Injury Prevention in Football Pre-Season: A Protocol for the First Weeks
Practical injury prevention protocol for football pre-season: readaptation phases, proprioception drills, load management and warning signs to monitor throughout preparation.
Written by
João Araújo
Physical Education Teacher (FADEUP – University of Porto) · Futsal Coach – Level II · UEFA B License · Master’s in Physical Education
15 years teaching Physical Education in schools, 20 years coaching futsal at youth development level and 5 years coaching football. Federated and amateur football and futsal player.
The first two weeks of pre-season are when the majority of muscular injuries across an entire season occur. Data from multiple studies in professional and amateur football consistently point to a peak of overuse and soft tissue injuries in weeks 1 to 3 of preparation. exactly when managers tend to load the most volume and players are most motivated to “show” what they are worth.
Injury prevention in pre-season is not exclusively the physiotherapist’s responsibility (when one exists). It is a planning decision that begins in how the manager structures the load progression in the first weeks.
Why the First Weeks Are the Most Dangerous
After 6 to 10 weeks of break, a footballer’s musculoskeletal system undergoes negative adaptations: loss of strength, reduced tendon elasticity and decreased neuromuscular coordination. The cardiovascular system recovers more quickly, which creates a dangerous discrepancy: the player feels “fit” cardiovascularly, but the musculoskeletal system cannot keep up.
The classic result: sprints or direction changes in week 1 at an intensity the muscular system is not prepared to tolerate.
The Protocol: Injury Prevention in Football Pre-Season in 3 Phases
Phase 1. Readaptation (Days 1–10)
Objective: reintroduce loads progressively without stressing tissues beyond their current capacity.
- Avoid maximum sprints and sharp direction changes in the first 5 days. In this phase, all tactical exercises should take place in reduced spaces and at sub-maximal intensity; the game model is present but musculoskeletal load is managed
- Preventive strength work: hamstring strengthening (Nordic curls, Romanian deadlift), quadriceps and adductors
- Proprioception: exercises on unstable surfaces (balance boards, bosu balls) to reactivate joint stability
- Mobility: ankle, hip and thoracic spine mobility work. areas with greatest stiffness after a break
Phase 2. Progression (Days 11–21)
Objective: introduce higher-intensity loads with careful monitoring of fatigue signals.
- Introduce short sprints (10–20m) before long sprints (30–40m)
- Increase football-specific strength work volume (acceleration, direction changes, eccentric braking)
- Ankle sprain prevention exercises: single-leg balance, progressive landing control
- DOMS monitoring (delayed-onset muscle soreness): players with intense DOMS should not do high-intensity sessions
Phase 3. Integration (Weeks 4–6)
Objective: maintain preventive work integrated into the tactical training context.
- Structured warm-up protocol (FIFA 11+ or equivalent) before every session
- Hamstring strengthening 2× per week throughout the entire season
- RPE and cumulative fatigue signal monitoring
Warning Signs to Monitor
| Signal | Action |
|---|---|
| Muscle soreness >7/10 the following day | Replace high-intensity session with active recovery |
| Persistent morning joint stiffness | Consult physiotherapist before continuing |
| RPE drop without load reduction | Accumulated fatigue signal. reduce volume by 20% |
| Achilles or patellar tendinitis | Eccentric load protocol (Alfredson, Drop squat) |
🔧 Useful Tool
Recording each player’s daily physical state. soreness, sensations, RPE. allows you to identify risk patterns before an injury occurs. The SportsLabTools Football Athlete Journal lets each player log their condition, supporting the manager’s decisions on individual load.
Preventive Warm-Up Protocol
A structured 15–20 minute warm-up reduces the risk of muscular injury by 30–50% (FIFA 11+ protocol data). The base structure:
- Activation run (5 min): running variations, gentle direction changes
- Strength and balance (5 min): squats, lunges, single-leg balance
- Controlled plyometrics (5 min): vertical and lateral jumps, progressive landings
- Neuromuscular activation (5 min): progressive sprints (50% → 75% → 90%)
Checklist: Injury Prevention in Football Pre-Season
- No maximum sprints in the first 5 days of training
- Hamstring strengthening 2× per week from the start
- Structured warm-up protocol in every session
- RPE and DOMS monitoring per player after every session
- Sprint progression: short before long, submaximal before maximal
- Warning signs defined and response protocols known by the staff
- Proprioception exercises integrated into the warm-up
Conclusion
The best injury is the one that never happens. Pre-season prevention is not wasted time. It is time invested in having a full squad available in the weeks when the league starts to be decided.
Squads with consistent prevention protocols arrive at the end of the season with fewer chronic absences; with the competitive advantage of keeping their best players on the pitch when it matters most.
See also: Periodisation in Football Pre-Season: The 4 Phases to Arrive in Shape for the Start
Monitor each player’s daily physical state throughout pre-season. Use the SportsLabTools Football Athlete Journal to collect RPE, soreness and wellbeing data and make informed individual load decisions.