Preparing your body for 90 minutes

Featuring expert insight from Henrik Kuchno, Athletic Coach at Hertha Berlin.

Football is played in moments, a sprint to beat a defender, a change of direction to create space, a final burst in the closing minutes of a match. Building the fitness to repeat those actions throughout 90 minutes requires more than just running. We spoke to Henrik Kuchno, Athletic Coach at Hertha Berlin, to understand how professional players prepare their bodies for the demands of matchday.

Football fitness is different from general fitness. Matches are made up of repeated bursts of acceleration, changes of direction and high-intensity actions, so your training should reflect those demands. The closer your sessions are to real match situations, the better prepared your body will be when it matters.

“It is important to transfer what happens in matches into our training sessions and train in a game-realistic way.”
- Henrik Kuchno, Athletic Coach, Hertha Berlin

A football match isn’t decided by one sprint, it’s the ability to perform again and again throughout the game. Incorporating short, intense efforts with periods of recovery helps develop the physical qualities needed to press, track back and make decisive actions late in matches.

Small-sided games are one of the most effective ways to combine fitness and football. They replicate the decisions, movement and intensity players experience in matches, while improving technical ability under pressure.

“When we talk about small-sided games, the pitch dimensions are chosen so that we can replicate the intensity of a match.”
- Henrik Kuchno

The goal of pre-season is to become a better footballer, not just a fitter athlete. The best conditioning work supports your ability to perform with the ball, making sharp decisions, maintaining technique under fatigue and staying effective until the final whistle.

“The games are the highlight of the week, but afterwards players should not need several days to recover from them.”
- Henrik Kuchno