I plan pre-season like building a house: the foundations are physical readiness and contact tolerance, the walls are technical routines and tactical patterns, and the roof is the creative spark that lets players express themselves under pressure. Over two weeks you can’t remake a season, but you can create a robust bridge between rest and competition — getting players fit enough for contact, confident enough to take creative risks, and resilient enough to finish sessions well.
What I want from a two-week pre-season block
Before I outline sessions, I set clear, measurable objectives. For a two-week plan aimed at contact and creativity, mine usually are:
- Increase contact tolerance — controlled exposures to collisions, tackles or shoulder-to-shoulder contact, progressed across sessions.
- Maintain and raise high-intensity fitness — repeat-sprint ability, short-speed endurance and acceleration off the mark.
- Reintroduce competitive decision-making — small-sided games that require quick choices under physical and mental stress.
- Protect player load — avoid spikes; monitor RPE, soreness and, where available, GPS/heart-rate data.
- Foster creative freedom — rules and constraints that encourage improvisation, unpredictability and attacking invention.
General structure and progressions
I split each week into 4 focused training days, 1 conditioning/optional technical day, 1 recovery/load-management day and 1 rest day. Across the two weeks the key progression is contact quality and quantity: start with low-intensity contact (tackle technique, controlled collisions), move to contested duels and finishing with full-speed contact inside game contexts.
Intensity and contact follow a simple arc:
- Day 1 (week 1): technical reintroduction + low-volume contact drills
- Day 2 (week 1): speed/power work + constrained small-sided games
- Day 3 (week 1): high-volume contact technique (bags/pads) + decision-making
- Day 4 (week 1): longer aerobic/threshold work + recovery strategies
- Week 2 repeats with increased contact intensity and greater freedom in games
Practical session examples
Below are session templates I’ve tested with semi-pro football and community rugby teams. Adapt load to your squad’s age and recent load.
Week 1 — Day-by-day
| Day | Main focus | Session outline |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 — Technical + Contact Prep | Technique, movement, low-contact | Warm-up (15'): dynamic mobility, 5-10m accelerations, partner shoulder contact progressions. Technical circuits (30'): passing under pressure, 1v1 shielding work, aerial control. Use soft contact pads for controlled collisions. Small-sided (20'): 5v5 on 40x30m, limited touches, coach stops for technique correction. Cool-down + monitoring (10'): RPE, soreness check. |
| Day 2 — Speed & Power | Acceleration, explosiveness | Warm-up (15'): hip mobility, sprint drills, resisted runs (sled, partner drag). Power sets (25'): 4-6x20m sprints from standing, 3-4x8m sled pulls or sled pushes, plyometrics (box jumps). Technical application (20'): transition drills where a physical contest follows a sprint — e.g., sprint to receive, hold off defender. |
| Day 3 — Contact Technique | Tackling/shoulder contact, pads | Warm-up (15'): contact-specific warm-up — neck, shoulder stability, controlled drives into pads. Technique blocks (40'): progressive tackling sequence (shadow tackles, bags, 1v1 tackle reps, then contested 2v2). Use tackle bags, contact shields and high-visibility cones for targets. Low-intensity SSG (20'): encourage successful contact followed by creative outlet play (e.g., direct pass to attacker upon winning ball). |
| Day 4 — Aerobic & Recovery | Threshold work + recovery | Warm-up (10'): easy mobility and activation. Mixed intervals (35'): 6x3' at 80-85% HRmax with 90s recovery; include ball-work in the intervals to keep technical feel. Recovery (20'): foam rolling, manual therapy, and education on hydration/nutrition. |
| Day 5 — Optional Technical/Video | Individual touches + tactical education | Optional session: shooting, crossing, individual skills. Or classroom session: review footage, show examples of contact technique and creative patterns. |
| Day 6 — Active Recovery | Mobility, light movement | Hydrotherapy or pool runs, mobility circuits, sleep and nutrition check. |
| Day 7 — Rest | Full rest | Players rest fully; coaches plan week 2 adjustments based on monitoring. |
Week 2 — escalating contact and creativity
Week 2 mirrors week 1 but with clear increases:
- Increase contact intensity: more live 1v1s and 2v2s, fewer passive reps.
- Increase cognitive load: add decision constraints (e.g., attackers must beat first defender within 3 seconds).
- Expand space in SSGs to allow creative combinations and aerial duels.
Example changes include moving from tackle bags to live tackles in controlled areas, adding full-speed duels after sprints, and using reward rules for creative play (a goal from a nutmeg, long ball switch or quick combination gets extra points).
Coaching cues and drills that encourage creativity under contact
- The Two-Phase Attack Drill: defenders win contested ball then attackers must create a 3-pass sequence to score. This rewards quick recovery and rapid creative patterns.
- Constraint Games: limit touches for attackers or defenders, or require the team in possession to complete a line-breaking pass every 6 plays — forces inventive solutions.
- End-Game Incentives: small prizes or points for players who attempt high-value actions under contact (overhead flicks, driven crosses into contact, tap-ons under pressure).
- Awareness Training: quick-fire decision drills (e.g., coach calls 'left' or 'right' forcing immediate directional change with a physical contest) simulate game unpredictability.
Load management and safety
Two words: monitor and progress. Track session RPE, soreness, and if you have GPS/heart-rate data, watch for acute spikes. Use a simple rule I often apply: no more than a 10-20% increase in high-speed running and contact volume week-to-week. If several players report high soreness or show reduced sprint metrics, reduce contact intensity and increase technical work for 48-72 hours.
Equipment I recommend:
- Tackle bags and contact shields (brands like Rhino or Gilbert are reliable for rugby; Mitre and Umbro for football-specific contact drills).
- GPS or heart-rate monitors (Catapult, Polar, Wimu) if available — even simple wrist HR monitors help.
- Cones, poles and small goals to structure decision-making drills.
Nutrition, recovery and player education
Short blocks like this hinge on recovery quality. I brief players on three practical items:
- Protein timing: 20-30g protein within 60 minutes post-session helps repair muscle and tolerate contact volume.
- Sleep hygiene: 7-9 hours nightly, with guidance on reducing blue light 60 minutes before bed.
- Hydration and inflammation control: consistent hydration, vitamin D if low, and ice baths only if they align with training goals (use sparingly — too much cold therapy can blunt adaptation).
Measuring success during and after the two weeks
I don’t expect full match fitness after 14 days, but I do expect measurable improvements:
- Lowered RPE for the same session by the end of week 2.
- Smoother execution in contact drills — fewer technical errors under collision stress.
- Increased creative outputs in games: attempts at line-breaking passes, successful take-ons under pressure, and effective quick combinations.
- Stable GPS metrics — no large spikes in total distance or high-speed distance.
Two weeks is a compressed window. The secret is to make contact purposeful (not gratuitous), to embed decision-making into physically stressful drills, and to monitor load tightly so players arrive to match-ready pre-season without carrying avoidable niggles into the season. If you want, I can share a downloadable two-week microcycle spreadsheet with session templates and load tracking fields that you can adapt to your squad — tell me your sport (football, rugby union, rugby league, or hybrid) and squad size and I’ll tailor it.