Professional Pre-Season Training Plan - 12 Week Plan to improve Acceleration, Balance, Control, Endurance, Speed, Strength

Sep 22, 2026

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Professional Pre-Season Training Plan provides a structured 12-week conditioning framework for football athletes, emphasizing key performance fitness areas including endurance, speed, agility, balance/coordination, and position-specific training. The plan outlines monitoring and testing methods, explaining why a single test is insufficient and proposing a battery of football tests. It details anthropometric measures and specific assessments such as sprint tests, sprint fatigue-power maintenance, the Illinois agility test, and the 300 yards shuttle test, including procedures, equipment, and interpretation criteria.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages83

Reading Time3 h 29 min

AccessFree to download

Understanding your Players

The Fitness Requirements of Soccer

Key Aspects

Monitoring /Testing

Battery of Football Tests

Fitness Parameter Overview

Sprint Test

30m Sprint Fatigue-Power Maintenance Test

Illinois Agility Test

300 Yards Shuttle Test

Bleep Test

Professional Pre--Season Training Plan 12 Week Plan to improve Acceleration, Balance, Control, Endurance, Speed, Strength, Copyright© AC Ramskill 2008 All Rights reserved no part of this publication maybe reproduced, transmitted or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise without written permission from the publisher or licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Understanding your Players 􀂄 The Fitness Requirements of Soccer When setting up an effective conditioning system for football, it is important to understand the exact requirements of the game. A major feature of elite football performance is its dependence upon an advanced level of highly specific fitness. Modern football players are undoubtedly bigger, faster, and stronger than Ithe past, largely due to the introduction of scientifically based conditioning methods. Conditioning methods are constantly evolving and players must ensure that they are utilising the most modern, effective training methods. Key Aspects 􀂄 Football Specific Exercises for all aspects 􀂄 Endurance 􀂄 Speed 􀂄 Agility 􀂄 Balance /Co-ordination 􀂄 Position Specific Training Monitoring /Testing 􀂄 A key aspect of developing and improving a player is to implement a MONITORING procedure to enable the coach to see if the work the player is doing is improving his/her fitness 􀂄 No one test can give the coach all the information needed to evaluate a player’s performance. Therefore a battery of tests must be used. The battery in Figure 1.1 is designed to evaluate all aspects of football performance Battery of Football Tests | Fitness Parameter | Subdivision | Test | | --- | --- | --- | | Anthropometry | | Height
Weight
Body Fat (skinfolds) | | Speed | Pure acceleration Transition acceleration Maximum Speed | 10-yard dash 40-yard dash Flying 40-yard dash | | Agility | | T-test Illinois 505 Test | | Power | Functional Leg Strength Explosive strength /power | Vertical Jump Standing Long Jump 1RM hang clean | | Strength | Leg Strength
Upper-body strength | 1RM squat
1RM bench press | | Endurance | Anaerobic endurance Aerobic Endurance | 30m sprint fatigue Bleep Test | | Note: 1 RM = one-rep max | | | SPRINT TEST 􀂄 Description / Procedure : The purpose of this test is to determine maximum running speed. It involves running a single maximum sprint over a set distance, with time recorded. The test is conducted over different distances, such as 10, 20, 40 and/or 50 meters or yards, depending on the sport and what you are trying to measure. The starting position should be standardize, starting from a stationary position, with no rocking movements. 􀂄 If you have the equipment (e.g. timing gates), you can measure the time to run each split distances (e.g. 5, 10, 20m) during the same run, and then acceleration and peak velocity can also be determined. It is usual to give the athletes an adequate warm-up and practice first, and some encouragement to continue running hard past the finish line. 􀂄 Equipment required : measuring tape or marked track, stopwatch or timing gates, markers. 30m SPRINT FATIGUE-POWER MAINTENANCE TEST Description / Procedure : 􀂄 In many multi-sprint sports such basketball, hockey, rugby, football, and so on, players often have to reproduce sprints in quick succession. The ability to recover between sprints and produce the same level of power over and over is a measure of sprint fatigue. 􀂄 For this test you require 12 cones or markers and a stopwatch. Look at the diagram to see how to set the cones out: 􀂄 Sprint from A to b between the cones deviating 5m sideways in the middle of the sprint. Have a training partner start you off and time your sprint from A to B. 􀂄 Jog slowly for 10 meters after point B and then back to the start taking 30 seconds to do so. 􀂄 As soon as you reach the start repeat the sprint. 􀂄 Complete a total of 10 sprints and have

FAQs

Why is monitoring and testing essential during pre-season training?

A monitoring procedure helps coaches see whether training is improving fitness. No single test provides enough information, so a battery of tests should be used to evaluate football performance comprehensively.

How do you conduct the sprint test to measure maximum running speed?

Run a single maximum sprint over a set distance with time recorded. Use standard starting from a stationary position, and consider measuring split times with timing gates to determine acceleration and peak velocity.

What does the 30m sprint fatigue-power maintenance test measure and how is it performed?

It assesses sprint fatigue by requiring repeated sprints with recovery, testing the ability to reproduce power over and over. Set cones or markers, time repeated sprints with a partner, complete 10 sprints, then compute sprint fatigue as the difference between slowest and fastest times.

Sep 22, 2026

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