Fitness talk – Aaron Clarke

In this interview, Ramiro Amarelle and Aaron Clarke come together to discuss the importance of fitness in achieving optimal performance in beach soccer, and delve into the specific physical demands of competing at the highest level.

Clarke starts by explaining the special fitness demands of beach soccer as opposed to football or futsal. One key difference is that, in beach soccer, the clock stops when the ball goes out of play, which means players have to play for every second of each 36-minute match. Amarelle and Clarke then move on to discuss the impact of the smaller playing area on the physical demands made of players. As Clarke underlines, intense training is essential to ensure players are physically prepared for the situations they will encounter in games. 

Both agree that recovery time is pivotal in beach soccer, particularly because players have limited time to recuperate between repeated bursts of high-intensity play. Clarke also emphasises the significance of nutrition in attaining the level of fitness required to succeed in beach soccer.