Design and Implementation of an Off-Season Conditioning Program for U-14 Soccer Athletes
Jason Rutkowski, Performance Enhancement Coordinator, Soccer Organization of Charlottesville-Albenrarle SOCA, Virginia
Jason J. Rutkowski, M.S. earned his; master's degree in Exercise Physiology at the Univ of Pittsburgh ersity . Prop: 2002-03, he served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently employed as an Exercise Physiologist /, Research Assistant at the General Clinical Research Center at the University of Virginia Medical Center.
Prior to writing an off season conditioning program for U-14 soccer athletes, 1 thought it was important to re-examine the physiological demands of the game itself. This mental exercise helped me to develop a conditioning program that makes sense. The process whereby a coach assesses the physiological demands of the sport is sometimes called a "needs analysis". Fortunately, sports scientists have analyzed the demands of soccer and have determined the typical activity profile of the game. Understanding the activity profile of soccer allows tire coach to answer questions such as "How far does a soccer player run in a game?" or "How often does a soccer player sprint in a game?" More importantly, this knowledge allows the coach to design a fitness program that will target the physiological attributes most important to the game of soccer with the goal of enhancing the athlete's performance. Some important information that I gathered about the activity profile of soccer included the following: 2/3 of the distance covered in a soccer game is performed at a walking or jogging pace and sprint distances rarely exceed 40 meters (i.e. 10-30 meters on average). Aside from a needs analysis, it is important to also consider the athlete when developing a physical training program. In my case, it was necessary to consider the growth and maturation of a 13 year old athlete and his or her physiological readiness to perform a physical training program. In my opinion, the overall goal of physical training at this age should be to establish a solid foundation. In other words, as a coach, I was not simply concerned with preparing our young athletes for the upcoming season, but rather for long term success and enjoyment of the sport. I tried to establish sound training principles and exercise techniques early on making sure kids mastered basic movements and drills first, allowing for plenty of repetition, before progressing to more advanced movements. From there, we were able to incorporate new drills and exercises into the program to further challenge our athletes.
Based on prior year's experience and the needs of our soccer athletes, I decided to establish four basic goals to guide the design and implementation of our off-season conditioning program. The goals of the training program were as follows: improve work capacity/endurance, increase core strength and stabilization, enhance footwork, balance and coordination and reduce injury risk. A number of questions came to mind when considering the training goals, but foremost was the following: "How can we best accomplish these goals, both from a program design standpoint (i.e. program structure, exercise selection, duration of work bouts etc.) and from a logistical sense (i.e. training environment, availability of equipment)?" From previous communication with the coaching director and consideration of the in-season practice schedule, we decided to implement a 5 week conditioning program with 90 minute training sessions performed twice per week (i.e. 10 sessions total). The U-14 girl's and U-14 boy's teams were trained separately over this period.
I decided to structure the training program using a loose form of circuit training. My objective was to create a training environment that utilized favorable work and rest periods while maximizing the efficiency of our time. Each training session began with a 15-20 minute warm-up phase which served a number of purposes. First, it provided an opportunity to teach our athletes a series of fundamental movement skills that would elevate their muscle temperature and physically prepare them for more intense exercises and drills. My goal was to have them use this warm-up regimen consistently in the competitive season prior to practices and games. Second, it also provided an opportunity to practice technical ball skills such as foot and thigh juggling. Following the warm-up phase, the training session progressed to a circuit training format incorporating drills and exercises that addressed our training goals.
In designing the training program, I considered a number of training variables, those components of the training program that a coach can manipulate to bring about a desired training effect. In par ticular, when considering the goal of increasing work capacity, 1 was most concerned with the duration of work and recovery bouts. Keeping in mind the activity profile of soccer, [ wanted to train my :athletes to perform short (i.e. 15-20 sec) duration bouts of high intensity activity separated by periods of either active or passive recovery. I also wanted the high intensity activities to be "purposeful work" meaning those movements and skills that would benefit a soccer player. In keeping with purposeful work, exercise selection was another training variable critical to addressing the training goals. For example, when considering the goal of improving core strength, I wanted to implement exercises that would teach trunk stabilization and also exercises that would strengthen the muscles of the hip. Exercise selection was a key component of the training program, but also important was the order of performing those exercises. Again, this goes back to the use of a circuit-training format to alternate movements that tax different muscle groups giving our athletes adequate recovery and maximizing the quality of work performed and efficiency of time. Keeping in mind the age of my athletes and the goal of establishing a foundation for future success, proper exercise progression was also a key training variable when designing the program. My focus was to give our U-14 athletes time to master a particular exercise, both from a physiological sense (i.e. gain in strength) and a technical sense (i.e. motor skill development) before progressing to more physically demanding or complex drills.
