is passed, inside a goal, to a teammate who receives it on the other side; b) Variation a) can only score if the receiving player makes a first-touch pass to another player different from the one who passed it to him; c) Variation a) combined with man-to-man marking.

Coach's Suggestions: The exercise challenges can be controlled by changing the number and width of the goals as well as the distance between the goals. A higher number of goals, wider goals, and increased distance between the goals result in higher intensity.

2. "Pendulum"

Area: Half of a football field with two outer zones (1+3) and one larger central zone (2).

Number of Players: 6v6 (4v4 - 10v10).

Organization: One player ("outer player") is positioned in each of the outer zones, while the other players stay in the central zone.

Description: Teams must transfer the ball from one "outer player" to another.

Rules: The "outer player" has a maximum of 2 touches to pass the ball to a player from the team he received the ball. If the "outer player" touches the ball more than twice or if the ball goes out of the playing area, the other team gains possession.

Scoring: The team earns a point if players manage to transfer the ball from one "outer player" to another and back to the first "outer player" without the ball being captured by the opposing team. After scoring a point, the team can continue and immediately score another point by transferring the ball to the opposite "outer player."

Exercise Type: Fixed time intervals, for example, 3 minutes of exercise and 1 minute of rest.

Variations: a) The number of times a player can consecutively touch the ball is limited, e.g., to a maximum of three; b) The "outer players" can only touch the ball once, or the ball cannot stop in the outer zones; c) Each team has an "outer player" in each outer zone. Players must pass the ball to an "outer player" from their team. "Outer players" are allowed an unlimited number of touches on the ball; d) Man-to-man marking; e) All players from the team in possession of the ball must be in the attacking midfield area of the playing area when the ball is played to an "outer player"; f) There are no "outer players," and the size of the outer zones is increased. A point is scored if a team takes the ball from one outer zone to another and back to the first zone without the ball being captured by the opposing team. All players from the team in possession of the ball cannot touch the ball before they have been in the same outer zone as the ball; g) Goalkeepers are used as "outer players" and can use their hands but can only hold the ball for 5 seconds.

Coach's Suggestions: Players should be encouraged to pass the ball to an "outer player" as soon as they receive it, and the importance of providing support to the "outer players" after they have received the ball should be emphasized.

3. "Back Goals"

Area: A football field is divided into three zones - two outer zones (1+3) and one central zone (2). A goal is placed in the middle of each half. The goals are back to back.

Number of Players: 7v7 (5v5 - 9v9) + 2 Goalkeepers.

Description: Normal football.

Rules: In the central zone, the number of touches is limited to a maximum of two. Goalkeepers can use their hands inside the circular area.

Scoring: Normal scoring.

Exercise Type: Fixed time intervals, for example, 3 minutes of exercise and 1 minute of rest.

Variations: a) In the central zone, the number of ball touches per team is limited to a maximum of 6. Another alternative is the team can only make 3 passes within the central zone; b) In the outer zones, the number of touches per player is limited, for example, to a maximum of 2 touches, but free play is allowed in the central zone; c) All attacking team players must be inside the same outer zone before they can score a goal. If all defending team players are not in the same outer zone, the score is doubled; d) When the ball is sent out of an outer zone by the attacking team, the goalkeeper starts with a new ball and must play it over the midfield line.

Coach's Suggestions: The intensity of the exercise should be higher when teams play in the central zone.

Summary: 

Aerobic capacity is a fundamental component of a football player's fitness and can be improved through aerobic training. Aerobic training can be divided into three main areas. Low-Intensity Aerobic Training, which aims to help the player return to the pre-exercise state as quickly as possible after a demanding game or training session. Medium-Intensity Aerobic Training allows a player to work at a relatively high exercise intensity throughout the game, and High-Intensity Aerobic Training improves the ability to repeat high-intensity efforts during a game. To achieve appropriate training effects, the suggested advice within different types of exercises should be followed. 

Although the described training exercises are categorized as Medium-Intensity Aerobic Training and High-Intensity Aerobic Training, they can be adapted and used in both types of training, simply by changing a rule or the size of the playing area and/or the number of players.

Reference: "Aerobic and Anaerobic Training in Football: Special Emphasis on Training of Youth Players (Fitness Training in Football)"