Different Types
of Soccer Strength Training
In soccer, lower body strength is required for kicking, jumping, tackling,
twisting and turning and also forms the foundation for explosive speed.
Upper body strength is required for shielding the ball, holding off
opponents, throw-ins and also contributes to overall power and
explosiveness.
We can split "strength" into three broader categories.
Absolute or Maximal Strength
Absolute strength is the maximum force that a muscle group can exert in
single, momentary contraction. For example, a player who can leg press
250lbs has greater absolute strength than a player who can leg press
200lbs.
In soccer, good maximal strength is beneficial for holding off opponents
and shielding the ball. More importantly it also forms the foundation of
muscular speed and power.
But there's a caveat,
Maximal strength (usually measured by one repetition max) makes no
allowances for time - for example, a weightlifter can spend 30 seconds or
more slowly lifting a weight inch by inch.
Not much use to the soccer player.
As a rule of thumb then, maximal strength training serves a greater
purpose than just increasing absolute strength.
The end result should be to increase your explosive speed and power.
Muscular Power
Power is a product of both absolute strength and the speed of movement.
Increase either one (without lowering the other) and you increase
explosive power.
Yes, if you do nothing but follow a generalized weights routine you find
in nearly every issue of popular fitness magazines, you will increase your
power. That, of course, assumes you continue to maintain your speed and
flexibility.
But even those generalized programs can be enhanced if you consciously
increase the speed of contraction.
Another, highly effective form of power training is called plyometrics.
Plyometrics bridges the gap between strength and speed by combining
elements of both in single movement patterns.
It sounds complicated but it's not.
In fact it's a very easy form of training to perform so long as the player
and coach rigidly adhere to the guidelines.
As we'll see in a moment, soccer strength training should fall into some
distinct phases. The first phase is used to develop a solid functional
strength base in the off-season. You can then move on to a maximal
strength phase before converting this into soccer-specific power.
Strength Endurance
Strength or muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle group to perform
repeated, high-intensity movements. Strength endurance is essential for
soccer - and like power, perhaps more essential than all-out strength.
At some point in your soccer training routine you should focus on
developing strength endurance. Going back to our 3 sets of 8-12 reps
example, general weights programs are inefficient at best for developing
soccer-specific strength endurance.
A much more efficient set-up is circuit training. And if you can
incorporate stations into the circuit that match the movement patterns in
soccer, you are way ahead of the game!
With all these different types of soccer strength training, things can
start to get a bit overwhelming. How do you train for maximal strength AND
power AND muscular endurance - especially when you have limited training
time?
Obviously, the answer is you don't.
Not even professional players can... or should.
Instead, we break a soccer strength training program into several phases -
each lasting between 4 and 12 weeks (although some phases can vary in
length).
The 4 Phases of a
Soccer Strength Program
It's crucial that you take a long-term perspective in your soccer strength
training plan.
Even if you only do 1 weights session a week, you should still adapt it
over the course of your season.
Looking at the big picture, so to speak, will help you see how it all fits
together. It also takes the pressure off trying to cater for everything in
just a few training sessions - a sure-fire way path to over training and
not much of anything else.
Here's an example of how you can break a season, and a soccer strength
training program, into just a few manageable phases.
The Off-Season - Build Functional Strength
Soccer, like any sport, places a lot of uneven demands on the body.
Most players have a predominant kicking foot for example. They kick using
the same motor patterns, tens of thousands of times every year.
And so, some muscles develop more than others. Some joints are placed
under more stress than others.
The goals of this phase are:
-
To prepare the joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons
for more intense work in subsequent phases
-
To strengthen underused stabilizer muscles
-
To balance the right and left side of the body
-
To redress the balance between the flexors and extensors
(soccer players, for example, are notorious for having over-developed
quads from repetitive kicking actions. No wonder hamstring injuries are
so prevalent in the game).
A good portion of your
soccer strength training should focus on core stability. It's a
form of training that is becoming more and more popular, and rightly so.
The core - the abdominals, lower back and trunk - all form your "center of
power". Every twisting, turning, stopping and starting movement is
supported by your core. It allows your upper and lower body to work in
cohesion, minimizing shock and stress.
This is the most
important phase of any soccer strength training program.
Yet most athletes dismiss it. And it becomes doubly important for younger
players.
The foundations you lay in this phase literally determine the quality of
strength and power formed in later phases. More importantly, without this
phase, injures - both short and long-term become much more likely.
Off-Season/Early Pre-Season - Build Maximal Strength
With a good foundation to build on, you're fully prepared to move into
phase 2. building maximal strength.
This is where most players finish - the same routine (or some slight
variation) all year round.
But that's good news for you.
You're following a soccer strength training program that meets the
specific demands of your sport - you have a big advantage.
Side Note
Maximal strength is relative to the other phases. For obvious reasons
younger athletes should lift weights below their maximum. However, this
phase should use higher loads than the other phases.
-----------------------
The goal of this phase is to develop the highest force possible. Since
power is our overall outcome, it makes sense to develop strength first and
then convert it into soccer-specific power.
The aim is to complete this phase before the start of the season. That way
the latter stages of pre-season training can focus on power and strength
endurance training.
Late Pre-Season - Muscular Power and Strength
Endurance
You've prepared your body well.
You've built a solid strength base.
And now it's time to reap the rewards of all your efforts.In this phase of soccer strength training, goal is to convert your
strength gains into soccer-specific power and muscular endurance.
Soccer is one of the few sports demands roughly equal amounts of explosive
force and strength endurance.
Plyometric training and/or circuit training should replace sessions in the
weight room for this phase. It will last roughly 4-6 weeks depending on
your schedule.
In-Season - Maintenance
To become a balanced player you have to accept that you'll lose a small
amount of maximal strength to develop more competitive types of strength.
But it will make you a better player!
During the in-season, the goal is to maintain the gains you've made during
a strenuous pre-season period without over reaching or over
training.
Remember, one of the best forms of training is a competitive game. Base
all your other training sessions around it. One more point before we wrap
up.
This is not one big, continuous phase in your soccer strength
training routine.
Because the competitive season can last up to 9 months, you should split
your strength routine into smaller cycles.
Each might cycle might last 6-8 weeks for example. At the beginning of
each cycle you lift lighter weights and perhaps perform few sets. You
reach a peak in the middle of the cycle (week 4-5) and taper off again
towards the end.
It's another technique used by the pros to keep their bodies (and their
minds) fresh and free from injury.
Course Contributor
Phil Davies
