SoccerFIT Academy - Functionally Integrated Training
Functionally Integrated Training for Soccer
The following is an excerpt from our Spring 2011 Training Manual that will be available to all members in weeks to come…
Remember, we are trying to develop better soccer players, not simply get them lifting more weight or running faster 40 times. Each of the drills in this section needs to be tied into soccer [...]
This has perplexed me for years… Athletes often suffer minor injuries throughout the season. Aggressive play can often result in a sprained ankle, pulled muscle or shoulder injury, and upon injuring themselves the players (or parents) often decide to take 2-6 weeks off to let the injury heal. Let me try to understand this… a [...]
Many of our players talk about wanting to improve their speed and/or strength. Most of them think about running form (track workouts) and upper body strength (bench press workouts), but as you watch this short clip, in many situations these types of speed and strength don’t really come into play. Instead, core strength and the [...]
As we progress our athletes through a strength program we always get questions like this…
1) How old should players be before they begin strength training? Or…
2) I just want speed training, why do we need to spend time strength training?
These questions are better answered through a visual aid we like to call our Pyramid of [...]
I recently received this question from a parent…
Question: What type of a speed and strength program would you suggest for a u12 girl soon to be 13 to regain her speed and quickness after a large growth rate. My daughter at a early age was generally faster then anyone her age but [...]
Question: Are there different work-out time frames for U12-U14 boys? Some boys in this age group mature faster than others which can possibly create some confusion with the expectations of a coach. A U12 that is 5′-7″ with hair and one that is 4′-7″ without are maturing at much different paces. Should the workouts be [...]
This week we are going to focus on one of the key exercises in our warm up…the Box Assisted Hamstring Curls with a Partner. We stumbled upon using the boxes as some of our players were not strong enough to get all the way into a push up position without losing the core contraction. Instead [...]
I often refer to our “Stair Program” in these posts and many times I get questions about what we do on the stairs. “Do you just sprint up the stairs?” and “How does this differ from your box jump program?” are a few of the more common questions. I thought I would take minute to [...]
Many of our younger soccer players lack upper back strength…well actually they lack upper body strength altogether. But when you work with a population of 10-18 year old’s we sometimes get resistance from parents when we introduce strength training with weights (weight training). Most researchers, physicians and physiotherapists are now in agreement that, in the [...]
Lower body strength is a cornerstone of soccer strength programs, but this does not always mean lifting heavy. We look at body control, balance and rhythm first. Then increase the speed, load and complexity, eventually getting into plyometric training for vertical and agility. Using simple exercises such as single legged exercises, squats, lunges and stair [...]
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