Usually, I HATE this topic, because so many HS-age players are obsessed with "working out" but their technical game is no where where it needs to be. But I do admit that, beyond performance, fit bodies will allow them to enjoy the sport more and, hopefully, stave off injury. I wanted to create a space to ask questions, have discussions, and post resources on this topic.
Exercise/fitness is generally more important to GPP and living a healthy life than technical skills. Very few players are going to make a living off soccer, and that’s fine, so why not prepare them as such?
I don't understand. Are you saying we should use our training time as a jazzercise class? There is a huge difference between exercise for a healthy life and training for athletic performance, especially for soccer because it involves a broader range of physical demands than any other sport. Match fit in soccer means 120-minute fit. Most youth matches have unlimited substitutions, so they only need to be 10-minute fit. NCAA rules result in college players being 22 minute fit. Then they rest for 40 minutes. The fitness requirements for college are a joke. FIFA rules make soccer a whole different game from a tactical standpoint. If you have ever played NCAA rules, then you understand my point. Even soccer technical training inherently provides more than enough exercise to maintain heart health. The number one health problem in the US is obesity and it's related diseases. Fit people can be obese too. Let me give you an example. I am a musician, purely amateur, but I play almost as well as a pro. And my skill makes playing more enjoyable for me, my fellow performers, and everybody listening. Better techncial skill means more fun. Poor technical skills means frustration and is a huge factor in kids dropping out of the sport.
No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying talk to your players about a healthy lifestyle including fitness and nutrition in addition to tactics and technique. A lot of coaches, especially at the youth level, have a fairly limited knowledge re: fitness. Based on my experience, a lot of coaches don’t even possess the knowledge and skill necessary to have their players properly perform the FIFA 11+ warmup. A lot of parents don’t know a ton either, so it’s certainly not a bad idea to educate players a bit on the “whys.”
@rustysurf83 Okay, now I get it. I stayed away from comments on lifestyle. I believe it isn't my business any more than commenting on their family's religion or politics. (I didn't talk to players about tactics or techniques. I did give feedback in the form of positive reinforcement.) I think it is great to provide a source for general information on nuitrition, but I expect the club to do that for all players, along with other club information on everything from soccer shoes to requirements for volunteer services.
My own experience with this is that I have found that a lot of the kids have certain physical deficits that could be corrected through directed conditioning. Weird things, like basically no oblique or hamstring strength. While addressing these deficits make them better soccer players, I am much more interested in the long-term health benefits and knowledge the kids receive. It also allows be to bring someone else in to coach and the teams usually enjoy a different voice. (I try not to take that personally
@Malabranca I consider what you are talking about (the "directed conditioning") physical therapy. Something as merely a soccer coach I am not qualified to do, although I suspect that you are. I don't know what other readers may think. I may certainly spot gross imbalances in large muscles, I know how to design training to avoid developing imbalances, I used web resources for therapists, but I have no special expertise in physical therapy and limited myself to treating just me. There is a reason senior clubs have trainers (physical therapists) in addition to coaches. Most coaches don't have the expertise. I expect the majority of the readers of this forum don't either.
I know I sound kinda an ass sometimes with my posts, but this is so true (the long-term health part). I used to have this pipe dream of trying to produce a pro player. But I've switched gears and aim for the long-term health of my players as a goal. Build life long healthy habits, stay active, connect athletic skills to life skills. Etc.Setving the 99.99999%
I hear you. One of my goals when I started this 19U team was to get more players into college soccer programs. My focus has shifted to being a mentor or someone kids can turn to for advice when they need it. I love the game, but a lot of my kids need more of a life coach than a soccer coach.
One of the ideas that I've come across recently is training on one leg. Vast majority of athletic actions are done on one leg, but Olympic lifts are 2-legged endeavors. Single leg squats, single leg deadlifts, etc.
That was(probably still is) a pillar for the Australian national sprint track cycling team. Single leg press, single leg plyos, and single leg squat and deadlift formed the base of their strength training.
