John Shepherd explains how getting into real shape for football requires an amalgamation of training methods. You have to be powerful, quick, agile and flexible and have a 'good engine'

Conditioning for football has travelled light years in the last decade. Clubs are determined to get as much out of their multi-million pound investments as they can. Sports science therefore plays a big part and players are subject to rigorous physiological assessment and testing. As a weekend warrior your will not have quite the same back-up team to ensure your football fitness, but what can you do to achieve optimum condition?

Warming up for football

A recent survey indicated that hamstring strain rates were negatively linked to the amount of static stretching Premiership footballer's performed. Basically, the more 'bend down and touch your toes and hold' type of stretching they did the more they were likely to strain their hamstrings in practice and matches. This may come as a surprise, but it should not when you consider the physical requirements of football. Players have to make repeated dynamic movements, such as sprints, jumps and turns. Research from Finland discovered that in the course of a season players could make 3900 jumps and 7000 turns, for example. These movements require dynamic muscular contractions; contractions that have little relevance to those involved in held stretches. Most top clubs now employ dynamic warm-ups, which place a much greater emphasis on active and football relevant dynamic mobility.

Professor Angel Spassov is a conditioning expert, originally from Bulgaria who is now based in the States. He is a football specialist and has worked with six World Cup squads. The professor has put together a specific football warm-up. You should use and adapt it to your purposes, if you want to avoid crying off with injuries that could be avoided.

Spassov's warm-up involves both passive and active elements. For the passive part, he advises players to loosen their muscles 30-60 minutes before the game/training session, by rubbing their ankles, knees, all the leg muscles, lower back, neck and shoulders with a heating ointment, preferably one that is odourless and not too hot on the skin. The active warm-up that follows is divided into two parts:

 General

This begins with 6-8 minutes of jogging, followed by neck, shoulder, lower back and abdominal stretches. There should be 2-3 different routines, with 10-12 repetitions of each. Next, legs (hamstrings, hip flexors, abductors, adductors, quads and calf muscles) are targeted with passive (held) and dynamic stretches (2-3 standard routines with 10-12 reps with performance speed increased every set for the dynamic stretches, such as leg swings). Next varying-intensity sprints are performed in different directions. At the end of this part of the warm-up, players' pulse rates should have reached 160-170 beats per minute.

Specific

This begins with various kicks of the ball with both legs and various technical moves with the ball, such as dribbling and stopping the ball. These should progress to medium intensity and be performed with another player, then to high intensity with players combining into groups to practice all the technical skills at the highest possible intensity and speed.

Spassov's suggested warm-up makes great sense and should control players' progression to match readiness. With the early parts of the warm-up performed individually, players should be able to focus on their own movements and progression and not be tempted to perform too dynamic movements before their muscles are fully prepared.