JonIsAnOwl, Again, that is an assumption and a stereotype that bulkier taller people are always going to be clumsier. If you want to get good at the "Matthews", you practice it. Same as the Cryuff, Zico, Maradona, whatever move you want to get better at. Why cant you improve on better movement? I think that is the "movement skills" you are doing in your workout!
Dejan is correct in my belief but then again moving smaller limbs is easier and takes less overall hip strength within the smaller muscles. So to move longer and sometimes heavier limbs it takes more strength. Of course there are small and tall guys who have quick feet and small and tall who are slow. A lot of it is genetic (for example in boxing not many have the speed of Mayweather even if they practice as much- I call it limb speed, the ability to move the limbs quickly). And of course a lot of it is practicing the specific movements.
Nerve impulses have further to travel down the muscles and around the body, so taller guys will ALWAYS be slower than somebody smaller than them.
Not saying taller people can't improve it. Of course they can. Anybody can improve almost any skill if they practice it. But smaller people will react faster, will generally have higher agility levels. Messi of course is a perfect example. How many massive 6ft+ players do you see doing what Messi does? Hardly any. Name me a 6ft2+ player who is more agile than somebody smaller.
Sorry, I didn't make myself very clear. I didn't necessarily mean slower as in how fast they can run. I mean innate abilities such as reaction times, coordination and so on. Taller guys are capable of being fast runners. Some tall guys have pretty decent acceleration. Many tall guys are clumsy and can't run. Small guys are capable of generating more force, generally run faster, have faster reaction times and so on. It balances out. Seemingly the perfect height is 6ft, like Ronaldo. Legs like a long-distance runner and high jumper, and upper body like a sprinter. Ronaldo is the perfect athlete. There are no downsides to his physique. Any taller than that and it's when things start getting a little complicated.
I am around 6ft 2 and not very agile at all, it does always seem to be the small ones that are skillful. I can do hocus pocus and a flip flap and that is how far it stretches. Bigger players usually boss games more and can play some good long balls and take good long shots.
I think of DOMS as an overuse injury. I suspect that you are doing other activities besides the one lifting session a week. For us to suggest the specific cause of your DOMS over the internet is pure speculation. Appropriate weight routines are specific to individuals. Suggesting that what was appropriate for someone else is appropriate for you is pure speculation. Appropriate weight routines are specific to an individual's current circumstances and training objectives. What was appropriate for someone at one point in time is not even going to be appropriate for that same individual at a different time because circumstances and training objectives always change over time. You should be lifting under supervision of someone knowledgeable. Follow their advice.
If you're switching up your workouts, I find that you get DOMS occasionally, as the muscles are seeking to adapt to being worked out in the new way. It shouldn't last long, but it's a sign the muscles aren't used to being worked in that way and is trying to catch up.
If i just stick to Push Ups, Sit ups, Pull ups, Core work ( planks, crunches , etc ) , will I be fine? Because im trying to build up my athleticism greatly, not really looking to get bulked, im smart when it comes to using my body, but looking more to get tighter, lean out , and lose fat to give me more endurance
I think you will see that the proof is in the pudding- strength helps with power and therefore speed. http://www.empoweredathletes.com/interview-with-frank-yang/
You'll build strength definitely, but you have to find creative ways to push yourself and find new body weight exercises.
I read something really interesting in the latest issue of Men's Health about the Army's new approach to fitness training. It deals more with functional strength and endurance. The Cooper test used to be en vogue but when you're getting shot at you're not running at 6 min/mile pace. You're sprinting as hard as you can. So they modified their training to reflect this reality. They also do more stuff "on two feet" since you'll never be laying on your back or sitting, propelling a weight. They also incorporated a lot of "force reduction" exercises, which is really interesting. When we're working out it's usually about generating force, but they see equal value in, say, absorbing impact from a jump. Instead of situps they do hanging leg lifts, again more practical application to climbing than laying on the ground just moving your torso up and down. Oh and I think the coolest idea was that they work to the 3/4 view instead of just straight ahead (which isn't always realistic). Some of it definitely has applications to soccer, but CONCEPTUALLY it DEFINITELY has applications to soccer. It makes me think of the types of stresses we place on our body in soccer and the type of forces we routinely generate. For example, is there much use for a bench press type motion in soccer? That pushing motion, well, is basically a foul. We use our arms to hold defenders off and to gain leverage and in these motions we aren't really moving them. We put them out there and try to make them as rigid as possible. And with that we're pushing out and to the side, not in front of us. Another area that is obvious, is knee bend. Brazilians always talk about knee bend being critical—helps you cut harder and your center of gravity is lower. But do we do enough to strengthen the muscles that help us get low? What about shear forces—forces that come from the side or at an angle, that's where the knee is vulnerable. I think players are routinely exposed but I can't think of exercises that address this. I think it's interesting things to think about in our pursuit to make the best soccer/football players possible.
