First, congratulations! You have the opportunity to grow the sport and make a positive impact on many young lives. Now, you may be worried you’re underqualified for the role. However, following some overarching principles during your time with the team will help guarantee an enjoyable, beneficial experience for everyone.

As a youth soccer coach, one of your major responsibilities will be organizing and running practices. That may sound like an overwhelming endeavor, but designing an effective youth soccer practice isn’t rocket science. In fact, simplicity should be one of your guiding principles during this process. If you overcomplicate things, the kids won’t have fun, and neither will you. With that in mind, here are five tips for running an effective youth soccer practice.

1. Always bring a positive attitude

This one is all on you, Coach. It’s your job to bring life and energy to practice. If you bring a bad attitude or negative energy to the field, the kids will notice, and it will affect the enjoyment they get out of practice. When the kids aren’t having fun, they won’t give full effort. This is the recipe for bad, unproductive practices. Leave your outside life out at home and focus on using the short time you have with your athletes to make a positive impact in their lives. Do that and you’ll find you frequently leave the field happier than you arrived.

2. Don’t expect to find the next Pelé

The last thing that should be on your mind during practice is identifying a member of your team as the next great soccer superstar. Every child you coach matters just as much as the next. No one makes the national team as a 7-year-old, and different kids progress at different paces. If you truly want to help your players grow and develop, you’ll give equal amounts of attention and instruction to each of them. This period of a player’s athletic career is about fun. If you start putting extreme expectations and pressure on a talented kid, they can quickly lose their love of the sport. And if you ignore that kid whose skills aren’t quite on the level of their teammates, you risk making them feel ostracized and unwanted. In both cases, the result is a kid who’s likely to quit soccer before they reach their teens. Your job is to foster a love for the game and the lessons it can teach in our youth—not to be a talent scout.

3. Keep it simple; Let them play

Youth coaches often try to come up with fancy drills to make themselves feel like developmental genius. Truth be told, you do not need complex drills and expensive equipment to run a successful youth soccer practice. All you need is a group of happy kids and a ball.

“Coaches can often be more helpful to a young player’s development by organizing less, saying less, and allowing the players to do more. Set up a game and let the kids play. Keep most of your comments for before and after practice and during water breaks,” reads the U.S. Soccer pamphlet Best Practices for Coaching Soccer in the United States. “Kids need to be allowed to play freely, develop their skills, and use them in a creative manner.”

Get comfortable with holding practices that look like pick-up games. You can adjust the size of the field and the number of players per side to change the focus in these games, but simply allowing the kids to play and organically learn what does and does not work for them can be hugely beneficial.

When you do implement drills, try to make them simple enough that they can be coached with one or two key points. The simpler the drill is, the quicker the kids will be able to grasp the concept, making them more confident and aggressive. Youth players don’t need to learn how to curve in a free kick or play a 60-yard-driven pass. Teach them how to make efficient passes and shoot the ball on frame. You should also teach them how to trap the ball and get comfortable with basic dribbling. Teach them how to stay in front of an attacker and time a tackle. Help them learn how to keep their basic position throughout the game. Teach them what it means to “clear” the ball and when using that tactic might make sense. Giving these young players a good foundation of skill and knowledge will help them experience more success today and position them for greater development down the line.

4. Playing time matters, the score does not

This may be the most important thing to remember when coaching youth sports. This is a time for these kids to learn the sport, develop their skills, and build relationships. It’s not the time for you to focus on building your coaching resume by doing whatever it takes to win games and tournaments. Don’t utilize your youth soccer team to feed your ego or fulfill your glory days. Allow each player to play a similar amount of minutes and experience different positions. Never tell a player no when they want to play a new position or try something new. Foster creativity and allow your players to play with a sense of freedom. No one has fun if they’re playing in constant fear of getting yelled at.

5. Communicate with both kids and parents

This one is going to save you a lot of headaches. You don’t need to just communicate with the kids and their parents, you need to over-communicate with them. Keep the messages short and effective, but re-iterate them time and time again. Let them know what time practice is, what time they should arrive, when you’ll be done, everything they’ll need for games and practices, etc. Be proactive with your communication and you hopefully won’t find yourself needing to explain things multiple times (though if you should, remain patient and professional).

From day one, communicate your goals for the season and the plan you have to achieve those goals to both kids and parents. Let them know that your top priority is keeping things fun and engaging for the kids. When you make your mission known from the outset, it makes conversations down the line a lot more simple. If you find that a parent is ruining the experience for the team (such as screaming from the sideline for the entirety of a game or practice), you need to take it on your shoulders to speak with them and address how their actions are hindering the goals of the team.

Be professional and caring with the parents, they’re trusting their kids with you!

These five tips can go a long way toward helping you run an effective youth soccer practice. Additionally, here’s a checklist you can use for each practice/game to make sure you’re prepared:

• A couple of extra water bottles
• Soccer balls
• Cones for drills
• A list of player names and parent names
• Whistle
• Different colored jerseys/pinnies to separate teams
• Positive attitude and patience!