Good point. I have done this with my U-littles to work on balance. Have them hop on one leg, and balance on one leg while putting the other leg in front, to the side, behind. I think jump rope would be good too. As an adult who plays casually I also do these exercises. Regarding physicality - it seems America in general leverages their physicality more... I wonder if that is partly an ancillary influence from gridiron football. I remember playing soccer in HS and I didn't really know how the game was supposed to be played. I played with no fear and was prideful when I would say go up for a 50/50 header or a tackle and the other guy came down in pain and had to be carried off the field. It was dumb and ignorant the way a lot of football (gridiron) players are where you just think it's cool to be aggressive and inflict pain. Americans have too much testosterone perhaps. But for sure we find it "manly" and "cool" to be aggressive whereas the the rest of world doesn't play soccer as a sport that is looked at as "2nd rate" to football. So maybe we're trying to compensate for an inferiority complex by being aggressive. Just a theory. Of course today I play much more carefully because I'm older and don't want to get injured. But physicality/aggression can be an asset I believe. It can make up for lack of skill at times. As you get older, more mature, you start to see how to work as a team, how to utilize space, how accuracy and vision can get you much farther with less risk of injury. It's probably partly just a maturity thing.
Id say it's a misconception that other countries don't play with an intent to inflict pain in soccer. I played on team with Serbs and practices were an eye opener. I've never seen routine violence in a game much less practice. Thing was, they were also skilled. It's not just them either there's a strong culture of machismo in how football is supposed to be played in other countries; The Brits, Germans, Latin Americans. In fact, the criticism by non-American coaches of American (boys/men) at National team levels is that they are too soft. it's prob due to the suburban, mommy-fights-your-battles for you mentality that's prevalent today.
I only trained in judo for three months but I took away lessons that influences me still. First I learned how to fall. I learned how to breath and focus. I also learned about what some of you call "physicality". Beginners know how to control people by hurting them. A master knows how to control people without even bruising them. That skill and knowledge is the objective of training. The mentality extends throughout life. I used mental "judo" in my trial work. Using an opponent's tactics against them in unexpected ways is very effective and satisfying. The mentality is useful in any form of competition. So are breathing and focusing exercises. Single sport specialization develops inferior athletes. The most important "physical" preparation for my adult soccer turned out to be playing tennis. That is right, tennis. It gave me excellent first step quickness over 360 degrees. If you have played competitive tennis, you know the truth of what I say. I suspect that some people refer to strength and size as "physical" (rather than the totality of athleticism). Being an early bloomer is actually a disadvantage for development. Those kids use their temporary advantage of size and strength to succeed. It doesn't prepare them for a future in which they lose those advantages. A lot of youth "development" is actually an exploitation of early bloomers by clubs and coaches.
@elessar78 the materials I have been reading have stressed lunges over squats for soccer performance. Traditional strength training routines would be limited to the off season to improve strength generally.
That's pretty crazy and interesting but not surprising re Serbs. I see, yeah I'm sure times have changed. I grew up in a small midwest town where football ruled too, that may have some influence. My kid will be softer I'm sure, but I will teach him to be aggressive like Messi.
I was reading this Argentine youth coach's (grew up in Newell's Academy) treatise. I think I sent it to you at some point? It was pretty comprehensive everything from warm-up to whole game play, hundreds of pages, dozens of section. In it was a one-page section on the proper way to breathe. I chuckled at first but it makes sense<——1% better. Truth
Exactly. This is the other part of coaching players off the ball. We focus 95% of practices ON THE BALL, but 95% of it is played WITHOUT the ball.
Outside of training, focus on age appropriate strength and speed with emphasis on proper form for both. Sudden improvements in speed will be very visible quickly once they learn proper movement technique, but it will be a gradual incline in improvement after that. Think years. Think that shaving a second from a 40yd or 100m dash time is a HUGE gain. Sprinting. Again, our athletes should be sprinting a few times a week with a full recovery between each sprint. It's not a conditioning activity, it's a power output activity. Conditioning will be addressed by a properly constructed training session. If your players aren't match fit in an unlimited substitution environment, then you may need to address things like intensity, duration, and rest/recovery during your training sessions. Core strength: It is about resisting motion, not creating it. Think planks, not 1000 crunches.
Some experts believe crawling is an overlooked core strength exercise. It is certainly the first everyone uses. I suspect the key is not resistence, but rather the use of all four limbs at the same time which engages the core.
Spot on. Once again, Erica Suter (mentioned above) recommends the bear crawl as part of daily routine for young athletes. She recommends try to get in a hundred bear steps per day and try balancing an object (cone) on the flat of your back. Engages the core, trains that opposite limb action, safe intro to strength training. My kids and I do a bunch of different animal crawls every few days—they find it fun/funny. But it's just great exercise. For me, movements like a duck walk engage and stretch muscles like my hip flexors that are dying a slow death from my desk job. Many of the experts I've listened to/read look at those infant years for clues on what types of movements are most basic.
My son turns 1 one and a half tomorrow. Just thinking about mimicking some of his movements gives me DOMS.