Probability you might not believe this, but just hear me out on this. While coaching players on games that involves great strength, and, or explosive power weight training soccer is very useful. If player do not need strength and power to a large extent even for them, strong abdominal and lower back muscles are helpful.
Here are the basic principles of weight training for soccer displaying simple activities to describe those principles.
One of the key principles of soccer strength training is, Specificity. The theory is to design your training sessions to match the player’s activity on the field. For Example: Runners practice through running and swimmers through swimming.
Speed is the main factor to put effort to when training, so as to develop power. Weight training programs should be designed in a manner that takes in to account the individuals role in team sports, their age, physical and mental ability to take pressure, and the level at which they are to play.
While developing a fitness training program, all this information is helpful for a coach to ensure a good start.
Such exercises should be planned for physical conditioning which improves specific training. For instance, to improve the aerobic and strength and power fitness, swimmers also run and perform weight lifting.
Injury prevention is also something which is commonly overlooked although it is an important part of weight training soccer. It is necessary to prevent injury although it is not the direct factor to contribute towards to the play however it enables the players to maintain their fitness in order to perform their best at the special times of the season.
The movements executed in soccer are running, sprinting, turning and twisting, side-stepping, preparing for a goal. To develop strength, stability and power the chain of muscles titled as the “anterior and posterior chain,” involved in these activities should be given attention.
The best exercises for developing these muscles are the core lifts, like squats and deadlifts. A comprehensive soccer fitness program giving due stress upon these two core lifts should work miracles for leg, hip, back and abdominal strength.
Swimming can also help to add strength to shoulders, arms and back muscles.
Usually strength enhancing programs include heavy weight lifting with few repetitions. As we have talked earlier some sports require mass and power but some others like soccer requires a good combination of strength with flexibility, speed and resistance; especially the midfielder.
Even if primary strength, power or endurance gains are absent, developing particular muscle groups would also help to increase performance. They are the lower back and hamstrings, and the quadriceps muscles that help knee joint function.
Now having equipped with knowledge always keep in mind that in weight training soccer doing weights might not give much benefit. You are invited to become a member of our youth soccer coaching society 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.
Tags: fitness training, soccer fitness, soccer strength training, Weight training soccer