WINTER TRAINING (Why S.A.Q. is the best thing for your athletes?)
It’s January and just about everywhere, winter training has become. What is interesting to me as I travel around to clubs and facilities in the area is what some coaches and trainers call “winter training”.
The mindset with youth soccer today is one of “extension”. Many, many coaches seem to want to extend their fall season into the winter months. By that, I mean they do the same drills, exercises, and even put their teams into winter tournaments.
What is the problem with that?
INJURIES!!!!
I’d like you to consider for a moment some Staggering statistics that I hope opens your eyes to the dangers of what I call “SEASON EXTENSION”.
An article, which I have attached, entitled “Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes”, Joel S. Brenner, MD, MPH, and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness writes the following:
“An overuse injury is micro traumatic damage to a bone, muscle, or tendon that has been subjected to repetitive stress without sufficient time to heal or undergo the natural reparative process. Overuse injuries can be classified into 4 stages: (1) pain in the affected area after physical activity; (2) pain during the activity, without restricting performance; (3) pain during the activity that restricts performance; and (4) chronic, unremitting pain even at rest.2 The incidence of overuse injuries in the young athlete has paralleled the growth of youth participation in sports. Up to 50% of all injuries seen in pediatric sports medicine are related to overuse.
I.e., playing the same sport year round is actually hurting your players by causing them damage, not helping them. It’s actually weakening them, not strengthening them.
Rick Meana, director of coaching for New Jersey Youth Soccer writes the following in an article published on overuse injuries:
“…A Watch List for Parents, Coaches and Administrators
More Is Not Better
Many injuries occur when organized practice time is ratcheted up from two days a week to five. A good rule of thumb to follow is physical activity should not be increased to more than 10% a week.
Be Aware Of Growth Spurts
As kids grow, muscles can become less flexible and more susceptible to injury. Parents should watch for periods of rapid growth.
Early Specialization Leads To Muscle Imbalances
Kids who play one sport year-round develop certain muscles to deal with the demands of that particular sport while others remain weak. A well-balanced conditioning program of playing a variety of different sports and proper rest in between activity is healthy.
When There Is Pain There Is No Gain
Child athletes and parents shouldn’t ignore the warning signs assuming that injuries will magically go away. Have a doctor check out any minor pains in joints or bones before they become major ones.
Signs of Overuse: Weakness, Loss of Flexibility, Chronic Pain, Inflammation, Swelling. The inflammation is actually a degeneration of tissue caused by the micro trauma Some others: Loss of Performance, (Hard to differentiate between a ‘bad day’ and overuse injury). “I don’t know, its just a little sore”, “I don’t remember getting hurt”
Soreness after workout is normal but it should dissipate after a day or 2 and soreness, aching and limping lasting 3 days or more may indicate overuse. The overuse injury is a process, and will take time to develop, starting 3 or 4 weeks into a season. Muscles affected by overuse injury tend to be tighter, more irritable and will become prone to an acute injury.”
WINTER TRAINING SHOULD BE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR YOUR PLAYERS!!!
We as adults must continually educate ourselves on the proper techniques, sessions, and practices that we utilize with our youth players. Winter training should “NOT BE AN EXTENSION OF THE SEASON”! In fact it should be the beginning of a new training period designed to develop speed, strength, and create a healthier player and athlete.
Let’s face it folks, most of the game a player is moving and running WITHOUT THE BALL! In fact, the percentage that he actually has the ball in his possession is between 5 and 10% tops! Therefore, why then do our sessions, and year round curriculum not involve work with the players “WITHOUT THE BALL”! In fact, dare I say, far too many coaches are concerned with “winning” indoor and out, to even bother with skill development with, much less without the ball!
In the coming articles I will be giving you session plans, ideas, and practical ways of meeting your players speed, strength, and health development, while developing soccer Speed and Agility with and without the ball.
Remember that the job of the parent coach and professional trainer is to develop the “COMPLETE SOCCER ATHLETE!”
The following will be an outline of articles and sessions to help you better develop the whole soccer player on and off the pitch.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Make sure that an age appropriate skill development program is offered. Work on their individual skills using all planes of the foot. Then move on to a corporate skill development program (groups of two or three) with passing, trapping, and receiving.
MOVEMENT = SPEED AND AGILITY
Make sure that body mechanics, technique and posture is likewise treated. The agility portion of the game revolves around the constant changing of body shapes. Therefore, a program should be designed to reduce wasted movement with the parameters of the body mechanics of the game.
FITNESS
The game is 80% Anaerobic. Age appropriate fitness should certainly accomplish that. Anaerobic meaning “without oxygen”. Develop (without suicides, mindless sprints, and endless laps) an age specific anaerobic program to better serve your players fitness needs, AGE APPROPRIATE.
TECHNICAL
Work on Corporate Technical skills using all of the above. Without the skill development, speed and agility, and proper fitness training, technical development will suffer! Teaching the players speed of play principles, formation development etc. will only go so far if your players don’t have the skill, and fitness to apply what is demanded!
In Speed and Soccer,
Billy Elias
Director of Professional and Player Development
United Speed Clinic
United Speed Clinic Football Academy
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
soccer fitness training is very essential for any soccer player even if he is blessed with the ultimate talent.
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