Training Considerations for the High School Soccer Athlete

This article is intended to address the training of the High School soccer athlete. We see soccer athletes in our facility probably more than any other sport with the exception of football. Soccer athletes share a unique but common theme when it comes to athletics. Soccer athletes have essentially all become full-year specialists at their sport discipline. Now usually I do not advocate athletes specializing in 1 sport. I believe athletes need to learn as many biomotor capabilities as possible. In my opinion, each sports brings a different element to the table and the more the young body is exposed to developmentally, the better its chances are at developing overall athletic ability. Because our bodies are constantly gathering information and adjusting to the demands placed on it, it becomes imperative that young athletes gather as much information as possible. Now soccer has evolved from a fall sport to a full year sport with mini off-seasons built in. There are club teams, leagues, tournaments, travel teams & of course personal positional training coaches. The reason for this is that many college coaches cannot see the athletes play during the fall because they are in-season themselves. So different avenues have been created to allow the coach/scout to see the athletes they are interested in without disrupting their focus from their own season. But, the very nature of all these added elements makes strength and conditioning a chore for the average high school strength coach (if that school even has one).

As a result of the increase in athletic responsibility for the high school soccer athlete I began to think of ways that I can effectively improve the strength, mobility, speed, explosiveness & overall body control without damaging their ability to perform weekly. I must add that I do advocate these athletes staying active in their sport all year round. Not to go against my earlier stance on the developing of many biomotor abilities, but soccer includes many of the elements an athlete would gain in playing another sport. In addition, H.S. soccer athletes I have trained are in some of the best physical condition of any other athlete due to the nature of the sport. With all this being said, I do believe the responsibility of the strength coach becomes a challenge because there is also the increased risk of injury due to the sheer lack of time to just develop optimal strength & power alone (as well as developing the ability to reduce force against the body). With most sports, especially football, there is a long off-season where coaches can spend time working on strength or power alone. With soccer this may not be so, so we try to set a strict schedule for training as to give them some stability amongst all the seeming instability in their daily routines.

 Consider this:

1- We train our H.S. soccer athlete 3 times week. This is a happy medium for most players and gives them the best chance to train optimally and recover optimally. From what I have seen, forcing them to train 4 times a week will turn them off mentally. So, start with three days & if they can fit in a fourth day, so-be-it.

2- Use full-body training splits with these athletes. I have tried upper/lower splits with my athletes. Since we are only training three times a week around competitions and other intense field work, I feel it’s in our best interest to train the full body each time we train. This gives each muscle group a minimum of two training sessions a week as opposed to only 1.

3- The volume should be moderate. The intensity should range from moderate to high. I believe in monitoring the athlete on a week by week basis. Usually their body language will determine how they are able to train that day. I have seen that moderate intensities seem to work well. However we do have “gut check” days factored in. This simply means that we do require them to either go heavy or empty the tank depending on where they stand within their given cycle. I have taken them around 80-85% highest with the core lifts but if the day requires a change, then evaluate your athlete and make the necessary change. We have lately been following a hybrid of Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 (regarding the “core” lifts). We then mix in light DB’s, body weight circuits and rotational work.

4- Train 3-4 days apart. There may not really be a 'good' time in terms of a layout. Pick three days preferably 3-4 days apart and train. Try to avoid training on game days. However, doubling up on a practice day isn't such a bad idea. I'd rather the athlete double up 3x's a week on practice days and have 2 or 3 complete rest days than train on every off day and wear down. Remember we're dealing with a full year approach (or anywhere between 40-50 weeks).

5- Use compound movements, super sets & circuits! These 3 forms of training have been proven to help improve muscle mass and develop proper inter/intra-muscular coordination. The weights used should be heavy enough to give good results while not inducing too much stress on vertebrae joints. In addition, the circuits will give more of that ‘pump’ effect without localizing 1 group of muscles and creating too much acid build up.

