
In week one there was a combination of 12’s and 11’s. The expectation for the first session was to get at least 10 runs in, and her goal was for 12. I set 2 cones on the field 60 yard apart. The rest period between sets was adjusted each week. Each Tuesday & Friday consisted of three 3 minute runs. Tuesdays and Fridays were basic GPP days. Walk 6 yards, sprint 15 yards, walk 6 yards.Repeat for 6 repetitions, REST, and then change sides.


Considering this, it makes sense to design soccer specific drills that contain a distinct change of direction component at least every 4 seconds. From my own playing experience and from reading some published research, I’ve learned that soccer players change their direction of movement at least every 4 seconds throughout a game of. While the dynamics of open play are difficult to recreate, I think this drill does a good job. I’m a big fan of using what I call a star drill to develop game like fitness. Inclusive of a dynamic warm-up, each session lasted 30-45 minutes. Mondays and Thursdays were high intensity sprint and agility sessions while Tuesdays and Thursdays were classified as lower intensity, longer distance runs. The training sessions were performed in a typical double-split manner.

The training plan was a 3 week cycle that consisted of four training sessions per week. In this post I’ll detail how one of the players was able to increase her score from level 33 to level 40 in just 23 days. The Women’s Soccer program at The Mount frequently use the Nike Sparq beep test to measure players’ current fitness levels.
