Football is not an endurance sport – but endurance is essential
A footballer covers 8–14 kilometres in a match, depending on position and performance level. That sounds like an endurance sport. But here is the crucial difference:
These 8–14 kilometres do not consist of steady-state running. They consist of:
- approx. 30–40% walking
- approx. 30–35% low-intensity jogging
- approx. 15–20% medium-intensity running
- approx. 7–10% high-intensity running
- approx. 1–3% maximum sprints
Between intensive actions, there are recurring recovery periods – walking, standing, jogging slowly. This is intermittent load: the constant alternation between exertion and recovery.
Continuous running is not an intermittent load. It trains the wrong energy system for football.
Intermittent load: the core of football-specific endurance
The concept of intermittent load describes activities where short intensive bouts alternate with short recovery phases. Football is the textbook example.
What this means physiologically:
The aerobic energy system (oxygen utilisation) is responsible for the recovery phases – it restores energy between intensive actions. The anaerobic system (ATP-CP and lactate) is utilised for sprints and explosive actions.
Football-specific endurance therefore means: the ability to recover quickly after an intensive sprint – and deliver full performance again on the very next sprint.
That is fundamentally different from the ability to run at a steady pace for 40 minutes.
The two levels of endurance in football
Football-specific endurance is divided into two levels, each trained differently.
Level 1: Basic endurance (aerobic capacity)
Basic endurance is the foundation. It describes the capacity of the aerobic energy system to deliver energy efficiently.
What basic endurance delivers:
- Rapid recovery between intensive actions
- Delayed onset of fatigue
- More efficient fat metabolism
- Support for regeneration across the entire duration of the match
Training method: Extensive endurance
Extensive endurance training = medium intensity, longer duration.
- Pace: approx. 60–75% of maximum heart rate
- Duration: 20–40 minutes
- Format: light continuous running (yes, even that has its place!), but preferably: low-tempo game-based drills
Where does it belong?
Basic endurance belongs in the pre-season preparation phase – especially during the opening weeks. This is where you lay the aerobic foundation upon which everything else builds. During the competitive season, it is maintained, not systematically developed.
Level 2: Football-specific endurance (aerobic power)
This is the ability to work at high intensity (80–90% of maximum speed) over an extended period – with short recovery breaks.
What this means in practice:
Training at 80–90% of maximum heart rate, in intervals of 2–10 minutes, with active recovery breaks of 1–3 minutes.
Training method: Intensive game-based drills
The best way to train football-specific endurance is through intensive game-based drills:
- 4v4 or 5v5 on a small pitch
- High running demand through active pressing rules
- 3–5 minutes of play, followed by a 2-minute break
- 4–6 sets
This method trains endurance + technique + tactics simultaneously. That is its greatest advantage over isolated running sessions.
Alternative: Interval runs
For more precise load management:
- 15/15 intervals: 15 seconds at 90–95% maximum speed, 15 seconds active recovery (jogging)
- 30/30 intervals: 30 seconds intensive, 30 seconds rest
- Sets of 8–15 repetitions, 2–4 sets
The training order: what comes when?
In session planning, there is a clear priority:
Speed and power before endurance
If you plan speed training and endurance training within the same session, carry out the speed training first. Why?
- Speed requires maximum neurological activation
- Endurance training fatigues the nervous system
- Endurance training after speed training is feasible
- Speed training after endurance training is far less effective
Across seasonal periodisation:
- Early pre-season: basic endurance (extensive methods)
- Mid pre-season: transition to more intensive game-based drills
- Competitive season: maintenance through match-realistic drills, no new conditioning building blocks
Football-specific endurance across different age groups
U8 to U12
Traditional endurance training has no place in this age group. Motor and coordinative development takes absolute priority.
Endurance develops automatically in this age group through playful activity: varied game formats, frequent touches of the ball, continuous movement.
What to avoid: Conditioning programmes for children under 12 that resemble scaled-down professional regimes. Children are not miniature adults.
