Training for Soccer Athletes

            Soccer-specific strength training for soccer players and is a topic of heated debate. The off-season strength training for athletes of football the source of debate for many years and still unresolved. The first issue to address is whether there really is a low season for the best football player on the run? At any level? Male or female? In my opinion the answer is no! Should it? Well, this is a topic for another article or a series of articles and is part of an ongoing debate and intense.

For the purposes of this article, I take it a bit of an off-season, even if it is simply a period in which a football player plays less often. Once set up, then to answer the question is: What kind of training will provide the maximum benefit when the next season starts? The answer is complex, but also continue to keep a foot on the ball, and even in this area, at least a few times a week at least, it's time to go to the gym!

Interesting questions and comments I get from time to time on this. It is interesting that many football coaches still in the dark ages when it comes to strength training for football players. And I routinely letters from colleagues and information that I receive is usually divided into three categories:

1) The old school of training for football: "All you have to do is play football!"

2) The conservative school of formation of calcium (usually expressed by the parents): "My son is doing too much, he (or she) no longer needs training!"

3) The vocational school teaches football: "I know that the players are bigger, stronger and faster than ever before and if I want to compete at the highest level, I need a board!"

It should not take a genius to figure out what position I take on this issue? Yup, number 3!

The most uninformed comment I have ever seen came from a "coach", the criticism of an article I wrote on the training leg was, is indicative of the first school of thought, the old school. The coach claimed that involved as players not in muscle movement, similar to the movement of the muscles to perform a certain movement, or use the muscles around these movements take exactly this way on the field, there is no need for leg extension locks!

WRONG!

This means that players do not have to bench press because it is a bank, need to fifty yards of the line goalie is not in the aerobic fitness, because almost never left the box! I could go on for days about this, but you get the message ... I hope? And the "old school, and uninformed.

The view from the old school, do not take into account not only the synergies between the muscle groups and their actions are not taken into account that the movement of the muscles is complex and involves not only the muscles as you work has an influence on the connective tissue also.

And where deeper and football career end violations occur? Knees! And the proportion of the affected knee deep? Connective tissue! And how we can strengthen the connective tissue? By including in the weight training to strengthen the muscles and connective tissue with the muscles and the adjacent synergistic muscles takes aim!

The fact is that, if not to strengthen all the muscles and related connective tissue are more susceptible to damage and, and this is a great for this article, for players who are engaged in strength training? They will be to what? Yup! Bigger! Harder! Faster! And if not faster ... definitely more ...!

Then go to the gym, but do it. Find a conscious strength and fitness coach who is with sport-specific, and in particular the strength of the soccer-specific fitness and training, and start hitting the weights and machines (there are advantages for both).

Ultimately it depends on which you want to go depends, but the competition is intense and play at the highest level, you need an edge. Just to go any football complex in almost every town or village in the United States, let alone abroad, in a Saturday morning and ask yourself the following questions:

1) What makes me so special?

2) How will this competition?

3) What do I do a benefit?

The answer is quite simple, really, is twofold:

1) and often play at the highest level possible.

2) Find a competitive advantage, and then work until it separates from the pack!

can take the combination of the two fruits are only for the moment hope, but one who has trained athletes at all levels of football on the field and in the gym, it should be noted that a question:

"What turns me off?"

Answer that and you will be among the top 1% and the chance to play, when all have to sit on the bench or in the stands.