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I am training on my own. How many days a week should I train to get the most improvement without injuring myself?
There are a number of factors that affect the answer here:
Your age – While research shows that it is physically just as safe (and, indeed, often beneficial) for younger children to practice four to five days a week as well, it is important not to push younger children too hard as the risk of emotional burnout is greater. As a general rule, I recommend
- Children Under 8: No more than 3 days a week including matches
- Children 8-14: No more than 4 days a week including matches
- Ages 14-40: No more than 6 days a week including matches; with 4-5 days and resting or light practice the day before matches being ideal
- Over 40: As per your body’s ability
- Your general health and fitness
- Your eating habits, iron intake, and calcium intake – This is particularly important for youth since iron and calcium needs are greater to support muscular development and bone growth.
- Social needs – Remember that your emotional well-being will affect your body.
- The weather
- What part of your sport’s season it is – Greater physical training is usually done in the pre-season and the off-season, while the regular season usually calls for more technical emphasis on “maintenance” and training (see chart below for some general principles).
| Priority Of Fitness Elements in a Soccer Training Program | |||
| Early Pre-Season | Late Pre-Season | In-Season | |
| Continuous training | High | Low | Low |
| Interval training | Low | High | Maintenance |
| Strength training | High | Moderate | Low |
| Power training | High | Moderate | Maintenance |
| Speed training | Low | High | Maintenance |
| Flexibility training | High | High | High |
(courtesy of sport-fitness-advisor.com)
Remember, how you train is more important than how much you train: choosing more effective exercises and drills, using better form, and training with a higher intensity will often be more effective than training more often.
As a coach how many kids can I train on my own
Hi Rob,
I can’t really give you a specific answer for that one. It depends on a variety of factors including your ability, their age and experience, and league rules.
well i haven’t played soccer for 2-3 years and just want to get back in the game and this year would be my last year in high school and played soccer so is there any suggestion like what do i eat and how much a day should i trained and what drills should i do because i used to trained alone and that’s how i trained so any tips…
You just got to eat right and eat as much protein as you can. Also do the basic drills you need like ball control (juggling drills/kicking the ball up and controlling), dribbling (through cones/in a line), passing against a wall or with a friend, and shooting with your head over the ball and with laces against a wall or on net. So stick with the basics and you can go as far as you want in life. I’m 14 and I’m doing this 6-7 times a week with an occasional 1 day break. Train hard. Succeed Happily. Cheers!!
Hi Stephen,
Great advice overall.
Stick with it!
Coach James