What is your Total Distance?
The Total Distance metric is the total measure of how far you run in a session which can be measured in Km/Miles/Yards. It is a key measure of the volume of your session. Pro players typically cover between 7km – 11km during a game depending on their position.
As a footballer what distances should you be aiming to hit : Positional Distance Demands of the modern day footballer
A large field, a fast moving ball, and rare substitutions means football players can expect to log some heavy mileage over 90-plus minutes and positions on the field have a significant impact in determining the miles a player will cover.
Aerobic fitness is vitally important in sport specifically at a high level because it relates to the body's ability to use oxygen to generate energy during sustained physical activity. In sports, aerobic fitness allows athletes to perform at a high level for longer periods of time enabling them to maintain a steady pace throughout training or a game and recover quickly between bursts of intense activity and athletes who prioritize their aerobic fitness are more likely to perform at a higher level.
Therefore, a players aerobic fitness is one of the most important principals of their game that they must maintain at an elite level to perform during training sessions and on gameday. For total distance, previous research concluded central defenders and strikers produced the lowest distances, whilst central midfield players produced the highest.
Defenders
Modern day fullbacks need to get up and down their flank, pushing up the field for corners and set pieces, getting back at speed when being countered on and most importantly defending their goal at all times from any threat.
Research has found that central defenders covered less total distance and engaged in less high-intensity running than players in the other positions, which is probably closely linked to their tactical roles and their lower physical capacity.
6,000m-8,000m
Midfielders
There is no surprise that midfielders cover the highest total distance in a game due to their unrivalled work rate getting up and down the pitch from box to box, joining attacks, swift movements both back and forth, helping out the defense and linking the play. Known as wingers in some setups, wide midfielders, similar to wide defenders, cover a lot of ground in their vertical zones.
Wingers’ movements can be explosive, requiring them to make sprints in bursts. These result in larger distances covered overall. Wingers in some teams have substantial defensive responsibilities as well. Especially if a defensive team is trying to block out an opponent playing possession-based football. This also requires additional movement patterns to maintain defensive shape, man-mark, and prepare for counter-attacks.
In the EURO 2016 study, wide midfielders observed cover distances of 6.5 to 6.7 miles a game.
Central Midfielders cover the most ground in a team. It’s simply because they occupy zones that require them to move between the defensive third to the offensive third vertically.
Central midfielders are true to the name. They are neither solely attackers nor solely defenders. They are both. As such, they are vital in both defense and offense, which, as a result, increases the movement demands on them.
N’golo Kante, widely recognized as one of the top EPL players in the 2018-2019 season, covered an impressive 7.3 miles per game in his 26 full appearances. He was also the top player in terms of distance covered in the two seasons prior.
10,000-12,000m
Forwards
Forwards are known for their pace and rapid movements to get away from defenders, creating space and making themselves available in the right positions to pull the trigger on goal. Forwards must be constantly aware of what is happening around them. They need to be looking for and moving into spaces using their swift and slick movements, where the other players on their team can pass to them to create chances.
Forwards, like center-backs, largely operate in one-third of the football field. However, given their involvement in the attacking side of the game, they tend to move faster and more frequently. They have fewer defensive responsibilities than most other players. Often, they trackback to avoid being in offside positions and help with hold-up play when in transition.
7,000-9,000m