Strength and Power Training
At the very heart of becoming the great soccer athlete that can run fast, cut quickly, jump high and reduce the likely hood of injury is strength training and power training. Old school thinking like, we cannot strength train because it will slow my athletes down or get my soccer athletes too big is flawed and outdated.
Correct soccer weight training includes at times high intensity, heavy weights and fast moving reps. This will increase soccer speed and soccer agility. If you are looking to take your game to the next level strength training and power training are a huge component. Soccer weight training will accomplish two of the main goals of this site: #1 Injury Prevention, #2 Improved performance.
The modernization of strength training has come along way. Its up to you to let go of old training habits. A great example of modern strength training trends are Single leg squat training. This training method will help reduce injury and train the body in a way it is used. No more should you only do back squats. The advantage of something like single leg training is because it is on one leg, for many youth athletes single leg squats may be just enough to reach your goal.
But this is just one example of how training has progressed from the old school ways. If your trainer does not incorporate things like single leg squats, don't be afraid to request they be included. You might just find yourself with fewer injuries.
Strength Training tips to Improve Soccer Performance Part 1, Movements Vs. Muslces Part 2, , Movements Vs. Muslces Part 3,
Strength training is a key component in a training program for soccer players. These tips should help keep your strength training program on point.
Learn about some of the benefits of single leg training.
This is a great exercise to strength train for the legs without using weights. It can be used on the field or at home. You can also use it with weights.
Quad and Hamstring Training Mistakes
Read for ideas on how to train the hamstrings and quads
Learn about the push up, the technique and what to expect with many girls and boys with pushups. I recommend that you push both your boys and girls to eventually practice the same technique. But many girls will have to work their way up to that point.
Old school methods train the hamstrings vastly differently than they are actually used in real life. Remember the time of leg curls? I do. In fact, we are probably still in this time. Although to some degree erroneous, I think many athlete still do this exercise. Is it bad? No. But it is optimal? No again. The hamstrings in sport are not used the same way the hamstring curl machine trains. Remember, the greatest carry over in training comes from mimicking real life movement as much as feasible.
Methods for increasing speed Part 1
Time after time athletes are increasing their 40 yard dash times by .2-.5 seconds. Wouldn’t that be great to drop your speed by that much? Right now you’re asking your self, how can I achieve such dramatic improvements in my speed? The answer is not an easy one. Strength is a big component of speed.
Functional Isometrics are exercises that are done isometrically (no movement) that are geared to help teach athletes proper positioning when moving, increase strength at weak ranges of motions, correct posture and increase mental toughness.
5 Exercises for Building the Posterior Chain for Speed
In this article I will primarily focus on building the posterior chain. The primary thrust is training the behind the body muscles without using weight. It is an important article and topic to consider please consider these exercises if you are looking for ways to train on the field.
