Soccer

Strength

How do you ensure that soccer players maintain their technical ability while focusing on strength training?

Technical Training and Strength: Balancing Act for Soccer Players

How do you ensure that soccer players maintain their technical ability while focusing on strength training? Great question. So a lot of my athletes, they have a short off season, and so that is actually when they choose to really focus in on strength training. Because they don't have competitions or matches always coming up, and so they can dose that in to a higher degree without fear of being sore or not ready for the match. So their focus is strength training during the off season, it doesn't mean that they are completely disregarding their technical training either. You just have a main course, which might be that strength training, and then your side dishes become your technical training for that time period. They should always live in unison with one another. It shouldn't be an all or nothing approach. And so when you're doing your technical training, which is that side dish, you're just checking the m I can still do this. Making small improvements while still being able to focus on that strength training for that day, or week, or month.

During the off season, focus on strength training as the main course, and technical training as a side dish. Make sure to always check in with yourself to make small improvements while focusing on strength training.

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To ensure that soccer players maintain their technical ability while focusing on strength training, it's important to find a balance between the two. Many athletes choose to prioritize strength training during their short offseason when there are no immediate competitions or matches. This allows them to dedicate more time and effort to strength training without the fear of being sore or unprepared for upcoming games.

While focusing on strength training during the offseason, it doesn't mean that technical training should be completely disregarded. Instead, technical training becomes the side dish to the main course of strength training. Both aspects should coexist and complement each other. It's not an all-or-nothing approach.

During technical training sessions, players can still make small improvements and maintain their skills while also focusing on their strength training goals. The key is to find a balance and ensure that both aspects are given attention and integrated into the training regimen.

How do you assess a soccer player's physical abilities when they come in for training?

Assessing a Soccer Player's Physical Abilities: A Simple Approach

How do you assess a soccer player's physical abilities when they come in for training? So when I'm not in the team setting and I don't have access to tons of technology, such as force plates or GPS, then I really keep it pretty simple. First off, we start with a conversation. Injury history, what their goals are, what they see their strengths and weaknesses as, what they really want to get out of training. And that actually will clue me in to where they're at. Next, I want to see them move in a lot of different ways. So I want to see them sprint, maybe not max velocities, but I want to see how they accelerate. I want to see them change direction, how they move side to side. Next, I want to be able to see how they react to cues, so that might be cues that are verbal, might be a visual cue that I give them, and see how their body organizes within that chaos. Next, I want to see, during a lift, how they squat, lunge, how they can do a push up, movements like that. And that gives me a really good sense where they're at athletically.

When assessing a soccer player's physical abilities, I start with a conversation to understand their injury history, goals, and strengths/weaknesses. Next, I observe how they move, react to cues, and complete basic lifts. This gives me a good sense of their athletic level.

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When assessing a soccer player's physical abilities during training, I take a simple approach, especially when advanced technology is not available. Firstly, I start with a conversation to understand their injury history, goals, strengths, weaknesses, and what they hope to achieve through training. This conversation provides valuable insights into their current state.

Next, I observe their movement in various ways. I assess their acceleration during sprints, their ability to change direction, and how they move laterally. This helps me gauge their agility and speed.

I also pay attention to how they respond to cues. This includes verbal cues or visual cues that I provide, observing how their body reacts and organizes itself in response to these cues. This gives me an understanding of their coordination and ability to adapt in dynamic situations.

During strength training exercises, I observe their form and technique while performing movements like squats, lunges, and push-ups. This allows me to assess their overall athleticism and physical capabilities.

By combining these observations and assessments, I can gain a comprehensive understanding of a soccer player's physical abilities during training.

What drew you to coaching and performance training?