For recovery and work ratios my goal was to allow for adequate rest, use our time efficiently and allow for high quality work bouts. With some exercises, like hurdle hops or box shuffles, I would have the kids perform 2-3 sets before moving to the next exercise. For the exercises emphasizing work capacity and injury prevention, three stations were set up for on average 9-10 athletes. Therefore, the kids would perform 12-14 landings of hurdle hops or a 15-20 second bout of box drills and then passively rest for the time that it took two other athletes to perform the drill. During this time I would make coaching points in between sets that would give the athletes a bit more time for recovery. Based on these considerations our work to rest ratio was 1:3-4 work. This aspect of the program is always a challenging thing for me, considering the number of athletes I'm working with and my focus on technique and managing the training session. In other situations, like strength training, we might go from one exercise to the next incorporating an active recovery component (i.e. a lunge followed immediately by a bridge or sit-up). The conditioning term for this is super setting and is an effective way of managing limited time.
Table A provides the 5-week off-season conditioning program developed for our U-14 level soccer athletes with the prescribed exercises for each session as well as planned training volume (i.e. number of sets and repetitions, duration of work bouts). The exercises or drills were typically performed in a circuit type fashion in the order presented, however the actual training volume varied from the planned training volume due to time constraints, the athletes progress and changes made by the coach during the training session. Table B provides a detailed description of each exercise used in the training program and the training goal (i.e. work capacity, core strength etc.) addressed by the exercise.
From my experience as a conditioning coach with a youth soccer club, the challenge is to determine the best way to transition physical training into the in-season practice schedule. My goal, with in-season training, is always to build on the foundation developed in the off season training program. However, the reality is, there is much less time to work on physical skills since the focus now shifts to technical and tactical training. It becomes very important to communicate with the coaching staff the physical training goals and determine how much time will be allotted for physical training. Since there are time constraints, the conditioning coach must plan creative ways to train physical skills developed in the off-season. Proper planning and field set-up before practice sessions is critical to accomplishing these training goals. I like to incorporate three basic components into the on field practice sessions including warm-up, injury prevention training and endurance/work capacity training. Because of the change in the training environment (i.e. from gymnasium to soccer field) endurance work can now take on the form of short sprints (i.e. 10-40 m) arranged as Fartlek (speed play in which the athlete sprints and jogs at various intervals) or shuttle runs. Again, it is important to remember the activity profile of soccer when designing physical training drills.
Another factor to consider when transitioning physical training into the in-season is fitness testing. The fitness component that I have been most concerned with testing is endurance. Results obtained from endurance testing can provide the coach with valuable information concerning the athlete's physical capacity and can also be used as a means to track improvements in fitness as well as provide feedback and motivation to the athletes. This year, I tested the endurance of our U-14 athletes using a well established and reliable test of soccer specific fitness known as the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test. My goal is to repeat this test at mid-season to see how the kids have progressed and evaluate the conditioning program
More Information Please! Contact Jason at JJR3B@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu
Table A
Week 1 |
Exercise/Drill |
Prescribed Sets/
Repetitions/Duration |
| Session 1 |
1. Foot Ladder Drills - Basics |
|
| |
Quick Feet, Side Step, Icky Shuffle, In and Out Box Shuffle |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
2. Bridging |
|
| |
Plank Position (teach abdominal hollowing) |
2 sets x 20 sec each |
| |
On Side (teach abdominal hollowing) |