First comment: Pentagon press releases are not reality. Especially when touting "new programs." I think that they are just getting back to focus on the basics. Thirty years ago they started setting up fitness centers with designated fitness trainers modeled after commercial gyms. So the troops started using resistance machines and treadmills, etc. With all the disadvantages associated with those machines. Now the Pentagon is just figuring out that free weights, body weight exercises, and running are actually superior to using the machines. Doesn't mean that the troops ever spent all their training time in the gym. Second comment: Fitness tests are not fitness training. Third comment: You have no concept of the physical aspects. The amount of time a soldier spends getting shot at while sprinting is nil for practical purposes. And then its not a sprint. It is short rushes between cover, a few seconds only. Alternatives are advancing by low and high crawling. That is for infantry assaults and most soldiers do not train for infantry assaults. Everyone does train to defend a position. The one thing that has been constant is the weight and amount of equipment that a soldier is expected to carry is ridiculous. And it has only gotten worse over the years. Currently it is about 100 lbs for a foot soldier. http://thedonovan.com/archives/modernwarriorload/ModernWarriorsCombatLoadReport.pdf So for a foot soldier mostly it is about moving from point A to point B accross country carrying 100+ lbs. Day after day with little rest. On Sand, snow, swamp, hills, woods, almost never on hard surfaces (because then you would probably be riding in a truck). Crewman ride, but then they have to pull maintenance. Heavy work in confined spaces. Remember your comment about not needing strength while laying down? It is not just the crewman pulling maintentance. Imagine crawling under barbed wire or another obsticle dragging your 100 lbs of gear. Or climbing with it. Fourth comment: Fitness training doesn't get more functional than traditional military training. Body weight exercises. Forced marches. With equipment. Runs. With packs. Obsticle courses. Orienteering courses. Push ups, situps, pullups are important because core strength is important. Runs and marches are important because it is the primary means of movement in the military.
I've used this site. It's been pretty helpful actually (for the broad strokes) http://www.soccer-training-info.com/
Ibrahimovic is hardly agile. Neither is Kanu. Henry is just a God, was an unbelievable player. Berbatov isn't particularly agile/fast either so....?
JonIsAnOwl, You keep on making these stereotypes about height and muscle mass. Your mindset is muscle will slow me down, muscle will make me less agile; and I have told you if you work on agility/movement skills, and lift with the right approach, strength training will improve your game. Compare soccer players 10-15 years ago, and what they look like now?
No I don't. Ronaldo is built like a s**t house and he's the fastest player in the world. But claiming that 'any' player can be agile is rubbish quite frankly. I know for a fact that agility is an innate ability, something you're born with. Google it if you like. Of course it can be improved upon as it's a skill, and every skill can be improved. Oh and it's an unfair comparison.. 10-15 years ago, research and equipment wasnt as readily available as it is now to the professionals. Certain things hadn't even been discovered.
No, you are not born with agility! Agility is not innate!!! It is a sum of other variables, which can mostly be improved. However, you are limited by your muscle fiber type. If you started training at 4-5 to be a circus high rope walker, regardless of your size, weight; you will be a great circus high rope walker. Same thing with soccer players, they picked up a ball at an early age, and practiced, practiced, practiced and practiced. Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose practiced a lot, so when their bodies changed, they didnt lose their skills, they just turned into 6-8 point guards. Stop with your generalizations!!! What do you mean research and equipment wasn't available? In the past, most soccer players didn't do any form of strength, or if anything at all, it was all legs. If you do strength training without agility training, naturally you will suffer with your movement. Or, if you do agility training, and no strength training, you will lose most of your 50-50 challenges.
Jon, a word of advice. Your position would sound more credible if you learned a bit more. For instance smaller limbs give a mechanical and weight advantage. Nerve impulses travel at the speed of light so differences in limb length (in humans) do not have any significant impact from an electrical standpoint. Another point is that there is great variety in bodys between individuals. We are not all cut from the same mold. Don't assume that only short people have short legs. Some people have relatively long legs. Some people have relatively short legs. Long legs and short torso make for great distance runners. Short legs and longer torso make for great acceleration and a relatively low center of gravity. So certain body types give advantages in specific sports. Short arms are an advantage for wrestlers. The common body type for professional soccer players is mesomorph. Their relatively lean upper body is entirely due to the type of training soccer players do. Look at Maradona in his prime. He was built like a minature tank. Very hard to knock off his feet. Look at Brazil's "Hulk." Same body type as Maradona, just a big tank instead of a minature one. Not only is the NBA full of big agile guards and forwards, but the guys who are the NBA rejects are tremendous athletes as well. Why do we see more agile smaller guys than agile guys over 6 foot 2 inches--because of population demographics. There are far more short people than there are people over 6'2".