6- Teach movement skills! Do not fall into the trap of believing that because the athlete is playing soccer 2-3 times a week that they don't need to be taught movement skills. I have seen hundreds of soccer practices. Most of them are foot-skills sessions where they are playing keep away on a reduced field or practicing some type of shooting. Then the practice evolves into full speed soccer games. No movement has been taught. By movement I simply mean instruct the athletes on how to assume some of the basic positions they will be in, on the field of play. Remember that only one player has the ball at a time. The other players need to learn how to accelerate, decelerate, bend, turn, jump, shuffle, etc. The act of playing soccer does not ensure the improvement of these facets of sport skill. Our mindset of programming the training is to improve and qualify all aspects of athletic improvement, not just muscular strength and cardiac-conditioning. 

Movement Skills sessions for us usually are short 10-15 segments that we, well…teach movement. We teach the athletes how to bend (athletic base position) 1^st. We then introduce acceleration mechanics to them. This is taught from a basic approach and progresses to a more relevant approach as they improve. We teach them how to jump & how to land from a jump. We also, in certain circumstances, teach them how to move laterally either shuffling or using a crossover/shuffle step. The focus of this is not to wear out the athletes prior to lifting, but it’s simply to help them understand core movements. We believe that core movements should be taught in the weight room (bench, squat & dead lift) as well as on the field (or relevant playing surface). Every athlete needs to learn movements and by addressing this we believe we increase their chances of improving their performance & reducing their injury potential. 

This section of the training is usually always done at a moderate tempo. This is so that we don’t condition the athlete and take away from the weight training portion. We keep the distances of any acceleration to less than 20yds. In addition this segment usually happens prior to lifting because it’s the best time to get optimal movement out of the athlete, but is in no way damaging to their weight room performance. 

Side note- The weight room is a tool. The field is a tool. The trainer’s office is a tool. The classroom is a tool. Effectively manipulate each one for the betterment of the athlete and you will have a fully developed athlete. This is of course only my opinion.

7- Fix their nutritional habits. This is probably the most overlooked aspect due to the absence of good nutritional choices in our high schools. However, this is not an excuse. Make sure your athletes get enough protein to help maintain the muscle they are building and breaking down. Teach them the difference & importance of simple and complex carb consumption. Tell them the importance of healthy fats and vitamins. This will give them the heads up as they mature and move into more challenging situations. If they leave only following 30% of the advice you've given them, it could make a ton of difference in their energy level and performance level. 

We all deal with H.S. aged athletes who A) either think they know better than us, or B) get lazy when it comes to eating good/clean, or C) don't have the finances to really make the necessary purchases to improve their nutrition the way we'd like them to. When it's all said and done, any small improvement is a step in the right direction. Only you (coaches/parents etc.) know your athletes, so deal with them accordingly. For those of us who have that top 1% who do everything we ask, our obligation to them is to keep giving them the best information available so that they can make the most of the time they have.

Sample training day:

Remember these athletes are not "strong". They don't need to be inundated with tons of fancy lifts and implements. We utilize full body exercises and mix in body weight & rotational work. We simply keep it basic. Here is a SAMPLE:  

OVERALL OUTLINE:

FOAM ROLL/PRE-HAB 10 MIN

-This is a small portion where we like to jump start the body. Here is a sample session:

1.     Foam – glutes, hamstrings, IT’s, quads & groin. Then hit some upper & lower back.

2.     Pre-hab

a.     Plank (front & side) :30-1:00

b.    Mini-band Walking – Glutes

c.     TKE's & Elevated Heel Touching - Hips A

d.    Balancing Alphabet – Hips B

e.     YTWL’s  (on a Swiss Ball) – Rotators

*Hips A = Glute Med activation & structural support

*Hips B = Hip Mobility/Stability - may be omitted if athlete has hip flexor tightness

DYNAMIC WARM-UP 5 MIN

3.     Sample:

a.     Body Squat x 10

b.    Leg Swing x 10ea

c.     Sumo-Squat to Hamstring Stretch x 8

d.    Groiner x 10ea

e.     Thrust Frog x 10

f.Drop Lunges x 10ea

ELASTICITY/PLYOMETRICS 2-5MIN

4.     Sample:

a.     Squat Jump w/ static hold

                                          i.    This is a standard squat jump from the floor where the athlete assumes a squat position & then explodes upward on command. Then the athlete lands in the static hold (full squat) position for approx. 2-3 seconds until the next command is given. We usually do 2 sets of 4-6 total jumps.