2 sets x 20 sec each |
| |
3.Step Forward Lunge |
2 sets x 10 reps each leg |
| |
4. Lateral Box Push-offs (6” box height) |
6 sets x 15 sec |
| Session 2 |
1. Foot Ladder Drills - Basics |
|
| |
Quick Feet, Side Step, Icky Shuffle, In and Out Box Shuffle |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
Carioca, Crossover Shuffle |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
2. Bridging |
|
| |
Plank Position |
2 sets x 20 sec each |
| |
On Side |
2 sets x 20 sec each |
| |
3. Box Shuffles (6” box height) |
2-4 sets x 15 sec each |
| |
4. Reverse Sit-Up |
2 sets x 20 reps |
| |
5. Lateral Hurdle Hops (6” hurdle) |
2-4 sets x 14-16 landings |
| |
6. Step Forward Lunge |
2 sets x 10 reps each leg |
| |
7. Single Leg Squat w/forward reach |
1 set x 12 reps each leg |
Week 2 |
Exercise/Drill |
Prescribed Sets/
Repetitions/Duration |
| Session 3 |
1. Foot Ladder Drills |
|
| |
Quick Feet, Side Step, Icky Shuffle, |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
Carioca, Crossover Shuffle, Side R/L In |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
2. Side Bridge |
2 sets x 20 sec each |
| |
3. Box Steps (6” box height) |
2 sets x 15 sec each |
| |
4. Reverse Sit Up |
2 sets x 20 reps |
| |
5. Forward/Backward Hurdle Hops (6” hurdle) |
2 sets x 14-16 landings |
| |
6. Step Back Lunge |
2 sets x 10 reps each leg |
| Session 4 |
1. Foot Ladder Drills |
|
| |
Quick Feet, Side Step, Icky Shuffle |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
Side R/L In, Slalom Hop, Crossover Shuffle |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
2. Single Leg Squat w/ hip rotations |
1 set x 10-12 reps each leg |
| |
3. Ball Drills |
|
| |
Lateral Shuffle and Passing |
2 sets x 45-50 sec each |
| |
4. Birddog (teach abdominal hollowing) |
1-2 sets x 8 reps each leg |
| |
5. Bridging On Side |
2 sets x 20 sec each |
| |
6. Hurdle Hops (6” hurdle) |
|
| |
Forward/Backward |
2 sets x 12 landings |
| |
Lateral |
2 sets x 12 landings |
| |
7. Russian Hamstring |
2 sets x 10 reps |
Week 3 |
Exercise/Drill |
Prescribed Sets/
Repetitions/Duration |
| Session 5 |
1. Foot Ladder Drills w/ ball skills |
|
| |
Quick Feet, Side Step, Icky Shuffle |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
2. Side to Side Box Shuffle (6-12” box) |
2-4 sets x 15 sec each |
| |
3. Eccentric Push-Ups |
10 reps x 5 sec lowering phase |
| |
4. Step Forward Lunge |
2 sets x 10 reps each leg |
| |
5. Supermans |
1-2 sets x 10 reps |
| |
6. Hurdle Hops (6” hurdle) |
|
| |
Forward/Backward |
2 sets x 12 landings |
| |
Lateral |
2 sets x 12 landings |
| |
7. Side Bridge |
2 sets x 20 sec each |
| |
8. Partial Sit-Ups |
2 sets x 20 reps |
| |
9. Single Leg Hops (hold landings) |
3 sets x 5 each leg |
Note: |
Sesssion 5 was cancelled due to weather conditions |
|
| Session 6 |
1. Foot Ladder Drills |
|
| |
Quick Feet, Side Step, Icky Shuffle |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
Carioca, Crossover Shuffle, Side R/L In |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
2. Bridging |
|
| |
Plank Position |
2 sets x 20 sec each |
| |
On Side |
2 sets x 20 sec each |
| |
3. Forward/Backward Hurdle Hops (6” hurdle) |
4 sets x 12 sec each |
| |
4. Step Forward Lunge |
2 sets x 10 reps each leg 5 |
| |
5. Reverse Sit-Up |
2 sets x 20 reps |
| |
6. Russian Hamstring |
2 sets x 10 reps each leg |
| |
7. Ball Drills |
|
| |
Ball Weaves |
2 sets x 30 sec each |
| |
Dribbling In Place |
2 sets x 30 sec each |
Week 4 |
Exercise/Drill |
Prescribed Sets/
Repetitions/Duration |
| Session 7 |
1. Foot Ladder Drills |
|
| |
Quick Feet, Icky Shuffle, Slalom Hop, Crossover Shuffle, SL Hop |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
2. Box Shuffles (6”box) |
|
| |
Forward/Backward |
2 sets x 15 sec each |
| |
Lateral |
2 sets x 15 sec each |
| |
3 Full Sit-Ups w/ ball overhead |
2 sets x 20 reps |
| |
4. Supermans |
1 set x 10 reps |
| |
5. Ball Drill Lateral |
|
| |
Shuffle and Passing |
2 sets x 45-50 sec each |
| |
6. Walking Lunge |
2 sets x 8-10 reps each leg |
| |
7. Eccentric Push-Ups |
10 reps x 5 sec lowering phase |
| |
8. Single Leg Hops (hold landings) |
3 sets x 5 each leg |
| |
9. Soccer Game– Scrimmage |
10-15 minutes |
| Session 8 |
1. Foot Ladder Drills (from varied starting positions w/reaction) |
|
| |
Quick Feet, Side Step, Icky Shuffle, Carioca |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
In and Out Shuffle, Side R/L In, Backwards Icky Shuffle |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
2. Bridging |
|
| |
