Basics to improve your game
Soccer training advice has become very sophisticated, mainly because a great soccer player is a renaissance man in the athletic world. He’s a package, if you will. He is incredibly strong and solid with the ability to channel explosive power at that perfect moment. He is dense and powerful and exerts tremendous momentum on the field. On the other hand, he must also be agile and quick on his feet. And the best players can disappear down the field in an instant, hopefully with the ball in hand.
If you’re thinking that this ‘great’ soccer player sounds almost superhuman, you’re not far from the truth. Especially when you consider that he must be able to think and make quick decisions even while he’s performing all this magic on the field. But don’t be discouraged, if he has the goal of becoming a better soccer player, he can hone his athletic ability to be so diverse. Here are some soccer training tips for great performance on the field.
Top 6 Soccer Coaching Tips: Soccer Coaching Tip #1
His first soccer training tip is to hit the gym for some weight training as soon as possible. If you already have some basic weight training under your belt for balance and stability, you can go ahead and move on to more intense training that is very specific to soccer. If you don’t, you’ll want to relax and start with a few weeks of lighter training. Start with about three to four weeks of circuit training to strengthen your largest and smallest muscle groups. You can do this at home or at the gym with free weights or machines. Check with your local weight room, as they may already have a circuit set up and ready to go.
Top 6 Soccer Coaching Tips: Soccer Coaching Tip #2
Once you’ve completed your prep workout, you can move on to the second soccer training tip: more intense strength training to build muscle mass, strength, and power. This soccer training tip focuses on targeting the larger muscles and starting to lift heavily, around 65% of your maximum strength. Rest for several minutes between sets and you really only need to perform this workout three to four times per week, as long as you’re working each major muscle group 1-2 times per week. After four weeks of more intense strength training, you’ll be ready to move on to about four weeks of maximum strength training, lifting about 80-100% of what you can physically lift with as many repetitions as you can. . Don’t get discouraged if you can only do one rep per “set.” Once again, rest for several minutes and only follow this soccer training tip three to four times a week. There is no need to exaggerate here. Also, get in the habit of stretching after every workout. Stretching increases flexibility and can help you reach your speed goals. Most importantly, stretching can help you defend against injury, which is key to completing a great season.
Top 6 Soccer Coaching Tips: Soccer Coaching Tip #3
This soccer coaching tip is more about what not to do than what to do. One of the most common mistakes in soccer training is overtraining. For this reason, follow the soccer training tip just outlined for off-season training. During the season, this schedule would be excessive and likely to cause fatigue and decreased performance. However, it is an excellent soccer training tip to prepare yourself before the season begins. For your in-season training, tone down and do the bare minimum amount to maintain the progress you made during the off-season.
Top 6 Soccer Coaching Tips: Soccer Coaching Tip #4
This soccer training tip is also a warning against overtraining when doing drills and resistance training. While stamina is very important in soccer (you don’t want to burn out halfway through the first quarter), you don’t need to train like a marathon when training for soccer. Interval training is a great way to achieve the ideal type of endurance for the game of soccer, but without inducing fatigue from overtraining. When you think about it, soccer is played in bursts of intensity that are then followed by a lull. Interval training recreates the same type of activity in that there are short bursts of intensity followed by recovery. How you perform during bursts is the most crucial part of training.
Top 6 Soccer Coaching Tips: Soccer Coaching Tip #5
Running and speed are an integral part of the game of football, as the combination often means they are more likely to score a touchdown. As for speed training, you should refer back to the previous statements about the importance of not overtraining. In the interest of being faster, many athletes run further and harder, and then, on game day, are exhausted and unable to perform as well as they would like. Speed training is often done in the field. However, strength training done correctly is a surefire way to gain ground in terms of speed. If you’ve already done serious weight training for strength and power, your speed is already being influenced by the strength of your body’s major muscles. You are most likely already moving across the ground with substantial power. However, power combined with stride speed can make a big change in speed.
Top 6 Soccer Coaching Tips: Soccer Coaching Tip #6
To improve stride speed, spend some time working your thigh flexors during weight training sessions. Find a resistance band and attach one end to a stationary object at ankle height from the ground. Attach the other end of the resistance band to your ankle. Standing with your feet hip-width apart, move your foot with the attached band about 12 inches off the ground in front of you while slightly bending your knee. Hold this position for approximately 15 seconds and then return to the original position. Perform this exercise for one set on each leg several times a week to see improvement in muscle speed and strength.
The key to great soccer coaching tips is to aim for complete skill: solid with speed, power with agility, strength with stamina. For a soccer player, it is not enough to be fast or tough. It has to be fast and hard. However, achieving the perfect balance is very achievable with proper training and taking care not to overtrain while pursuing your goals. What we have covered in this article is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of soccer training tips, but it is a step in the right direction towards becoming a more powerful and confident soccer player on the pitch.