From College Athlete to Olympic Coach: A Journey of Data, Desire, and Success

What drew you to coaching and performance training? So I was an athlete my whole life, like so many coaches, up until college I played basketball on track and once I got to college it was kind of tough to step away from that competitive environment. While I was at school though I helped start a biomechanics lab and we did a lot of physiological testing on really high level, Olympic level track and field athletes. Now we would collect that data which I helped in that process and then we'd hand that data to their coaches, their performance coaches, and they would take that data, use it to inform their training, develop out a plan, and see that through all the way through the Olympics. That really drew in me a desire to be a bigger part of the process. I didn't want to hand the data to somebody else and have them do the rest of the work and travel to the Olympics and be there with their athlete to really see them succeed at the highest level. So I wanted to be a bigger part of that process and so that's what initially drew me into the field. After my first internship with EXOS back in 2013 where I was actually able to get hands-on coaching programming experience, I was absolutely hooked. The relationships with the athletes, with co-workers, the environment, it was just incredible. So I really, yeah, I never looked back ever since then.

After playing college sports and helping to create a biomechanics lab, I developed a desire to be a bigger part of the process. This led me to pursue coaching and performance training. After an internship in 2013, I was hooked on the relationships with athletes and coworkers and have never looked back.

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What drew me to coaching and performance training? Well, I've been an athlete my whole life, just like many coaches. I played basketball and track until college, and it was tough to step away from that competitive environment. During my college years, I had the opportunity to help start a biomechanics lab where we conducted physiological testing on elite track and field athletes, including Olympic-level athletes.

Being involved in collecting and analyzing data for these athletes and then handing it off to their performance coaches sparked a desire in me to be more involved in the process. I didn't want to just hand off the data and let someone else take it from there. I wanted to be there, working closely with the athletes, developing training plans, and witnessing their success at the highest level, like at the Olympics.

This desire led me to pursue coaching and performance training. My first internship with EXOS in 2013 provided me with hands-on coaching and programming experience, and I was absolutely hooked. The relationships I built with the athletes and my co-workers, along with the incredible environment, made me realize that this was the path I wanted to pursue. Since then, I've never looked back.

Do you have a favorite client success story?

From Injury to Triumph: Inspiring Client Success Stories

Do you have a favorite client success story? So when I think about this question, two really jumped to mind, both with youth athletes that I have worked with recently. One was a young man, they came to me, him and his parents, after he had been sitting out for roughly four or five months with a pretty severe hamstring strain. The coaches had advised that they not go to physical therapy and just to keep playing on it and basically he couldn't run. So he would go to team training but couldn't participate in games, couldn't really run. Sounds kind of wild, but you could tell that this was the one thing that brought him the most joy in life and he couldn't move. So they're super frustrated, super sad about it. Worked with him for about a month. He got back running, changing direction, going fast. He wound up faster than he's ever been before, re-entered with the team and quickly progressed into the next level within his club setting. Another one, a female athlete came to me, she had a labral tear. Really wanted to play in college, it was her senior year of high school and was really bummed out that that was, in her mind, getting taken away from her. Once again, worked with her for a few months and sent her off to college, healthier than she's ever been and she's absolutely killing it there. So I think it's really getting people out of pain, getting them doing what they love, bringing them back stronger than they've been before. Those are my favourite stories.

My favorite client success stories are when I get people out of pain, back doing what they love, and stronger than they've been before. Two recent examples include a young man with a severe hamstring strain and a female athlete with a labral tear. In both cases, they were able to return to their sport in better condition than before.

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When asked about my favorite client success story, two instances involving youth athletes immediately come to mind. In one case, a young man had been sidelined for several months due to a severe hamstring strain. Despite being advised against physical therapy, he and his parents sought my help. After just a month of working together, he regained his ability to run, change direction, and reach new levels of speed. He rejoined his team and quickly progressed within his club setting.

Another success story involved a female athlete with a labral tear. It was her senior year of high school, and she had aspirations of playing in college. Devastated by the potential loss of this opportunity, she sought my assistance. Over the course of a few months, we worked together to improve her condition. As a result, she entered college healthier than ever and has been excelling in her athletic pursuits.

What I find most rewarding is helping individuals overcome pain, enabling them to pursue their passions and return stronger than before. These stories of resilience and triumph are among my favorites.

Any tips on how should soccer players structure their workouts?

