Football Training

Whether you play for a local pub team or for your county, the festive season represents a time of temptation and bad lifestyle choices. Christmas parties usually mean alcohol and tasty treats are never far away, but that can spell disaster for your performance levels if you have a busy festive period of match action ahead. Too many footballers attempt...

Whether you simply want to be involved in the game at grassroots level or you have aspirations to become a professional, there is a clear pathway to becoming an FA referee. Many qualified referees say that officiating is the next best thing to playing, and that it is a great way to serve the local community. If you’re thinking about...

Improving as a goalkeeper involves working on reflexes, agility, leg speed, decision making and hand-eye coordination. In order to hone these skills, lots of practice and constant repetition are required – sometimes in an environment that recreates the intensity and often chaotic nature of a real match. There are five drills for goalkeepers that can develop all of these skills...

Fatigue is the biggest enemy of optimal performance on a match day. Tiring too quickly during a match means you’ll be slower, less agile and distracted when you should be at the peak of your powers. Fuelling the body for a match is something of a science for professional footballers, and those same principles can be applied at grassroots level...

Agility involves strengthening and conditioning certain muscles and tendons within the legs and back. It also involves maintaining balance, body control and foot speed whilst making sharp turns and staying in control of the ball. It is critical in today’s game, as football is now played at a frenetic pace at most levels. In order to improve core strength and...

At a time when participation in grassroots football is waning, it’s essential that local clubs offer safe, well run facilities for players in order to maintain participation levels. A major factor in the decline of the local game in Britain relates directly to under-funded, substandard coaching and facilities – which is why the FA partnered with McDonald’s to launch the...

Shooting is an art-form in football, and the only way to improve it is by putting in the hours on the training pitch. The muscles, awareness and skill required to create power in a shot whilst controlling the ball are different to those needed for other facets of the game. There are five drills in particular that will hone these...

Every footballer knows the benefits of a thorough warm-up before a training session – and the consequences of not performing one. However, cool-down sessions are not so widely adopted at grassroots level, yet they can deliver a range of long-lasting benefits if performed properly. Instead of trundling off to your car or the changing room immediately after a training session...

Another football season is finally upon us, and hitting the ground running on the pitch could be the key to glory in May. However, a relaxing summer and a few indulgences may have left you less than match fit, and you may be facing an uphill task to get into shape before the big kick-off. Slowly build your fitness levels...

Whilst it is true that some footballers are born with natural pace, speed is something that can also be developed and improved on through specialised coaching sessions. The ability to beat a player with sheer pace or be first to a 50/50 ball is of paramount importance in the modern game, which means selecting the right coaching drills is essential...