Here’s a checklist you can provide the kids/parents, so they know what to bring:

• Water
• Shin Guards
• Cleats
• Athletic Clothing

You don’t need fancy training apparatus to train youth soccer players. Regarding time commitment, how long should your practices be? Youth athletes should not be exhausted when they leave practice. They’re there to have fun, and they have plenty of time to build “mental toughness” via conditioning drills later in life. Keep the practices to no longer than one hour. The first 5-10 minutes can consist of a dynamic warm-up, the next 20-25 minutes can consist of simple drills, and the remainder of practice can consist of scrimmaging and small-sided games.

The more time kids spend standing around during practice, the less beneficial the session will be. Try to organize the session so the kids stay involved and engaged as much as possible! Simply breaking them up into smaller groups and having each group perform a drill as opposed to having the entire team wait around for one kid at a time to complete a drill is a great method for this.

When it comes to the specific drills you’ll want to implement, STACK has plenty of suggestions:

• Improve Your Ball-Handling With These 2 Simple Drills
• 4 Soccers Drills You Can Do Anywhere
• Every Youth Soccer Coach Should Steal This Drill From the U.S. Women’s National Team
• 5 Drills to Improve Your Soccer Dribbling

The most important thing to take away is to let kids be kids and have fun! At this age, it doesn’t matter how many games they win. Should you teach them to play to win? Of course. But focus more on their development and demeanor than the outcomes of the games. They’ve got their entire lives to take things more seriously. Focus more on teaching the children the sport and making it enjoyable for them. If they don’t enjoy it, they won’t stick around.

READ MORE:

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Having a strong, powerful shot is beneficial for soccer players for several reasons. For one, it allows you to hammer home quality chances with authority, preventing the keeper from making a save. And two, it makes you a threat to score from distance, turning you into a more dynamic player who demands greater attention from the defense.

Having a weak shot, on the other hand, will strike little fear into the defense and will allow the keeper to easily save many of your attempts.

How do you go about building a thunderous shot? Do you stay extra time after practice and kick until you can’t kick any more, hoping that your leg strength and power will come eventually? Although extra on-field practice is never a bad idea, it’s not the most effective way to increase shooting power.

You have to train in the weight room just as hard as you do on the pitch if you want to add velocity and distance to your shots. If that’s your goal, you should be training your lower body for both speed and power. Here are five exercises to help soccer players increase their shooting power.

1. Front Squats

Front Squats put more emphasis on the quadriceps and core than Back Squats do, and they’re easy to scale for any athlete. A dumbbell or kettlebell can easily replace the barbell to allow the athlete time to master the movement in a “Goblet Squat” position before adding a barbell. The fact that Front Squats more effectively target the core than many other squat variations is key, as shooting a soccer ball with tremendous power requires a significant contribution from the core musculature.

This isn’t to say Back Squats should be avoided entirely, however. Box Squats, in particular, are an excellent exercise for building hip strength. Without adequate hip strength, you won’t be ripping many shots past the keeper anytime soon.

2. Sumo Deadlift Variations

Deadlift variations should already be a staple in every athlete’s training program. I prefer the Sumo (wide stance) Deadlift because of the additional emphasis it places on your hips and glutes. As previously mentioned, hip strength is going to be a key factor if you want to get some extra mustard on your shots. The key function of the glute muscles is to move the thigh, so they also play a crucial role. If you’re new to the Sumo Deadlift movement, you can first practice it with a kettlebell (as shown above) before progressing to a barbell.

3. Split Squats (and Step-Ups)

Now that you’ve got the main compound lift out of the way, it’s time to focus on the finer details. Picking the correct accessory movements can make or break your pursuit for kicking power. Heavy Dumbbell Step-Ups onto a box are one of my favorite ways to build functional strength. They strengthen the quadriceps, knees, ankles, hips and glutes while teaching you to balance and activate your core to stay steady. Split Squats (with our without weight) are another key exercise for developing athletic power.

Training your hamstrings, glutes , rectus abdominis and erector spinae, the Split Squat will help you power up your shot. Two benefits of these exercises are that their unilateral in nature, meaning they focus on one leg at a time. Considering that you shoot a soccer ball while standing on one leg as opposed to two bodes well for their translation to this key skill.

4. Low-Back Extensions

Low-Back Extensions may not be considered a “big exercise” in the traditional sense of the term, but the benefits they provide for athletes are immense. If you’re new to the movement, there’s a good chance you can reap many of these benefits without adding any additional weight to the exercise.

Low-Back Extensions are a potent posterior chain builder, honing in on the muscles of the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. A stronger posterior chain won’t only help you shoot the ball harder, but it’ll help you run faster, jump higher and avoid injury more effectively.

