Football Endurance Blocks

Objective

• -Build the aerobic base a full match demands
• -Keep the work football specific with a ball at the end of each block
• -Give players a clear pre-season progression

Setup

1. 1Mark a running circuit around half a pitch.
2. 2Cones mark a jog section, a stride section and a sprint section.
3. 3Balls and a goal at the end of the circuit.

How to play

1. 1Complete the circuit at the pace each section demands.
2. 2Four blocks of three minutes with 90 seconds walking recovery.
3. 3Finish each block with a pass and a strike at goal.

Progressions

• +Progressive Tempo: add a fourth maximal round
• +Ball For Every Player: shrink the working area
• +Reaction Start: two cues, one a decoy
• +Add a competitive scoreline for the last round

Regressions

• -Progressive Tempo: stay at the first two tempos only
• -Ball For Every Player: bigger area, share a ball between two
• -Reaction Start: coach counts players in
• -Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

• -Progressive Tempo — Three rounds: 60% pace, 80% pace, then match pace with full recovery between.
• -Ball For Every Player — Every player works with their own ball so no one waits in a queue.
• -Reaction Start — Every repetition begins from a visual or audio cue rather than a set count.
• -Partner Race — Players work in matched pairs and race each repetition, best of five.
• -Mobility Focus — Each round finishes with a controlled mobility hold for the hips, groin and ankles.
• -Change Of Direction — Add a 90 or 180 degree turn into every repetition before the finish.
• -Team Target — The whole group works to a shared score target and repeats the round if they miss it.
• -Flip the practice to the opposite side of the pitch

Common mistakes

• -Running every section at the same pace
• -Skipping the recovery walk
• -Using this with under-12s — keep younger groups on games