U13 to U15
The first systematic introduction to football-specific endurance. Intensive game-based drills serve as the primary method. No emphasis on basic endurance – this should develop naturally through regular training sessions.
Guidelines:
- 1–2 intensive small-sided game blocks per week
- No isolated running sessions in this age group
From U16 upwards
A more differentiated approach to endurance training is now appropriate. Basic endurance in pre-season, football-specific endurance (game-based intervals) during the competitive season.
Interval runs as a supplement:
From U16/U17 upwards, 15/15 or 30/30 interval runs can be used as a targeted supplement to game-based drills – particularly when small-sided games are not feasible for logistical reasons.
The mistake with continuous running
Continuous running has a very limited role in football: as a gentle recovery run the day after a match (low tempo, 20–30 minutes), and perhaps during the very first week of pre-season to ease players back in.
However, as the primary method for endurance training, continuous running is flawed:
- It trains the wrong energy system (steady-state endurance instead of intermittent power)
- It offers no tactical or technical transfer
- It is non-specific to the demands of the match
- When utilised regularly, it can impair explosive speed and power (the endurance-hypertrophy conflict)
Exception: Recovery runs after matches or during the transition period between seasons.
Measuring endurance: the Yo-Yo test
The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test is the benchmark fitness test in football. It evaluates intermittent endurance – reflecting the specific demands of football far better than traditional 12-minute runs (such as the Cooper test).
How the Yo-Yo test works:
Players run shuttles between two lines (20 metres) at an increasing pace. Between runs, there are brief active recovery periods (10 seconds). The running speed increases with each level. The test finishes when the player can no longer keep pace.
Advantage:
The test measures precisely what football demands: endurance interspersed with short recovery phases. Test results correlate strongly with actual match performance.
Planning and documenting endurance training: what academies need
In an academy with multiple age groups, it is vital to track which side is utilising which endurance methods and when. Without a clear overview, you risk overload during intensive periods and gaps in athletic development.
Coach OS supports your staff:
- Training planning: schedule endurance blocks into the microcycle with precise intensity targets
- Drill database: filter game formats by physical objective (basic endurance, intensive small-sided games)
- Club OS: academy directors can verify whether endurance training is planned methodically across all age groups
- Periodisation: structure endurance development across the pre-season – with clearly defined intensity stages
→ Request a demo: coach-os.com
Conclusion: endurance in football is football-specific – or it is useless
If you want to train endurance in football, you must understand what the game actually demands: not steady-state exertion, but constant fluctuation. Intensive game-based drills, interval work, and targeted basic endurance in pre-season – that is the methodical way forward.
Three laps around the pitch can never replace that.
Read more: Verheijen's football periodisation explained.
Read more: Football training for adults: drills and session structure.
FAQ: Endurance training in football
Why is continuous running poor endurance training for footballers?
Because football is not a steady-state activity. The sport consists of intermittent load – short, explosive phases alternating with brief recoveries. Continuous running trains general aerobic capacity, but not the ability to recover rapidly between sprints, which is decisive on the pitch.
What is intermittent load?
A pattern of exertion where short high-intensity efforts alternate with short recovery intervals. Football is inherently intermittent – players sprint, recover, and sprint again. Football-specific endurance training replicates this exact demand profile.
How do you train football-specific endurance most effectively?
Through intensive game-based drills (small pitch, high running demands, structured interval breaks) and via 15/15 or 30/30 interval runs. Both methods condition the aerobic energy system within football-specific intensity thresholds.
At what age should systematic endurance training begin?
From around U16 upwards. Prior to that, endurance develops most effectively through playful training with continuous movement. Conditioning programmes for children under 13 offer little methodical benefit – and can undermine motivation and enjoyment of the game.
What is the difference between basic endurance and football-specific endurance?
Basic endurance (aerobic capacity) is the ability to supply energy efficiently over long periods – developed via extensive methods at moderate intensity. Football-specific endurance (aerobic power) is the ability to sustain repeated efforts at 80–90% of maximum speed and recover rapidly – trained through intensive small-sided games and interval runs.