Plank Position |
2 sets x 25 sec each |
| |
On Side |
2 sets x 25 sec each |
| |
3. Hurdle Hops (6” hurdle) |
|
| |
Forward/Backward |
4 sets x landings |
| |
4. Reverse Sit-Up |
2 sets x 20 reps |
| |
5. Ball Drills |
|
| |
Ball Weaves |
2 sets x 30 sec each |
| |
Dribbling In Place |
2 sets x 30 sec each |
| |
6. Step Forward Lunge |
2 sets x 10 reps each leg |
| |
7. Russian Hamstring |
2 sets x 10 reps each leg |
| |
8. Single Leg Squat w/ forward reach |
1 sets x 12 reps each leg |
Week 5 |
Exercise/Drill |
Prescribed Sets/
Repetitions/Duration |
| Session 9 |
1. Foot Ladder Drills (from varied starting positions w/ reaction) |
|
| |
Quick Feet, Crossover Shuffle, Backwards Icky Shuffle, |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
SL Hop, Side R/L In |
5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
2. Eccentric Push-Ups |
10 reps x 5 sec lowering phase |
| |
3. Lateral Hurdle Hops (minimizing GCT) (6” hurdle) |
2-4 sets 15-20 sec each |
| |
4. Full Sit-Ups w/ ball overhead |
2 sets x 20 reps |
| |
5. Ball Drill Shuttle Run w/ball |
4 reps x 40 yards |
| |
6. Walking Lunge |
2 sets x 8-10 reps each leg |
| |
7. Single Leg Hops (hold landings) |
3 sets x 5 each leg |
| |
8. Soccer Game – Scrimmage |
10-15 minutes |
| Session 10 |
1. Foot Ladder Drills (combination drills w/parallel ladder set-up) |
|
| |
Quick Feet+ Quick Feet, Icky Shuffle+ Quick Feet |
(2) 5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
Side Step + Side Step, Crossover Shuffle + Quick Feet |
(2) 5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
Quick Feet + Slalom Hop, Slalom Hop + Quick Feet |
(2) 5 yd ladder – varied no of sets |
| |
2. Bridging |
|
| |
Plank Position |
2 sets x 25 sec each |
| |
On Side |
2 sets x 25 sec each |
| |
3. Hurdle Hops (6” hurdle) Forward/Backward |
4 setsx 12 landings |
| |
4. Reverse Sit-Up |
4 sets x 20 reps |
| |
5. Ball Drills |
|
| |
Ball Taps |
2 sets x 30 sec each |
| |
6. Step Forward Lunge |
2 sets x 10 reps each leg |
| |
7. Russian Hamstring |
2 sets x 10 reps each leg |
| |
8. Single Leg Squat w/ forward reach |
1 sets x 12 reps each leg |
Table B
| Ball Drills |
|
| Exercise |
Description |
Training Goal Addressed |
| Ball Weaves |
The athlete starts the drill by moving one foot in a circle like pattern around a ball and then quickly switches to the other foot, repeating this cycle for a specified time. |
Work Capacity |
| Ball Taps |
The athlete starts the drill with one foot on top of a ball and the other foot on the floor and quickly shuffles the feet back and forth touching the top of the ball. |
Work Capacity |
| Dribbling in Place |
The athlete quickly dribbles the ball in place for a specified time. |
Work Capacity |
| Shuttle Run with the Ball |
The athlete performs a shuttle run while retrieving soccer balls, dribbling and passing to a partner. |
Work Capacity |
| Lateral Shuffle and Passing |
The athlete shuffles back and forth quickly between cones wile returning passes fed by a partner. |
Work Capacity |
| Box Drills |
|
| Exercise |
Description |
Training Goal Addressed |
| Box Steps |
The athlete performs quick steps between a 6" box and the floor reversing the foot pattern for each set. |
Work Capacity |
| Forward/Backward Box Shuffles |
The athlete starts the drill with one foot on top of a 6" box and the other toot on t he floor behind the box. The athlete quickly shuffles the feet back and forth pushing off the box. Figure 1. |
Work Capacity |
| Lateral box Shuffles |
The athlete stalls the drill with one foot on top of a 6" box and the other foot on the floor to the side of the box. The athlete quickly shuffles the feet from side to side moving across the top of the box. Figure 2 |
Work Capacity |
| Lateral Box Push-Offs |
The athlete starts the drill with one foot on top of a 6" box and the other font on the floor to the side of the box. The athlete pushes off the foot on top of the box trying to attain as much height as possible while moving across the box and landing with the feet in the reversed position. |
Work Capacity |
| Bridging |
|
| Exercise |
Description |
Training Goal Addressed |
| Plank Position |
The athlete starts the exercise in the prone position with the elbows directly beneath the shoulders and feet together. The athlete pushes off the ground supporting the body weight on the forearms. The athlete holds this position making sure to contract the abdominal muscles and maintain a flat back posture. Figure 3 |
Core Strength and Stability |
| On Side |
