How to turn into a great football player

Two days ago, the pressroom at the Real Madrid training facility, Valdebebas, was brimming with eager journalists. They had all showed up to meet a youngster from Drammen. I am of course talking about Martin Ødegaard. We spoke with Professor Jan Hoff before the presentation of Ødegaard.

He has previously worked with both Real Madrid and the youngster’s previous team, Strømsgodset, and he said that Ødegaard has a lot of training ahead of him before he finds himself on the same level as his teammates: Martin Ødegaard has to train as much as Cristiano Ronaldo has done over the last ten years to become as good.

That is if he continues with individual ball training in addition to physical training that will improve his endurance and strength. If he does this two to three hours a week, he can become just as good.We talked to Hoff once more, and he has in collaboration with colleague, Jan Helgerud, and former footballer and coach, Åge Hareide, developed the recipe for how you should train to be the best on the football field, a recipe we have been allowed to share.

Work out every day

Outside the season, teams in the top league train every day. During the season they train anywhere from three to five times a week, depending on how many matches they have.“At joint trainings, they focus on technique, tactics and general maintenance of their physical resources. Strength and endurance is an individual player's responsibility, with support from coaches or physical therapists if there are injuries or other issues to consider, Hoff says.Individual training with strength and conditioning therefore comes in addition to regular trainings, and also varies according to whether it is off-season or not.

You can relax though. You do not have to work out twice every day to see progress on the football field. Actually, it is enough with two sessions a week - in addition to the regular trainings of course.

Run two kilometres further

Hoff recommends endurance training in the form of interval training. This increases the maximum oxygen uptake, which again determines the running capacity you have in a football game. After only 16 interval sessions you can improve your oxygen uptake with three to five mL - allowing you to run one and a half to two kilometres further per match.“Another effect of increased oxygen uptake is twice as many sprints and 30 percent more involvement with the ball, in every game,” Hoff says.Interval training is what Hoff has recommended to players in top teams like Barcelona, ​​Celtic, Manchester United and Arsenal, and they have seen good results after the introduction of the new training regime.

So how often should you run intervals?“Two interval sessions a week improves oxygen uptake by one percent per week, while one session a week maintains the uptake you already have,” Hoff explains.The recipe for a successful interval session, which according to Hoff is twice as effective as all other training, looks like this:

• Six minutes warm-up or, do the intervals right after a training session with your team.

• Running on a treadmill with five percent incline.

• Four times four-minute intervals; with three minutes active break between each interval.

• The intensity in the intervals should be between 85 and 95 percent of maximum heart rate - meaning you should breathe heavily, without discomfort and without lactic acid. You should not be able to have a conversation during your intervals.

• Use one to two minutes to get into the right heart rate zone on the first interval, and one minute on the next.

• During the active breaks, you should be at approximately 70 percent of maximum heart rate.

• Cool down for five minutes after you are finished with all four intervals.

Interval on the football field

Is it possible to implement these intervals without a treadmill or a hill nearby though? The picture below shows an exercise you can carry out on the football field, which corresponds to the intervals we already described.

This is a dribble trail for training and testing of endurance in soccer, completed with a ball across the field. Between points A and B you shall run backwards, and the three hedges in the drawing should be about 20 centimetres apart. Altogether one lap is 300 meters and it will be implemented in four-minute intervals, four times. Players work together two and two, and while one player is working, the other has a break and follows the working player on the inside of the track - and could make themselves useful by picking up cones or other items that has been run over.

How to win the headers

Interval training does not affect the speed, strength or agility. To change that you have to take off the running shoes and hit the weights.When it comes to working on the strength, four times four repetitions also applies, and the number of sessions are the same - one session a week maintains, while two sessions a week increases your strength by two to four percent. 16 strength sessions provides an improvement of 30 to 60 percent, which corresponds to between 30 and 50 kilos extra weight.

“With an increase of 50 kilos in squats you can run one meter faster per ten meters and jump three to five centimetres higher. You will also be able to run nearly one kilometre further in every game, because you improve your running economy, Hoff explains.The perfect strength workout is simple and consists of squats or leg presses. The point of these sessions is that you should improve your strength and speed, but without increasing muscle mass. So how do you do that?

• Squat (or leg press) down to 90 degrees in the knee joint.

• You should squat down slowly, have a short pause at the bottom, and then use maximum mobilisation of power to push yourself up again. Each repetition should be completed on your toes.

• If you use leg press instead of squatting, you should also exercise your abdominal muscles and your back to prevent damage and injuries.

• Do four times four repetitions. The resistance should be so heavy that you do not manage any more.

• Add five kilos each time you are able to do more than four times four repetitions.

• This exercise can be carried out after an endurance session or after a regular football training.

Good luck!