If you ask any player from 8 to 40 what the worst part of playing soccer is, two answers will almost universally arise: losing and conditioning.
When it comes to conditioning, most players grow up with the belief that conditioning is a chore – that conditioning is something to be dreaded. To most players, conditioning is a punishment. Players run more when they do something wrong or when the coach is upset.
This is where the other universal “worst” comes in – losing. Even in the most casual leagues, players do not enjoy losing, and coaches can establish the value of conditioning by reversing traditional thoughts about it.
- Establish that the players want to win.
Coaches do not have to overemphasize the value of winning, just re-affirm that the team does want to win. In most cases, this should be fairly easy. - Get players to agree that better conditioned players are better players
All other things being equal, a fresh player is better than a tired player. Better conditioning helps keep players from getting tired. - Get players to agree that having better players means having a better team.
- Get players to agree that having a better team means the team is more likely to win.
- Affirm that conditioning is, therefore, a good thing – indeed, it is a privilege.
Rather than punishing players by making them run when they do something bad, let them run for doing something good.
Have players that win practice games do shuttle runs as a reward.
Let the team do more conditioning for a good practice rather than a bad practice.