Improve fitness away from training sessions
If like many youth or lower level football team you only train once a week, you can't rely on your football sessions alone to improve your fitness, one session a week is not going to be enough to get you ready for match fitness, no way. So you need to take control and carry out sessions during the week to help you get ready for the season ahead. It will still be a tough start after a few weeks away. After just 2 weeks of not playing and training your fitness will drop by 10%! After 4 weeks you start to lose strength. You need to push yourself to get up and active as soon as possible. But you don't need a gym or your team mates to get you going. Below is a table to help you get started. Of course, there are plenty of videos and guides online you can access, but this a good starting point for basic fitness development and one I used to use during my summer rest periods. Some of you may already have a structured programme, feel free to share your i...