Individual Targets in Team Performance
Setting individual targets for athletes will improve the physical performance. What do you need to set these individual targets?
Introduction
How do you prepare your players when you only train three times a week? Many teams struggle with intensity, recovery, and injury prevention. Here’s how to make every session count.
Weekly Training Focus
When working with three weekly sessions, the structure should balance performance, recovery, and injury prevention:
One intensive session ā replicate match demands (high-speed running, sprints, accelerations).
One lighter session ā focus on recovery, technical skills, and decision-making.
One strength & speed session ā short sprints, explosive actions, and gym-based strength work.
Adding Context: Periodisation Matters
These three sessions don’t exist in isolation. Coaches often integrate them into broader periodisation models, which structure training loads across weeks and months.
Football Periodisation (Raymond Verheijen): Emphasises that physical work should never be isolated from football context. Training must always develop communication, decision-making, and execution under game conditions. Read more.
Tactical Periodisation: Used by top coaches such as José Mourinho. This model starts from the tactical game plan: every drill links physical, technical, and mental aspects back to that tactical idea. Learn more.
Placing your three sessions within these larger frameworks creates consistency and a clear game-model focus.
How Johan Sports supports you
As mentioned in previous blogs, Johan Sports offers a unique advantage by combining GPS and heart rate monitoring in one device.
Together with the Johan Sports Live App, it provides coaches and physios with real-time insights into training load and player health, and translates this data into personalised training goals.
Better balance between training and recovery
More fit and fresh players ready to perform on match day
Simple setup and scalable for every team.
Train smarter with Johan Sports
In a match, you give everything — that’s your 100%.
At Johan Sports, we measure how far you run, how often you sprint, how frequently you accelerate or decelerate quickly, and how your body responds in heart rate to these intensities.
During training, we push just beyond match intensity to help you become fitter and more resilient.
How this it work?
Match = 100%
In training sessions, we aim for:
1.8x more Total Distance
1.1x more Sprint Distance
2.2x more High Accelerations & High Decelerations
1.0x in Heart Rate Zone 5
>95% of Maximum Speed (once a week)
This approach makes you stronger, faster, and ready for the next match — without overtraining or risking injury.
Playing positions and their training goals for football teams with 3 sessions per week.
See how much you should achieve per match, across all weekly training sessions, and per individual training — tailored to your position.
Your Weekly Schedule
Monday: easy ā recovery and technique
Tuesday: hardest day ā lots of distance, sprint distance (large sided games) and acceleration (small sided games)
Thursday: short and sharp ā speed and tactics
Saturday: match ā 100%
Smart Load Management = Better Performance
We spread the training load smartly over the week. This helps you recover well and get stronger. Tuesday is the hardest day, Thursday is short and intense.
FAQ
Do players always need to train in Zone 5?
No. Zone 5 should reflect match intensity, not every training session.
How can I prevent overload with only three sessions per week?
Alternate intensity: one heavy, one light, and one focused on strength/speed.
Can this approach also be used for youth teams?
Yes, but always adapt the load to the playersā age and developmental stage.
Set Individual Benchmarks and monitor in real-time with the Johan Sports Live App
You’ve Calculated Your Session Benchmarks — But how do you apply them in practice?
Check our blog about how to set individual targets in team performance:
Or do you as a coach or trainer want to experience the impact of a fully optimised training week?
Contact us today to explore the benefits of a free one-month trial.
Contact Johan Sports | GPS & Heart Rate System for Teams
Have a question or want to request a demo? Contact Johan Sports to learn more about our GPS and heart rate system for football, rugby and hockey teams.
References:
Ammann, T., et al. (2023) Training and match load ratios in professional soccer ā should we use player- or position-specific match reference values?
Silva, R., et al. (2024) Acceleration and deceleration demands of different soccer training drills and competitive matches.
Silva, R., et al. (2022) Acceleration and deceleration demands during training sessions in football: a systematic review.
ModriÄ, T., et al. (2021) Relative Training Load and Match Outcome.