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Off Season Training | Types of Extra Work Before Preseason

  • Writer: FPA Team
    FPA Team
  • Jun 26
  • 3 min read

A few weeks after the season ends, the football market wakes up. Gym plans, technical personal sessions, Coerver-style coaching, speed work, finishing clinics, strength blocks, “elite” small groups. It all looks useful. The problem is not one session. The problem is when parents stack everything together and call it preparation.


The Off Season Training Trap

Off Season Training sounds sensible. A child rests a little, then works on weaknesses before preseason. In theory, that can help.


In real life, many children do not get an off-season. They get a second season with different logos.

The usual mix looks like this:

  • gym sessions for strength,

  • technical personal coaching,

  • Coerver-style ball mastery,

  • speed and agility sessions,

  • striker or goalkeeper clinics,

  • tournament weekends,

  • casual matches with friends,

  • extra running “to stay sharp”.

Each activity may look harmless alone. Together, they become training load.


Social Media Makes It Look Urgent

The off-season market is built for parents’ anxiety. Social media shows sharp cones, fast feet, sweat, slow-motion goals and children training in branded kit.


It creates one message: “Other children are working. Yours might fall behind.”

That is powerful marketing. It is not evidence.

Parents should notice the language:

  • “elite preparation”,

  • “don’t lose your place”,

  • “preseason starts now”,

  • “limited spaces”,

  • “academy standard”,

  • “train like a pro”.

A child is not a mini-professional. A growing body has growth plates, school fatigue, emotional stress, family life and a nervous system that needs recovery.


The Real Risk Is Hidden Load

The coach sees team training. The gym coach sees gym work. The technical coach sees ball work. The parent sees the calendar.

That means the parent is often the only person who can see the full load.


Hidden load includes:

  • hard gym work after technical sessions,

  • repeated sprints in separate sessions,

  • too many changes of surface,

  • football every day without recovery,

  • summer heat and poor sleep,

  • pressure to “impress” before preseason.


This is where good intentions become risky. A child can arrive at team preparation already tired, sore, flat or mentally switched off.


Worried parents compare Off Season Training options online beside football boots, a bag and a ball.

More Sessions Do Not Always Mean More Development

A technical personal session can be useful. A good gym programme can help older adolescents. Coerver-style work can improve ball control. Speed coaching can support movement quality.

But the question is not “Is this good?”


The better question is: “What is the total cost this week?”

Parents should ask:

  • What did my child do yesterday?

  • What will the team expect next week?

  • Is there at least one true rest day?

  • Is the child sleeping well?

  • Is soreness disappearing or staying?

  • Does the child still want to train?

When the answer starts to look messy, the body is already speaking.


Signs the Off-Season Has Become Overload

The problem is not always obvious at first. It looks like commitment, until it becomes a pattern.


Watch for:

  • heavy legs before sessions,

  • repeated small pains,

  • irritability after training,

  • loss of enthusiasm,

  • poorer sleep,

  • “I’m fine” with no energy,

  • fear of losing fitness,

  • needing caffeine or sugar to push through,

  • dread before preseason begins.


These signs do not prove injury or burnout. But they are not background noise. They are information.


Parent Advice

  1. Track total training load weekly, including gym, technical personal, and Coerver-style sessions.

  2. Protect recovery days because insufficient recovery turns useful off-season work into overload.

  3. Stop extra sessions when fatigue, soreness, or dread appears before team preparation.


Key Takeaways

  1. Off-season training overload grows when every private session is counted separately, not together.

  2. Social media visibility is marketing, not evidence that a child needs more load.

  3. Readiness for preseason depends on recovery balance, not collecting every available programme.


References

Brenner, J. S., Watson, A., & Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. (2024). Overuse injuries, overtraining, and burnout in young athletes. Pediatrics, 153(2), e2023065129. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-065129


Sniffen, K., Noel-London, K., Schaeffer, M., & Owoeye, O. B. A. (2022). Is cumulative load associated with injuries in youth team sport? A systematic review. Sports Medicine - Open, 8, Article 121. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-022-00502-4


Verstappen, S., van Rijn, R. M., Cost, R., & Stubbe, J. H. (2021). The association between training load and injury risk in elite youth soccer players: A systematic review and best evidence synthesis. Sports Medicine - Open, 7, Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-020-00296-1


Andersen, T. R., Drevsfeldt, A., Möller, S., & Møller, M. (2023). Injuries in male youth football: A one season prospective cohort study of 223 Danish elite players. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, 1250223. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1250223


Soares, A. L. A., Leonardi, T. J., & Galatti, L. R. (2023). Burnout and dropout associated with talent development in youth sports. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, 1190453. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1190453

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