FSHP Academy
Football S&C — all lessons

Module 1 – Assessment & Evaluation

Assessment protocols for footballers

Module 2 – Long-Term Periodisation

LTAD in footballPeriodisation plans for footballManaging training load and volume

Module 3 – Strength Training

Exercise selection and integration for football

Module 4 – Power & Explosive Training

Explosive power and plyometrics for football

Module 5 – Speed & Agility

Linear speed, lateral speed and agility drills

Module 6 – Overtraining & Recovery

Overtraining signs and fatigue monitoring in football

Module 7 – Practical Application

Football S&C case studies

Assessment protocols for footballers

Testing footballers — match demands, sprint, COD, jump, strength, intermittent endurance (Yo-Yo, 30-15 IFT) and hamstring/adductor strength screening.

Advanced Evidence: Strong evidence 3 min read Reviewed 2026-10-31 Status: draft

Learning objectives

  • Relate testing to football match demands
  • Design a football test battery
  • Run intermittent endurance tests
  • Use results for individual programming

Before this lesson

Why this matters

Football demands repeated sprints, accelerations, decelerations and duels over 90 minutes.

Match demands

Elite players cover roughly 10–13 km per match with numerous high-intensity actions [stolen2005]; straight sprints are the most frequent action in goal situations [faude2012].

Battery

QualityTest
Speed10/20/30 m sprint
COD505, pro-agility
PowerCMJ
StrengthIMTP, Nordic force, adductor squeeze
EnduranceYo-Yo IR1 [bangsbo2008] or 30-15 IFT

Hamstring injuries are among the most common [ekstrand2011] — test eccentric hamstring and adductor strength.

Common mistakes and misconceptions

Case study

A semi-professional team adds Yo-Yo IR1 and Nordic strength tests. Players with low hamstring strength get extra Nordics; hamstring injuries fall the following season.

Further learning: video lessons

Video links are only marked “verified” after a human has watched them. Unverified entries open a YouTube search for that channel and topic rather than a guessed link.

Technical needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Assessment protocols for footballers

football S&C practitioners and federations (search)

You will understand: assessment protocols for footballers

Why: Practitioner content; verify the specific video.
Technical needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Strength and conditioning in practice

football S&C practitioners and federations (search)

You will understand: applied S&C sessions

Why: Practitioner content; verify the specific video.

Knowledge check

Knowledge check · 0/5

1. Faude et al. (2012) found the most frequent action in goal situations was…

Answer B. Speed matters.

2. Stølen et al. (2005) report elite players typically cover around…

Answer B. Match demands.

3. The Yo-Yo IR test assesses…

Answer B. Bangsbo et al. (2008).

4. Hamstring strength testing is relevant because…

Answer A. Ekstrand et al. (2011).

5. Test results should be compared against…

Answer B. Reliability.

Short-answer & application questions

  1. Design a pre-season battery for an academy.
  2. Run a Yo-Yo IR1 test.
  3. Interpret a squad profile.

Key takeaways

  • Elite players cover roughly 10–13 km per match with many high-intensity actions.
  • Straight sprinting is the most frequent action in goal situations.
  • Yo-Yo IR tests assess intermittent endurance relevant to football.
  • Hamstring and adductor strength testing supports injury prevention.

Connected topics

football

Periodisation plans for football

sports technology

Performance testing and analytics workflows

sports technology

Dynamometry

References

  1. Stølen T, Chamari K, Castagna C, Wisløff U (2005). Physiology of soccer: an update. Sports Medicine, 35(6):501–536. Narrative review check pending
  2. Faude O, Koch T, Meyer T (2012). Straight sprinting is the most frequent action in goal situations in professional football. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(7):625–631. Source check pending
  3. Bangsbo J, Iaia FM, Krustrup P (2008). The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test: a useful tool for evaluation of physical performance in intermittent sports. Sports Medicine, 38(1):37–51. Narrative review check pending
  4. Ekstrand J, Hägglund M, Waldén M (2011). Injury incidence and injury patterns in professional football: the UEFA injury study. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 45(7):553–558. Cohort check pending

Educational content only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis or treatment.