In this blog post we put some questions to West Ham nutritionist Matt Jones, asking him about how a player can correctly hydrate during football training sessions, and how this can be tailored to suit the weather, their on-field position, body composition and training routine.

It is said that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve greatness in a discipline, whether that’s piano, golf or – in our case – football. 

Elite professional footballers have undoubtedly put in their 10,000+ hours, although the vast majority of that takes place when the cameras are off; on the training ground, in the gym and in the classroom.

Whatever your level, training is crucial for footballers wanting to reach their potential and take their game further. Whether you are a player, a coach or a parent, in this article we dissect the world of football training and give you everything you need to know to make the most of it.

As the Covid-19 Lockdown nears its end, everyone will be looking forward to getting back to normal life, which will include a return to sporting & leisure activities. For footballers up and down the country, from Grassroots Amateurs to Premier League stars, everyone will be itching to get their boots back on and kick a ball around. For many, this will include a return to structured sessions for the first time in a number of months. Therefore, it’ll be crucial to prepare for this period correctly.

While 2020 has been a disaster for most of us due to a certain pandemic, there was light at the end of the tunnel in the summer. Restrictions had eased, gyms had reopened, and football was no longer a forbidden activity.

However, with cold-season in full swing, the country is experiencing tighter restrictions and new lockdowns at both local and national level. These new measures spell the end of gyms and football training for the foreseeable future. Time for a collective sigh.

But now is not the time to throw away your hard work! In this article we explore some of the ways that can help you can stay fit for football during the next few weeks.

Sunday League footballers are a diverse breed, although it’s easy to split such variety into two basic categories: those players who turn up to the match smelling of booze, kebab and last-night’s misdeeds… and those who take things seriously.

We’ll assume, having landed on this guide to perfecting your Sunday League match preparation, that you are in the second group!

Aerobic endurance is one of the most crucial fitness attributes for a soccer player, mainly due to the fact players must maintain a high level of intense actions throughout a 90-minute match.

Goalkeepers claiming crosses, centre halves winning first contacts and strikers bagging with their head, there are plenty of examples of jumping higher being advantageous to footballers. Whilst jumping itself is not a particularly complex task, the science of improving your jump height through appropriate physical preparation can be a little more complex.

Considering the gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body, it is probably the muscle that most footballers have the least knowledge about and do not understand how vital it is to help maximise performance.

Through my experience of working with youth footballers, one common observation I have made is that a lot of them lack hip mobility. When conducting lower body strengthening sessions, specifically performing squats, they have struggled with the technique and find it hard to sit back into the exercise.