Part 2 Exercise Prescription for Elite Male Soccer Players

1
Part 2 Exercise Prescription for Elite Male
Soccer Players Considerations and Limitations for
Pre Season Training
2
General Guidelines

• Athletes entering the pre-seaon with a strong
  aerobic and strength base are prepared for
  plyometric and speed training.
• This follows the guideline stating that an
  individual should take part in a resistance
  training program for three months prior to a
  plyometric program being commenced.
• Athletes should undergo a physical evaluation by
  a physician and disclose any previous injuries to
  the coach or trainer before commencing training
  at this level.

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Plyometric Guidelines

• Before commencing a plyometric work out both a
  general and a low intensity dynamic warm-up
  should be performed.
• Examples of low intensity dynamic movements
  include lunging in all directions, toe jogging,
  butt kicking, skipping and footwork such as
  shuffling/ sliding as well as backwards running.

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Plyometric Guidelines contd

• After the proper warm up has occurred athletes
  should perform this simple balance test to
  confirm their individual level of participation
  for the plyometric exercises.
• All three levels beginner, intermediate and
  advanced require balancing in the position for
  30seconds without falling over.
• Beginner gt standing (single/double leg)
• Intermediate gt quarter squat (single/double leg)
• Advanced gt half squat (single/double leg)
• Ex. An athletes should be able to hold a single
  leg half squat for 30 seconds before
  participating in advanced single leg plyometric
  exercises.

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Plyometric Guidelines contd

• Other safety considerations concerning plyometric
  activities include landing position, equipment
  and training environment.
• Proper landing position requires the athlete to
  land with the shoulders in line with the knees in
  the frontal plane as well as the knees lining up
  with the feet (2nd toe) in the sagital plane.
• Equipment such as boxes for depth jumps should be
  stable with a non slip top.
• The training environment should have shock
  absorbing characteristics but should not be so
  soft as to increase the transition from eccentric
  to concentric loading of the muscles.

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Further Plyometric Guidelines

• Another major consideration when planning a
  plyometric workout is how much should the athlete
  be doing.
• For these 24 year old competitive soccer players
  80-140 lower body contacts per workout is the
  recommended range.
• The low end of the range is for athletes whom
  have continued resistance training throughout the
  off season, where the high end is for athletes
  whom have continued with resistance training
  throughout the off season and have done
  plyometric training in the last year.

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Examples of Plyometric Activities Depth Jump

• The athlete stands on top of the box, steps off
  and lands on two feet following proper plyometric
  landing position.
• The difficulty of this activity can be increased
  by using a higher box or by requiring the athlete
  to jump vertically immediately upon landing.
• Another progression is to line up multiple boxes
  and have the athlete step off of one box and jump
  onto the next box.

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Examples of Plyometric Activities Double Leg Hop

• This is a simple two foot hop for both vertical
  and horizontal distance.
• Difficulty can be increased by having the
  individual repeat multiple jumps in a row or by
  having them jump over obstacles such as low
  hurdles.

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Examples of Plyometric Activities Alternate Leg
Bound

• The individual uses a line such as on a track or
  soccer field and jumps back and forth over said
  line as they proceed forward.
• Emphasis is on distance both sideways and
  forward.
• Once again small barriers can be used to increase
  the difficulty.
• Both double leg bounds and alternate leg bounds
  can be done uphill to further increase loading on
  the athlete

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Speed Training

• Speed training is generally divided into two
  elements speed-strength and speed-endurance.
  Sprinting technique is an important factor in
  both of these distinctions.
• Speed-strength refers to a maximal force
  application at high velocites.
• Speed-endurance refers to the ability to maintain
  speed for longer period, ie. longer than six
  seconds.
• Sprint technique refers to ideal biomechanics and
  the efficiency of the running stride.

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Speed Training Considerations

• Speed training requires the athlete to be cleared
  for activity by a medical professional, and
  disclosure of injuries to the coach or trainer.
• Flexibility is extremely necessary for sprinting
  as maximal contractions are occurring at the
  extreme ranges of motion.
• The training environment should have shock
  absorbing characteristics but should not be so
  soft as to increase the transition from eccentric
  to concentric loading of the muscles.

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Speed-Strength

• Rapid power movements are the best way to improve
  speed-strength.
• Examples include plyometrics, weight lifting
  movements such as snatch or clean and jerk and
  resisted sprinting.

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Speed-Endurance

• Interval training is the primary method of
  working on speed-endurance, although resisted
  sprinting will also help with speed endurance.
• Interval training refers to running as fast as
  possible over any distance followed by a period
  of rest.
• When commencing interval training, short sprints
  such as 30m are a good starting point.
• The work to rest ratio should be between 15 and
  110.

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Sprint Technique

• Increasing the efficiency of the running stride
  will increase the speed the athlete can attain.
• Some basic drills for sprinting technique include
  butt kicks, ankle flicks, and snaps.
• The faster the individual runs the closer the
  heel will come to the butt to allow a quicker
  recovery swing of the leg.
• Ankle flicks and snaps are activities to increase
  the speed at which the foot contacts the ground
  and decrease the time the foot is touching the
  ground. Both of these drills also encourage
  running on the balls of the feet.

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Summary of Considerations for Elite 24 year old
Soccer Players

• By using both plyometric and speed training the
  athletes will be able to win the race to the ball
  on the ground or in the air.

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References

• Baechle TR, Earle RW. (editors) NSCAs
  Essentials of Personal Training. Human Kinetics.
  Hong Kong 2004
• www.bodybuilding.com/fun/plyometrics.php Bounds
  and Skips. Pictures Retrieved 08/02/2007
• www.eng.auburn.edu/users/simonton/wl/index.html
  Clean and Jerk Technique. Pictures Retrieved
  14/02/2007
• www.soccer-gallery.net Pictures Retrieved
  08/02/2007