The athlete starts the exercise lying on the side on leg on top of the other and the elbow directly beneath the shoulder. The athlete pushes off the ground supporting the body weight on the forearm. The athlete holds his position making sure to contract the abdominal muscles and keep the body in a straight tine from the hip to the shoulder. Figure 4 |
Core Strength and Stability |
| Birddog |
The athlete starts the exercise to a quadriped position with the hands placed directly beneath the shoulders. The athlete extends one leg and the opposing arm (i.e. right arm and left leg or vice versa). The athlete holds his position making sure to contract the abdominal muscles and maintain a flat back posture. Figure 5 |
Core Strength and Stability |
| Eccentric Push-Ups |
The athlete starts the exercise in a quadriped position on the hands and feet. The athlete bends the elbows lowering the body slowly (i.e. over 5 seconds) to the floor making sure to contract the abdominal muscles and maintain a flat back position from start to finish. |
Core Strength and Stability |
| Reverse Sit-Up |
The athlete starts the exercise in a supine position with the feet off the ground and the knees bent at a 90 degree angle. The athlete extends and lowers the legs making sure to contract the abdominal muscles and maintain a flat back posture before pulling the knees back towards the chest. |
Core Strength and Stability |
| Full Sit-Up w/ ball overhead |
The athlete starts the exercise in a supine position with the feet on the floor close to the hips and flat back position. The athlete holds a soccer ball directly behind the head slightly off the ground. The athlete performs a full sit-up making sure to keep the ball directly above the head with the arms extended. The athlete holds at the top position and slowly lowers the body to the floor before repeating the next repetition. Figure 6 |
Core Strength and Stability |
| Supermans |
The athlete starts the exercise in the prone position with the arms extended in front of the body and legs straight. The athlete lifts the arms, chest and legs off the floor and holds this position for a designated period of time. Figure 7 |
Core Strength and Stability |
| Russian Hamstring |
The athlete starts the exercise kneeling with the arms crossed in front of the chest and upright posture. A partner is positioned behind the athlete and firmly holds the ankles. The athlete leans forward making sure to maintain a flat back and a straight line between the hip and knee. The athlete pulls back to the starting position and repeats. |
Core Strength and Stability |
| Step Back Lunge |
The athlete starts the exercise with the feet in a hip width stance, hands behind the head and upright posture. The athlete steps back with one leg while single leg supported on the opposite leg. The athlete bends the knee of the front leg and lowers the knee of the back leg towards the floor. The athlete pushes aggressively off the front leg extending the hip and knee and returning the front leg to the starting position. The drill continues alternating legs. |
Core Strength and Stability |
| Step Forward Lunge: |
The athlete starts the exercise with the feet in a hip width stance, hands behind the head and upright posture. The athlete steps forward with one leg while single leg supported on the opposite leg. The athlete bends the knee of the front leg and lowers the knee of the back leg towards the floor. The athlete pushes aggressively off the front leg extending the hip and knee and returning the front leg to the starting position. The drill continues alternating legs. Figure 8 |
Core Strength and Stability |
| Walking Lunge |
The athlete starts the exercise with the feet in a hip width stance, hands behind the head and upright posture. The athlete steps forward with one leg while single leg supported on the opposite leg. The athlete bends the knee of the front leg and lowers the knee of the back leg towards the floor. The athlete pushes aggressively off the front leg extending the hip and knee while stepping forward again with the trail leg. This sequence is repeated for a designated number of repetitions or distance. |
Core Strength and Stability |
| Foot Ladder Drills |
|
| Exercise |
Description |
Training Goal Addressed |
| Quick Feet |
The athlete runs through a 5 yard ladder using a foot pattern of one foot in each block and making sure to keep the feet low to the ground. Figure 9 |
Footwork, Balance and Coordination |
| Side Step |
The athlete side steps thru a 5 yard ladder placing both feet in each block and making sure to keep the shoulders square and hips low. Figure 10 |
