Question:
I coach a women’s div1 team, ages ranges from 18-40 (very competitive).
Right now we are working on conditioning for the coming season. Question I have
is, is there such a thing as “women specific conditioning drills”? What drills
would you suggest for women of this age?
Answer:
There really aren’t any women-specific conditioning drills. Keep in mind that the exercise intensity in women’s soccer is not as high as seen in the male game due to the lower physical capacity of the female players. However, the activity profile of women soccer players is similar to that of male players which means there’s little difference in the training potential of men and women. What this means is that male and female players should basically train in the same way. Also note that training at a high intensity for women is known to cause changes in the menstrual cycle. The intensity of exercise, therefore, should be increased gradually (more so than with men) so that players’ bodies have time to adjust. If a player should have menstrual changes, the player should take a short time off from training. But as far as specific drills for women that differ from men, there basically aren’t any.
There is no such women conditioning drill specifically. Conditioning depends on the level an capacity of the player. even during menstrual period it depeneds on the state of mind of the player. Some girls work hard and some would like to rest at that time.However they need to be motivated to prepare themselves if they have the cycle during tournaments. As soccer is played with the same rules and regulations, there is no specific drills or conditioning for women. Loading may differ according to their capability.