You may not agree, but check this out. While coaching players on games that involves great strength, and, or explosive power weight training soccer is very useful. Even players for whom strength and power is not a main attribute tend to benefit from strong abdominal and lower back muscles.
This article will teach you the basic theories of weight training for soccer using simple methods for presenting those theories.
Specificity is a common principle in soccer strength training. The idea is that to train your players to practice in a manner which is similar to that when they play on the fields. For instance: Runners run and swimmers swim.
In order to enhance strength an essential thing to be stressed upon while exercising is speed. A number of thing which are important while planning weight training programs are the players role in team sports, their age, physical and mental capacity to take stress, and the level at which they are to play.
All this information is useful for a trainer in designing a fitness training program, to make a good start.
Such exercises should be planned for physical conditioning which improves specific training. Like for developing aerobic and strength and power fitness exercises, running and weight lifting are also performed by swimmers.
One more feature in weight training soccer often ignored is prevention of injury.Another area of weight training soccer which is commonly neglected in is injury prevention. Injury prevention even though not directly contributing to the play, is important as it ensures that the players are fit to play at the most critical times of the year.
A sport like soccer includes activities such as running, sprinting, turning and twisting, side-stepping, going for a hit. The “anterior and posterior chain,” are the chain of muscles which are required to perform these actions must be given importance to develop strength, stability and power.
The best exercises for developing these muscles are the core lifts, like squats and deadlifts. The general soccer fitness program may be used commonly but these two core lifts are very essential for leg, hip, back and abdominal strength.
Swimming can also help to add strength to shoulders, arms and back muscles.
Ordinary strength program comprises of doing pretty heavy weights but only a few times. You know by now that soccer is a sport which requires sufficient strength with mobility, speed and stamina not just building bulk and mass like other sports.
Strengthening highly vulnerable muscle groups could also add to the performance benefits in the absence of primary strength, power or endurance gains. Thus the lower back and hamstrings, and the quadriceps muscles that aids the knee joint function are such muscle groups.
This is it. Please try to consider these areas while weight training soccer as you know now that football unlike other sports do not require weights essentially. You can also join our youth soccer coaching community that has a plethora of informative articles, weekly newsletters, and videos to help you better understand the concepts of youth coaching.
Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Practice Tips.
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