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

Exercise selection and integration for football

Strength training for footballers — exercise selection, Nordic and Copenhagen injury prevention, in-season maintenance and integration with technical training.

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

Learning objectives

  • Select strength exercises for football
  • Include evidence-based injury prevention exercises
  • Programme in-season strength maintenance
  • Integrate strength with technical training

Before this lesson

Why this matters

Stronger players sprint, jump and change direction better and are more robust.

Exercise menu

CategoryExercises
Lower bodySquat, trap-bar deadlift, split squat, step-up
Posterior chainRDL, hip thrust, Nordics [vandyk2019]
AdductorsCopenhagen progressions
CalvesSingle-leg calf raises
Upper bodyPush-ups, rows, presses
TrunkAnti-rotation, carries

Strength supports football performance [silva2015] [suchomel2016].

Integration

Pre-season: 2–3 sessions. In-season: 1–2 sessions, ~30 min. Injury prevention warm-ups on training days [soligard2008].

Common mistakes and misconceptions

Case study

An amateur club adds two 30-minute strength sessions and Nordics. Over a season, players’ 20 m sprint times improve and hamstring injuries drop.

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

Exercise selection and integration for football

football S&C practitioners and federations (search)

You will understand: exercise selection and integration for football

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. Silva et al. (2015) concluded strength training in soccer…

Answer B. Review.

2. The Nordic hamstring exercise reduces…

Answer B. van Dyk et al. (2019).

3. Copenhagen adductor exercise targets…

Answer B. Groin.

4. In-season strength training is usually…

Answer B. Maintenance.

5. Strength sessions are best placed…

Answer B. Recovery before match.

Short-answer & application questions

  1. Design a pre-season strength programme.
  2. Plan in-season strength for two-match weeks.
  3. Teach Nordic progressions.

Key takeaways

  • Strength training improves sprint, jump and change-of-direction performance in footballers.
  • Nordic hamstring exercise roughly halves hamstring injuries in prevention programmes.
  • In-season: 1–2 short sessions maintain strength.
  • Place strength sessions away from match day.

Connected topics

football

Explosive power and plyometrics for football

prehab rehab

Injury prevention programmes

References

  1. Silva JR, Nassis GP, Rebelo A (2015). Strength training in soccer with a specific focus on highly trained players. Sports Medicine – Open, 1:17. Narrative review check pending
  2. van Dyk N, Behan FP, Whiteley R (2019). Including the Nordic hamstring exercise in injury prevention programmes halves the rate of hamstring injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 8459 athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53(21):1362–1370. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-100045 Meta-analysis check pending
  3. Suchomel TJ, Nimphius S, Stone MH (2016). The importance of muscular strength in athletic performance. Sports Medicine, 46(10):1419–1449. Narrative review check pending
  4. Soligard T, Myklebust G, Steffen K, et al. (2008). Comprehensive warm-up programme to prevent injuries in young female footballers: cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 337:a2469. RCT check pending

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