b.    Rapid Response jumping/hopping x:5sec x 2sets in place

c.     Rapid response jumping with short sprint

MEDICINE BALL TRAINING

5.     Our goal here is to improve the athletes’ power!

1. Squat press & Throw w/jump – 2 x4-8
2. Verticle/Backward Granny throw w/jump – 2x4-8
3. Overhead Soccer throw w/ step – 2-6-10

MOVEMENT SKILL 10MIN

      6.Sample:

a.       There are many ways to break down these mini-cycles of movement skill. We teach both linear speed & multi-directional speed. We believe that all speed and movement skill training comes back to linear speed, but the initiation of linear speed can many times be taught & refined from a multi-directional standpoint. We will always teach first step mechanics, however many times from a non-linear position. The reason is because in soccer and most field sports, athletes don’t start a sprint facing forward only. They must learn to initiate sprinting from all angles, body positions & speeds.                                           i.    (each segment is 2 weeks in length)

1.     LINEAR & MULTI-DIRECTIONAL Acceleration – basic & pre-determined (verbal command)

2.     LINEAR & MULTI-DIRECTIONAL Acceleration & deceleration – basic & pre-determined (verbal command)

3.      LINEAR & MULTI-DIRECTIONAL Acceleration & deceleration – pre-determined multi-directional added (verbal + visual command)

                *Simply means after the initial acceleration we may re-direct the athlete during the actual drill as opposed to having them run a straight sprint.

4.     LINEAR & MULTI-DIRECTIONAL Acceleration & deceleration – non-determined multi-directional added (verbal + visual command)

                *Example would be a simple game of “cat & mouse” , “mirror dodge drill” or a game of “tag”.

*Again this is a sample!

STRENGTH WORK 20-30MIN:

Day #1 Sample:

1a. Back Squat (5-3-1)

1b. A/R (active rest) sumo squat x 6 – we do these after each set during the core lift to help increase the mobility of the muscle tissue.

2a. DB 3 way lunge 3x4 revolutions each leg

2b. Low Bar push-up 3x8-12

Circuit

*3-5 sets with approx 1min rest between sets & 10 sec rest between stations.

3a. Pull-ups x: 15-25 sec (use band is necessary)

3b. KB Swing x: 15-25 sec

3c. Abdominal “Dead Bugs” x: 15-25sec

Day #2 Sample:

1a.Trap-bar dead lift (5-3-1)

1b. A/R Hamstring Stretch (lying on floor activate hamstring by squeezing the quad, hold for 3 sec release & repeat) x4

 

2a. DB curl to press 3x8-12

2b. Back extensions 3x15

Circuit

3a. DB Alternating Incline Press 2x15

3b. Blast Strap Inverted row 2x6-12

3c. Low Box Step-ups (heavy) 2x10ea

3d. Seated Medicine Ball Russian Twist 2x30ea

Day #3 Sample:

1.     1 Arm DB Snatch 5-7x1-3

2a. DB Front Squat 3x6-10

2b. TRX Standing BW Row 3x12-15

2c. Static Hip Flexor Stretch x20sec each leg

3a. Dips 3x6-10

3b. Pull-ups 3x4-10

4.     Forward & Backward sled dragging 3-4 sets 30yds approx.

5.     Low Back & Abs 2-3 sets

a.     Hip Thrusts (from floor) x25

b.    Back Extensions x25

c.     Plate or Barbell Crunches x25

d.    Reverse Hypers x25

CONDITIONING (IF NECESSARY) 10min

*Sample Video attached

soccer conditioning

STRETCH 5

·         There are many ways to layout the training. We have chosen this format because it’s the most practical for the athletes we train and the amount of time we have with them. We do take into consideration that this is the private sector. We do not train whole soccer teams as a high school or college strength coach would. So consideration must be given for the necessary changes in either equipment or layout given the differences in situation.