Organizing elite soccer training - scientific knowledge vs. soccer-specific tradition

Large parts of training practice in elite soccer players lack scientific justification and base solely on the coaches' experience. One of the causes for this unsatisfactory situation is the methodological delicacy of training studies in elite athletes. The number of recruitable highly trained subjects is low, and the willingness to question one's own successful training strategies is small. Despite all this, a few training studies investigated certain aspects of training, particularly additional interval endurance training as well as resistance training. In this overview, recent studies are classified according to their methodological approach and evaluated with regard to their scientific impact. It turned out that training procedures during phases of high competitive demands have rarely been addressed so far. In addition, comparisons between defined training models are entirely lacking. Cooperation of professional clubs is necessary to clarify such issues.