|
| Carioca |
The athlete starts this drill by standing sideways at one side of the ladder. The athlete moves laterally with alternating cross-steps of the right foot in front and behind the left leg with an emphasis on hip rotation. The drill is then repeated with the opposite foot pattern. Figure 11 |
Footwork, Balance and Coordination |
| Icky Shuffle |
The athlete starts the drill by facing forward and standing to the left side o the ladder. The athlete performs a lateral step with the right foot into the first square and the left foot follows. The athlete moves the right foot outside of the ladder and advances the left foot forward to the next square. The athlete brings the right foot into the same square as the left foot. The athlete performs a lateral step with the left foot outside of the ladder and advances the right foot to the next square. The sequence is repeated thru the 5 and ladder. Figure 12 |
Footwork, Balance and Coordination |
| Backwards Icky Shuffle |
The athlete performs the same foot pattern sequence as the "Icky Shuffle", but moves backwards. |
Footwork, Balance and Coordination |
| In and Out Box Shuffle |
The athlete starts the drill by standing sideways to the ladder and behind the ladder. The athlete steps with the left foot into the first square and follows with the tight foot into the square. The athlete steps back and diagonally with the left foot until it is in front of the second square and the right foot follows. Each foot hits every square. This sequence repeats thru the 5 yard ladder. Figure 13 |
Footwork, Balance and Coordination |
| Crossover Shuffle |
The athlete starts the drill by facing forward and standing to the left side of the ladder. The athlete performs a crossover step with the left foot into the first square and then moves the right foot to the right side of the ladder followed by the left foot. The athlete quickly reverses the sequence performing a crossover step with the right foot into the second square and then moving the left and right foot to the left side of the ladder. This sequence is repeated through the 5 yard ladder. |
Footwork, Balance and Coordination |
| Side R In/Side L In |
The athlete starts the drill by standing sideways to the ladder an behind the ladder. The athlete steps with the right foot into the first square and immediately steps forward with the left foot over the first square to the other side of the ladder. The athlete steps laterally with the right foot into the second square and steps backward with the left foot over the ladder until it is in front of the second square. The athlete steps laterally with the right foot into the third square and repeats this sequence through the 5 and ladder. |
Footwork, Balance and Coordination |
| Slalom Hop |
The athlete hops in a diagonal pattern with one foot inside the square and one toot outside the same square. As the athlete advances thru the ladder, the foot landing inside and outside the box alternate. Figure 14 |
Footwork, Balance and Coordination |
| Single Leg Hop thru ladder |
The athlete performs a single leg hop thru the 5 yard ladder landing on each square trying to minimize ground contact time. |
Footwork, Balance and Coordination |
| Hurdle Hops |
|
| Exercise |
Description |
Training Goal Addressed |
| Forward/Backward |
The athlete performs two feet hops forward and backward over a 6 inch hurdle making sure to land in a stable position. |
Injury Prevention |
| Lateral |
The athlete performs two feet hops laterally over a 6 me hurdle making sure to land in a stable position. |
Injury Prevention |
| Single Leg Hops over barriers: |
The athlete performs single leg pops over cone barriers holdin g each an in and making sure to land in a stable position. |
Injury Prevention |
| Single Leg Squat w/forward reach: |
The athlete performs a single leg squat while reaching forward to touch the floor with a soccer ball. |
Injury Prevention |
| Single Leg Squat w/ hip rotations |
The athlete performs a single leg squat followed by an external rotation of the opposing hip. |
Injury Prevention |
______________________________________________________________________________
| Title |
Design and Implementation of an Off-Season Conditioning Program for U-14 Soccer Athletes. |
| Author |
Rutkowski, Jason |
| Source |
Performance conditioning soccer (Lincoln, Neb.) |
| Publisher |
Performance Conditioning Inc. |
| Vol/Iss |
13(6) |
| Date |
2007 |
| SIRC Article # |
S-1078008 |