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Program Part 3 PDF
Program Part 3 PDF
Strength forms the basis for power and speed. Soccer players also need strength to hold off challenges from
opponents.
Professional soccer players don't tend to have the same absolute strength as American football players or rugby
players for example. Too much bulk would hinder their agility and speed off the mark. Aerobic and strength
endurance play a more substantial role in soccer than they do in American football.
The most common method for measuring absolute strength is to determine one repetition maximum. Usually the
bench press is used for the upper body and leg press for the lower body.
Perhaps more important in soccer than absolute strength is relative strength...
Relative strength is simply your absolute or maximum strength adjusted according to your body weight. So a
140lb player who can leg press 280lbs is said to have greater relative strength than a player who can also press
280lbs but who weighs say, 165lbs.
If you can bench press your own body weight and leg press twice your body weight you have excellent relative
strength.
Of course, this is a rough measure because 100lbs on one weights machine is often more difficult to lift than
100lbs on another machine.
Soccer players tend to have very well-developed quadriceps. The quads should be approximately twice the
strength of the opposing hamstring muscle group, but in some players this difference can increase.
It's a good idea to spend time strengthening the hamstrings in relation to the quads if this is the case.
Another significant component of a soccer fitness program is speed and agility training. The speed of play in
today's game is said to be quicker than ever. While elite soccer players are by no means Olympic sprinters, all
other things being equal, faster players have a marked competitive edge.
A very simple speed test is a sprint over 30 yards from a standing start. You can do this easily if you have
someone time you. Take the average time over 3-4 sprints (with plenty of rest between attempts).
Anytime under 5.0 seconds is good. Professional players average 4.0 seconds.
Flexibility in Soccer
Last and certainly not least is flexibility.
In most cases increasing your range of motion can be very beneficial - not only in the prevention if injury but to
increase your speed, agility and power too.
Flexibility sessions should feature heavily in your soccer fitness regime.
Measuring flexibility is a simple procedure.
A test like the modified sit and reach, groin flexibility test or truck rotation test are all specific to soccer. You can
also buy a large protractor called a goniometer to quickly measure the range of movement about a joint.
Be sure to read the other soccer fitness articles here at the site. You'll find plenty of programs and drills to
improve your level of conditioning and of course, your game!
Before we move on to agility and fast feet, let's look at how training can significantly
improve absolute speed and acceleration. There are 4 important elements that will make
you a faster athlete...
2. Sprint Training
To improve speed off the mark, running mechanics and acceleration training should
feature in your soccer speed training routine. It doesn't have to be much - just one short
session a week before practice is enough during the in-season.
Drills should be completed over short distances with plenty of rest between sprints. The
idea is not to tire you. Concentrate on form and speed of leg movement over the first few
yards.
Over the course of a season, start sprint drills in mid to late pre-season and continue
right through the in-season. Because they aren't fatiguing you can perform they the day
before a game. A lot of pros teams feel that they help to increase mental sharpness in
preparation for an upcoming game.
As a side note, sprint drills should be performed at the start of a training session when
you are fresh.
4. Flexibility training
It's always an uphill struggle trying to get athletes to stretch for the purpose of
increasing their range of motion. They'll do it to warm-up but there are so many benefits
to moderately increasing range of motion.
One of them is increasing power and speed of motion.
A muscle can only contract as fast as its opposing muscle can relax. Flexibility training
can release tightness and promote this speed of relaxation.
Increasing range of motion also helps to lengthen leg stride and is important for quick
and agile changes in direction.
Try to do some stretching exercises three times a week - following a training session
when muscles are warm.