Offseason Training

[Bo650]

I have a season that begins in April and I want to start training. I live in Michigan, so training outdoors is not possible. Does anyone have any ideas about a training schedule that I should work with? I am a member of a health club where I have access to weights, a track, and treadmills. Any ideas of how to get ready for the season would be a huge help! Thanks.

[scsurge22]

well I live in upstate new york...and all we have to do for offseason training is play indoor soccer or futsal.

[Richie]

Just play is good advice.

Train for what you didn't say for what.

This is a post I made few days ago for training for different types of speed.

Pick one or two and train for them.

There are all kinds of things people call speed.

Flat out speed, first step speed and quickness.

Some people say you either have it or you don't. They have a point up to a point I believe.

It really comes down to is what type of muscle fiber your body has developed.(fast or slow twitch)

Plus how motivated the player is o train. You can not be motivated for him. So it is up to the player on how much he can improve.

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Quickness is a different kind of speed. Fast in a small space which is one of the things I look for in a player. I think you can make a player quicker.

Type IIa-fast oxidative(50milisecond twitch)well developed sacroplasmic reticulum which cause calcium to be released quicker which contributes directly to quickness.

Developed by training in quick motions and high reps/light weight.

Some drills I use to improve player quickness.

You can do figure 8's Put up two cones and your players run around and through and around them making a figure 8.

Have them go in both directions. Then gradually bring the cones closer together to make the 8's in a smaller space.
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Also try this

X X
X
X X

Lay out 5 cones Players run around the cones always cutting back around the center cone.
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Then you have first step speed great for soccer.

Again not everyone has the musle type for speed off the first step. Tab Ramos had this gift very fast off the first step, but I would not call him fast over a long distance. He was just fast enough off the first step to beat most first defenders 1 v 1. He also had great quickness, but not great over all speed.

Do plyometrics for first step explosive speed.

1. Skipping
2. Striding
3. Side Shuffling Right
4. Side Shuffling Left
5. Back Peddling
6. Skipping for Height
7. Skipping for Distance
8. Sprinting
9. Bounding Right
10. Bounding Left
11. Backwards Sprinting
12. Bounding from the left foot to the right foot
13. Broad jumps
14. Sprinting
15. Walking Lunges
16. High Knees
17. Butt Kicks
18. Straight Leg Run
19. Sprinting

Rest and Stretch in between the above mentioned

The one I like the best is (hurdling sprinting Hurdling sprinting hurdling) alternating feet on the jumps.. Do not use regular hurdles until your 17 yrs old. In the mean time lower the height of the hurdles.
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"Speed" by a friend of mine Gary Rue

Soccer Conditioning
Warm-up/Stability, Straight Ahead Running
Ken Kontor
1999 NSCAA Convention
1/22/99

The average sprint distance of a soccer player is 15 meters.Do not train to run efficiently for long distance-train to run fast.

Warm-up to play-do not play to warm-up. Movements have to build gradually to
game speed; raise the core temperature and engage the nervous system.

Warm-up
* Jog for 5 minutes
* Leg swings-forward, cross body, 10 each
* Active stretching over 20 yards with the following warm-ups#1
* Skip forward, backwards
* Side skip with arm swing
* Cross step, skip across foot-big hip movement (quick steps)
* Carioca
* High knee carioca as if going to sprint
* Backward run, heels kick up to butt
* High skip#2
* Skip with loops or swings
* Cross over skip
* Quick hip swings
* Long shuffles with turn in the middle
* Carioca with turn
* Carioca at angles
* Plant and cut; three steps plant and cut, stopping and bending
* Forward and backward leg swings
* High leg forward and backwards
* Quick step backpedal to sprint
* Sprint to backpedalMaster straight-ahead speed first, but go to lateral movements, stops and
cuts, etc.

First step is often too long.There are 18-22 different starting (from a stop) positions in a game.

Hoop equipment (18" diameter) exercises:
* Walk and hit the first hoop with coach specified foot and sprint out
* Jog and hit the first hoop with coach specified foot and sprint out
* Sprint with coach specified foot and sprint out
* Side-on with cross step into hoop...
* Side-on with an open step...
* Shuffle into hoop, plant and sprint
* Jump and turn in air, step into hoop and sprintHoops are 10 yards apart, sprint to first, then sprint to second, but
halfway turn and run backwards, turning again just before the hoop.

Four lines of players, each group of four sprinting to 4 hoops, then to 2
hoops.

Work on it with the team.

Player dribbles to gate, passes to another player and sprints forwards as
second player passes ball ahead.

The first player retrieves and crosses for
another player to shoot on goal.

The player should be timed over the first
ten yards after the pass. A defender can be added at the gate to turn on the
pass and sprint with the passer.

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Well I hope some of this helps.

Richie

[soccermainiac2003]

i would recommend running stairs if it is possible

this requires lots of calf stretching the first time but then you'll be fine

Start with 20-30 reppetions and go upward

[realmadrid1086]

This is a three week pre-season conditioning program.

Week one:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 8 x 20 yds, 6 x 40 yds, 4 x 80 yds, 2 x 100 yds. An all out sprint on these, do not pace yourself. Rest times at bottom of post.

Tuesday and Thursday: one mile, 2 x 800 yds, 2 x 400 yds, 4 x 200 yds. A fast jog on these. Rest times at bottom of post.

Week two:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 10 x 20 yds, 8 x 40 yds, 6 x 60 yds, 4 x 80 yds, 3 x 100 yds. Once again, all out sprint.

Tuesday and Thursday: one mile, 2 x 800 yds, 2 x 400 yds, 4 x 200 yds, 6 x 100 yds. Once again, a good paced jog.

Week three:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 12 x 20 yds, 10 x 40 yds, 8 x 60 yds, 6 x 80 yds, 4 x 100 yds.

Tuesday and Thursday: two miles, 2 x 800 yds, 4 x 400 yds, 6 x 200 yds, 8 x 100 yds.

Rest Times for Sprints:
30 seconds for 20's
45 seconds for 40's
60 seconds for 60's
75 seconds for 80's
90 seconds for 100's

Rest Times for Long Distance:
4 minutes for a mile
5:30 minutes for two miles
2:30 minutes for 800's
2 minutes for 400's
1:45 minutes for 200's
90 seconds for 100's