Abstract

Due to the length of football matches and the effort required when playing in them, improving endurance should occupy an important place in the planning drawn up by coaches and trainers. The development of two physiological parameters seems important in achieving these improvements: maximal oxygen uptake and the anaerobic threshold. The aim of this paper is to analyse the various methods of endurance training in football that have proved their worth and which include high intensity interval training, small game situations, repeated sprint training and continuous training. Use of these methods during the course of the season should be based on the assessment of the players’ endurance levels, which in turn will guide possible planning strategies in order to optimise the players’ performance.