Soccer Specific Fitness Training
I train and develop players for soccer specific fitness training that will directly carry over to their in game abilities. Focusing on things such as Jumping, Dynamic Trunk Control, Explosiveness, Agility, Deceleration, Change of Direction, Planting, Cutting, Flexibility, Mobility, Core, and Stability. Currently training age groups for U8-U13 and U14-U19. Being an extremely passionate and dedicated player myself in the past, I know exactly what’s going to bring the best out of each and every player that goes through my soccer specific fitness training.
Example Session (U14-U19)
(5-10 minutes): Static and Dynamic Stretching
Single leg lunging pushing the knee forward with without heel coming up and putting weight of chest down on knee. Butterflys one and two leg using hands to push hard on knees. Open the gates. Holding on to goal post hip stretch pushing knees forward, back and side to side. Jogging windmills. Jogging upper body twists.
(20 minutes): Jumping, Dynamic Trunk control, Explosiveness
Squat jumps with 5 second eccentrics 10 reps 1 Round, Squat jumps 8 reps with a short sprint and back-peddle round 2, Squat jumps fast 15 reps round 3.
3 station exercise: Squat broad jumps 3 jumps 3 second eccentric 3 jumps fast. Moving to single leg bounds one leg and single bounds back the other leg. Moving to single leg bounds 3 hops on leg forward to explosive sprint to the left and 3 leg bounds forward on other leg with explosive sprint to the right. 3 rounds
(15 minutes): Agility and Change of Direction
2 station exercise: 2 players in groups, one running at the other at different speeds and angles giving cues/calls to back-peddle, shuffle side to side and at 45 degree angles, as well as sprinting back while still facing player. And then in big 4 cone square, player steps in fast feet in the center and I yell and tell him which cone to sprint , back peddle, or shuffle too for 20 seconds and move to next player
(10-15 minutes): Core and Stability Circuits
4 station circuit: Single leg calf hops around 4 cone square with short burst sprint. Planks. Balancing on one leg medicine ball throws to partner, catching the ball twisting with the ball and throwing. Flutter kicks.
(10-15 minutes): Flexibility and Mobility
Butterflys for 1 minute. Pigeon stretch each leg 1-2 minutes. Holding on to goal post hip stretch pushing knees forward, back, and side to side. Trap/shoulder mobility circuit of rotating one hand palm out facing up and looking down the opposite shoulder, a few rounds slow 360's with the neck each side, and rotator cuff L's.
Introductory/Advanced level
Jumping, Dynamic Trunk Control, Explosiveness
Single leg Split Squats: 3-5 second eccentrics for building rubber band like tension and training explosiveness out of the bottom portion of the movement.
Weighted/Bodyweight Squat Jumps: 3-5 second eccentrics for building tension and training explosiveness out of bottom portion of movement. With weight, bands, or bodyweight.
Single leg Bounds: Explosive bounding on one leg for 30 yards or so on one foot and back on the other foot.
Alternating Single leg Bounds with Changes of Direction: Every few jumps, explosiveness combined with change of direction.
Broad Jumps: Switching between slow eccentric broad jumps and immediate fast broad jumps. Also mixing up with change of direction for each jump.
Straight leg hand on hips explosive jumps in place: 30-60 seconds building in place vertical jump ability with little to no momentum.
Single leg Four Corner Calf Jumps: 4 cones set up in a small square, jumping on one calf around each cone for however many rounds and then switching legs building calf explosiveness which is often a looked over neglected part of the body when it comes to increasing explosiveness and jumping ability.
Many other creative ways and ideas to build Jumping ability, create explosiveness, and build dynamic trunk control.
Flexibility and Mobility
Static and Dynamic Stretching: Lower body, upper body, Increasing ROM, etc.
Hip and Ankle Flexibility and Mobility: Hamstrings, quads, calves, even glutes, along with the lower back for lower body
Shoulder Flexibility and Mobility: Traps, lats, chest for upper body.
Starting off slowly warming up warming up and doing 10 second holds on each stretch for each muscle before moving on and holding each main stretch for 1-2 minutes and reaching the furthest point of range of motion. Then once the heart rate goes down they'll be able to reach even further increasing their flexibility and mobility.
Then finishing off with more dynamic and active stretching once they feel loose like a slinky. They'll feel quite a difference afterwards leaving as opposed to when they started.
Example Session (U8-U13)
(5-10 minutes): Static and Dynamic Stretching
Butterfly’s. Seated toe touch hamstring strecth using the back of the kness to pull against for better range of motion. Sitting in squat position rotating hips left to right with possibly a 180 point to the air with upper body if they can do it. Jogging and twisting of the trunk. Jogging and forward/backward windmills with upper body twist combos.
(15 minutes): Jumping, Dynamic Trunk Control, and Explosiveness
3 station circuit: Squat Jumps using partner to lock hands and get proper range of motion 5 second eccentrics 10 reps jumping every 2 reps. Single leg bounds left foot to right foot 2 bounds each leg with a sprint either forward, sideways, or back. Broad Jumps into sprinting in different directions.
(15 minutes): Agility and Change of Direction
2 station circuit: Agility poles zigzag quick shuffles into full sprint in different directions. Agility ladder standing sideways forward and back quick feet into short burst sprint in different directions.
(10-15 minutes): Core and Stability Circuits
4 station circuit: Hopping from one leg catch the ball hop to other leg twist and throw. Partner sit ups 15-20 reps. Songle leg calf hops forward and backwards into shortburst sprint to the side. Partner lower ab v-ups/leg holds.
(10-15 minutes): Flexibility and Mobility
Full toe touch holds using hands to bring face to knees for extra range of motion. Butterflys 30 seconds into squat position butterflys 30 seconds. Partner holding the shoulder quad stretch pulling hard on foot while simultanously piushing knee hard forward and then switching legs. Clockwise and counter clockwise single arm windmills in various directions for shoulder mobility.
Introductory/Intermediate level
Agility, Deceleration, Change of Direction, Planting, Cutting
Deceleration and Acceleration Exercises: Various cone layout, pole layout, and coach to players cues to sprint in short/long burst in different direction. Keeping players on their toes to best simulate game situations. Improving acceleration, decceleration, along with change of direction.
Agility Ladder Drills: Incorporating various agility quick feet drills going forwards, backwards, side to side, and combinations of the three to mimic game like scenarios when quick feet is needed.
Running at Player: Especially good for defenders, Back peddling, forward, and side to side movements. Practicing low center of gravity change of direction and exploding in different directions to simulate attacker with ball running at defender and being able to properly defend and contain attacker. Exercise done with groups of 2 without a ball.
Cone Drills: Various cone drill layouts for changing of direction to simulate in game situations. Involving back peddling, sprints, side to side shuffles, planting, cutting, etc.
Core and Stability
Stabilization Exercises: Single leg Calf hops (forward, back, side to side), One leg balancing medicine ball throws, glute bridges, side planks, Nordic curls/Nordic eccentrics, etc.
Also doing big 3-5 exercise circuits mixing stabilization and core exercises.
I'm a big fan of high rep bodyweight exercises for core as opposed to weighted low reps, especially for soccer players.
I prefer core circuits to finish off with after the stabilization portion of training but also mixing between the two as well. Upper abs, lower abs, and obliques. Rotating between various exercises that target these 3 areas with no rest in between to build physical and mental endurance to push past limits for high rep endurance core work.
Core Exercises: Planks, side planks, flutter kicks, v-ups, scissor kicks, leg raises, sit ups, crunch’s, Russian twist’s, mountain climbers, shoulder taps, etc.