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Components of Soccer Training

Dynamic Warm-up/Cool-down

  • Dynamic warm-up consists of activities to increase heart rate, blood flow, muscle temperature, and breathing rate. Warming up helps prevent pulled muscles, most commonly hamstring and quadriceps.
  • Cooling down ensures athletes relax their muscles and reduce next-day soreness.

Speed Training

  • Players run on Athletic Republic Generation III Super Treadmills. These treadmills can reach speeds of 28 miles an hour and an incline grade of 40 degrees.
  • Players are taught proper running mechanics at high speeds.
  • Players also learn visually by seeing themselves in a mirror and by using Dartfish video motion analysis—something they cannot get on the field.

Strength Training

  • Soccer is a fast-paced game of finesse where the strongest players come out ahead. Stronger players are faster and not easily knocked off the ball. A sound weight-training program promotes stability and reduces the risk of injury.
  • Soccer players utilize bodyweight, free-weights, medicine balls, and circuits on state-of-the-art FreeMotion machines to strengthen muscles, joints and connective tissues.
  • Exercises are biomechanically specific to soccer skills, including muscle movements used in shooting, passing and jumping for headers.
  • The body typically takes five to seven minutes to reach a comfortable cardiovascular output after a rise in heart rate. Because a soccer game lasts 90 minutes, with high-intensity, full-field sprints, the body works in both the anaerobic and aerobic modes throughout the game.
  • Cardiovascular and endurance training at Chelsea Piers BlueStreak includes short interval/high-intensity sprinting sequences on the Athletic Republic Generation III Super Treadmills. By using the same energy systems and tactical movements utilized in a regulation soccer game, athletes become fitter and faster.

Plyometric Training

  • Plyometric training is a very effective form of power training ideally suited to soccer. Soccer players perform specific plyometric drills for increased coordination, explosive power, vertical jump height, lateral power and rotation, and landing strength.
  • Plyometric training combines elements of both speed and strength in single movement patterns that include the Athletic Republic PlyoPress, cord technology, longitudinal and vertical jumps, box jumps, and medicine ball drills for upper body and middle body torso power.

Flexibility

  • Soccer-specific flexibility stretching exercises include static stretching, isometric stretching and active isolated stretching (AIS). Improved flexibility helps to prevent injuries by ensuring muscles and tendons work together properly.

Dynamic Balance

  • Balance is a fundamental component of soccer; staying on top of the ball is the only way to beat an opponent. Soccer players perform a series of balance-specific exercises to strengthen their stabilizing muscles and allow for better muscular synergy and joint control.
  • Training routines include unstable and stable lifts, dynamic balance movements with the Bosu ball and a variety of off-balance workouts.

Agility

  • Agility is the ability to change speed and direction while maintaining effective body control. In order to improve agility, athletes learn a variety of drills, including advanced ground-based agility patterns and use of a speed agility ladder.
  • Ground-based agility patterns are conducted on the indoor Field Turf, 400M track, sand pit and wood courts.

Core Stabilization Training

  • Core stabilization is essential for proper posture, balance and stabilization. Functional exercises focus on spinal stabilization and increased proprioception (the ability to read and respond to changing conditions) during sports activities.
  • Core training consists of dynamic, multi-joint exercises that use free weights, medicine balls and FreeMotion circuit training.

Skill Development

(This component is part of the Acceleration & Skills program.)

  • Skills Development workouts include various drills that focus on side volleys, shooting, off-balance accuracy, first touch balance, shooting technique and power, obstacle dribbling, ball control, and goalkeeper skills.
 
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