Intro Soccer is a sport which requires the athlete to be able to excel in multiple energy systems throughout the game. The athlete needs to be able to have an aerobic base to play for 90 minutes without a decrease in performance as well as having the ability to perform quick bursts of speed throughout the game in order to make crucial plays. This encourages soccer players to jog and sprint emphasizing an increase in their Aerobic and Anaerobic base. Training with plyometrics and strength training will help to increase overall athleticism and therefore you the player will soon be able to put out less energy to do the same things as you’ve done before. This will allow the athlete to perform just as well in the 90th minute as they did in the beginning of the match. Throughout the game there is also a need for various actions from the athlete, this places a massive importance on agility, quickness, and reaction-time. Dynamic strength is also crucial to promote the players skill during the game, the athlete needs to be strong and powerful to accomplish things such as tackles, headers, and even maintaining position against contact with an opponent. In order for the athlete to become a better soccer player, they need to train more effectively in the gym. This is done by performing sport-specific exercises. Utilizing various plyometric drills will allow for the athlete to excel in various areas. Throughout this program your balance will increase. The time it takes for you to accelerate to top speed will decrease, as well as the actual top running speed itself will increase. Putting all of this together will allow for you to get to where you need to be on the field faster and more efficiently than ever before. A proper strength training protocol will also help build up muscular strength and size as well as protect joints and ligaments. This will allow the athlete to become stronger and more powerful during game day to prevent injuries that can potentially end an athlete's season. These strength training exercises will help you to maintain contact with an opponent without feeling like you are getting bullied. This will also help to building up your explosive power in the game. Going up for a header will seem to be a much easier task throughout this program by creating greater strength and more explosive jumping power. Applying the most efficient and sport specific exercises will allow for the athlete to get the most benefits in the least amount of time to allow for the individual to reach their full potential on game day. Overall when it comes down to increasing skills that are utilized in soccer, you must train like a soccer player. Sprints, plyometrics, and strength training protocols will help to increase many of the skills associated with a 90-minute soccer game. Following a proper program will allow you the individual to reach the next level in terms of skill and athleticism. Increased acceleration, top speed, balance, strength, explosiveness, these are few of the ways in which you will see yourself emerge as a new player on the field. How to Perform the Program It is important to follow the program correctly in order to make sure you are receiving the right stimulus to increase performance as an athlete. Here is a simple guide to make sure you are performing correctly. Step 1: Corrective Stretches Each athlete must perform Corrective Stretches before the Dynamic Warm Up to ensure that each athlete reduces resistance to sprinting efficiency before every session. Step 2: Dynamic Warm-up Make sure the Dynamic Warm-up from the video is performed before every training session. (You can locate this video in the Exercise Database) Step 3: Power Movements Key Points • Warm up Sets - At this point you should be fully warm and ready to compete in every rep. This means every rep is of the highest quality and intensity. • Intensity - When performing any form of sprinting drills such as a acceleration or top speed drills always make sure to progress to a technical 100%. This means you are maximally performing the drill but not sacrificing any technique. • Sets & Reps - The sets and reps are given so make sure to record your bests for that particular day if they can be measured. • Rest - The rest for each plyometric or sprint drill is very intuitive. Choose the amount of rest where you can perform each drill with 100% quality. The muscles should not be fatigued unless I have noted otherwise. • Recording - Track your progress from week to week for the drills that can be measured. Step 4: Lifting Key Points • Warm up Sets - I usually advise 2 warm-up sets when performing the main compound movement for strength or power and then lead into the instructed working sets in the table. • Load - Make sure that you choose a weight that you can not perform more than the number of reps given but can complete the full amount of reps with. Typically I suggest building up to your technical max lift. For instance if it calls for a 2 rep max the prior 4 sets should be a consistent build up. So say you ended at a 300lb 2RM. It should look something like this Set 1 - 250, Set 2 - 265, Set 3 - 275, set 4 - 285, Set 5 - 300 (2RM) Eccentric Phase and Isometric Phase - Make sure to stay at 85% of your 1 rep max. Most of the parameters are set so that you will not exceed this percentage. If you happen to perform well that day feel free to exceed slightly as your strength increases but always hold form. • Sets & Reps - The amount of sets and reps is given in each table to show the athlete what they must perform for each movement on each and everyday. • Tempo - The tempo for each particular rep will be displayed with a bracket. (Example: [3|X|X]) Where the first number is the Eccentric tempo or portion where you will lower the weight for the given seconds. ([3|X|X] in this case 3 seconds). The next number is the Isometric pause and finally the Concentric is the last. The letter X represents “explode” as in you will produce force as fast as possible in this phase of the lift. • Rest - sets of reps >5 = 2 - 3 minutes rest between sets. Sets of reps <5 = 60 - 90 seconds rest between sets. The exception to this is when the program calls for a superset. • Super Set - When a series of movements has a sub-letter next to them i.e. 2a,2b,2c, these movements will be performed one after the other in order until complete. For instance: Day 1 has 1 arm row, incline bench, and chin-ups, these will be done in order and right after each other. Then when the chin-ups are done the athlete will rest and start back over with rows until all the sets are complete. • Recording - Make sure to write down the weight that you performed the lift with in the table to keep track of progress.
