Preseason Soccer Practice Plan

Who this is for: any competitive squad in the two weeks before games start. High school, club, college.

The one thing to get right: load. Every preseason injury I've ever seen came from a coach who ran the hardest session on day two because everyone was keen. They were keen because they were fresh. They were fresh because they hadn't done anything for six weeks. Build up.

A workable shape for two weeks: days 1–3 are technical and aerobic, days 4–7 add intensity, days 8–10 add contact and competition, days 11–14 look like a normal in-season week. One full day off in there, minimum. Two is better.

A day-5 session (90 minutes)

0:00–0:12 — bulletproof-activation-circuit

Proper activation, not stretching in a circle. Preseason is when soft tissue injuries happen and this is the cheapest insurance you'll buy all year.

0:12–0:26 — Technical: first-touch-triangle

Six weeks off makes everyone's first touch worse. Fix it in the first week rather than discovering it in the first game.

Say: "Touch away from where the pressure's coming from. Every one."

0:26–0:44 — Conditioning with a ball: game-speed-interval-grid

This is the aerobic work and it has a ball in it, which means it's also technical work, which means it isn't wasted. Laps without a ball are punishment, not training.

Say: "Hard when it's hard. Actually rest when it's rest. If you're jogging the recovery you're doing neither properly."

0:44–1:04 — Shape: build-through-the-block-8v8

First real look at how you want to play. Big numbers, full distances, real speed. You're not coaching detail yet — you're finding out who understands the idea and who needs it explained again on Thursday.

1:04–1:20 — Competitive game: score-and-keep-7v7

Preseason squads need to compete against each other early, because the pecking order gets decided in these two weeks whether you organise it or not. Better that it happens in a game you designed.

1:20–1:30 — cool-down-possession-circle and hydration you actually watch them do.

Progression across the fortnight

• Days 1–3: tempo-runs-with-the-ball, ball-mastery-circuit, gate-passing-pairs. Volume, no intensity.
• Days 4–7: the session above. repeated-sprint-shuttles once, not twice.
• Days 8–10: add duel-day-strength-circuit and pressing-triggers-4v4-plus-2. This is where intensity peaks.
• Days 11–14: taper. attacking-corner-menu, defensive-wall-organisation, short sharp games, and rest. You do not get fitter in the last three days. You only get more tired.

The honest bit. Most coaches do too much in preseason and spend September managing hamstrings. If you finish the fortnight with everyone available, you've won it, regardless of how the friendlies went.