Unlocking Soccer Success: Tips for Structuring Workouts

Any tips on how soccer players should structure their workouts? This is a complex question because there are a lot of variables at play here depending on your gender, your age, your training history, injury history, things like that. But generally speaking, I would say that there's a few concepts that do apply to all. One is just making sure that your workouts are incredibly balanced. So making sure that we are not just doing lower body 100% of the time or just doing squats all the time. But that we have a variety of movements that we're relying on. So we're doing some form of squatting, some form of lunging, moving side to side as well, so lateral lunges or Cossack squats. We're also doing hamstring dominant exercises that include pulling. So making sure that we are working out our quads, hamstrings, glutes, and adductors, and our core and everything that's involved there from a very balanced perspective. Next thing to consider is to consolidate your stress. So on your heaviest day on the field, try to make that be your heaviest day in the gym. That allows for optimal recovery as you taper down closer to competition. And then the last bit is just being consistent. You're not going to see improvement if you don't stick with the same workout for four to six weeks. After that time, you can progress your exercises and progress your workouts. But making sure that they're balanced, that you're consistent, and that they work within your training regimen, and that soccer still is the main thing.

Soccer players should structure their workouts to be balanced, consolidate their stress and be consistent.

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Tips on structuring workouts for soccer players? There are various factors to consider, such as gender, age, training history, and injury history. However, some general concepts apply to everyone. First, ensure that your workouts are well-balanced. Avoid focusing solely on lower body exercises or repetitive movements like squats. Instead, incorporate a variety of movements such as squats, lunges, lateral lunges, and Cossack squats. Include exercises that target your quads, hamstrings, glutes, adductors, and core for overall balance. Another important aspect is consolidating stress. Align your heaviest gym workout with your heaviest day on the field to allow for optimal recovery as you approach competition. Lastly, consistency is key. Stick with the same workout routine for four to six weeks before progressing exercises and routines. Make sure your workouts complement your training regimen and remember that soccer remains the primary focus.

What exercises can help soccer players increase their speed?

Unlocking Speed: Key Exercises for Soccer Players

What exercises can help soccer players increase their speed? So there's a couple ones here that immediately come to mind. A broad category is any type of lunge variation, particularly with a knee drive and that hip extension. So a reverse lunge to a knee drive, a step up onto a bench with weight in your hands, or even a reverse rear foot elevated split squat. Those will all put your limbs in opposing directions. And so you will have one leg that is in hip extension, one that is in hip flexion, and you're generating high amounts of force as you're lifting through that range of motion, driving with those hips in that unilateral fashion. Other great ones are single leg RDLs and trap bar deadlifts, all fantastic exercises to help soccer players increase their speed. A big one is just making sure that we're focused on after we are sufficiently strong, we start to drop the weight, start to move that weight a little bit faster. The last exercise, which might be the most important and the game changer for increasing speed is to actually sprint fast. We got to be able to get on the field, open up, hit near or above our max velocity again and again and again. So a couple, one or two times a week, ideally two times a week, we're out on the field and we're practicing going as fast as we can. And we're just going to keep pushing that needle a little bit further, bit by bit.

To help soccer players increase their speed, exercises like reverse lunges with a knee drive, step ups onto a bench with weight, reverse rear foot elevated split squats, single leg RDLs, and trap bar deadlifts are great. Additionally, practicing sprinting fast two times a week is important for improving speed.

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To help soccer players increase their speed, there are several exercises that come to mind. Lunge variations with a knee drive and hip extension, such as reverse lunges to knee drives, step-ups with weights, or reverse rear foot elevated split squats, are effective for generating force through the range of motion and driving with the hips in a unilateral fashion. Single leg RDLs and trap bar deadlifts are also great exercises for improving speed in soccer players. Once sufficient strength is achieved, it's important to start focusing on moving the weight faster. However, the most important exercise for increasing speed is sprinting. It's crucial to get on the field and practice sprinting at or above maximum velocity regularly, ideally twice a week. By consistently pushing the boundaries and gradually improving speed, players can enhance their overall performance on the field.

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Dan Jones is the head of sports science for Angel City FC. Previously, he held positions with the Portland Timbers, LA Galaxy, and EXOS. He has a degree in human physiology from the University of Oregon and a Master's in psychology. He is CSCS and USAW1 certified.

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