5. Ab Wheel Rollouts

When setting up for a power shot, your last stride toward the ball will likely be the longest. But that also means your feet will be the farthest apart—a position where it can be easy to lose your balance. What’s the best way to make sure you don’t get knocked off the ball before you score the game-winning goal? Train your core!

Although compound movements like the Deadlift and Front Squat indirectly train the core, exercises like Ab Wheel Rollouts target it more directly. Ab Wheel Rollouts are one of the absolute best core exercises for athletes, since they train the core to perform its natural purpose: to resist extension. A strong, well-trained core will be able to resist the energy leaks that can sap power from your shot.

The Stronger Shot Workout

This workout includes all of the aforementioned exercises and can serve as an excellent lower-body lift for soccer players.

Heavy Front Squats

• Sets/Reps: 2×8, 2×6, 1×2

Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift

• Sets/Reps: 1×12, 1×10, 1×8, 1×6 (aim to increase the weight on every set)

Dumbbell Step Up

• Sets/Reps: 4×6 reps on each leg (so 12 total reps in each set)

Split Squat

• Sets/Reps: 3×8 reps on each leg (so 16 total reps in each set)

Low Back Extension

• Sets/Reps: 3×12

Ab Wheel Rollouts

• Sets/Reps: 3×8

Planks

• Sets/Reps: 5×30-second intervals of any Plank variation

Photo Credit: Jan Kruger/Getty Images

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For many players, the first practice of every soccer season is a new beginning. If you are moving up to the high school level, it means you will be experiencing the game on a whole different level. A bigger pitch, tougher talent and more demanding schedule are just a few of the early struggles that young players are faced with when starting a new season.

Most players show up to spring practice or tryouts and have no idea what to expect. Some have played the game their entire athletic career, while others have never touched a ball before. Many things factor into a player being selected to the roster, but most fail to prepare themselves for what’s in store. Below are five tips you can utilize to help you stand out and increase your odds of making the cut no matter what your skill level.

1. Arrive Early, Work Hard

Show up early and stay late. Always arrive 10-15 minutes early for practice. Spend this time getting acquainted with the coaches, your teammates and the pitch and ball. Warm up and prepare your body to compete at the highest level. After practice, stay extra to help clean up the field and make sure everything is in order before you leave for the day.

Work hard when you’re at practice! Older players can often get complacent. Therefore, tryouts can be a newcomer’s time to shine. Use them as an opportunity to prove to the coaching staff that you want to be there and you deserve to be there. If there’s any time to give everything you’ve got, this is it. Always go the extra mile at practice to show that you care about yourself and the team.

2. Be a Great Teammate

When coming to a new team as a young player, your role is likely going to be small. Not many players are the “go-to” star or the best player on the team in their very first year. This is a time for the player to grow and develop before becoming a key player in future years. That means you should aim to contribute to the team in any way possible. During tryouts, make sure you are being the best teammate possible. Be vocal and encourage your teammates, make smart decisions with the ball and never turn down an opportunity. If the team is running a drill and needs a fill-in keeper, seize that opportunity even if you’re primarily a striker. Proving that you are willing to do whatever it takes to support the team will go a long way with your coaches and teammates.

3. Accentuate Your Strengths

You’re not going to be good at every skill. The harsh reality is, you’re probably not going to have all the skills and technique to be great at even one position. Not yet, at least. That’s where practicing and training come in to play to help make you a better player.

But during tryouts, you need to accentuate your current strengths. Find out what you excel at and thrive on it. If you’re a defender and you have a knack for stealing the ball from an attacking player and clearing it with your left foot, go ahead and showcase that skill. Don’t try to steal the ball and streak upfield for a magnificent goal when you know your dribbling and shooting skills aren’t your strong suit.

It’s OK that you don’t have all of the skills yet; these will come in time. But during tryouts, find what you’re good at and hang your hat on it. That will help you minimize turnovers and make consistent positive contributions for the team.

4. Be Coachable

Good coaches will adjust and tweak a player’s game during tryouts. While this time is used to evaluate performance, coaches still want to give helpful cues to players so they can properly assess their talent and see who responds well to coaching. Take everything the coaches give you and directly apply it to your game. Even if it’s a simple suggestion like changing your positioning, the coach will look to see if you made the adjustments they advised to you. If you made the change, they know you’re willing to listen and adapt. If you didn’t, it could be a sign that you’re not coachable.

Always feel free to ask coaches for suggestions on ways you can improve your game. If a coach tells you to make a change that you don’t understand, ask them to explain what they’re looking for and how it will benefit you. By showing interest in your coach’s suggestions, you show the coaching staff that you’re willing to expand your knowledge of the game to become a better player. And if you do make a mistake, try to avoid making that same mistake over and over. That will prove you can adapt to the opponent and you’re a quick learner.

5. Be Vocal

Congratulate your teammates when they make a nice pass or shot. Help your teammates navigate the field by letting them know where the defense is and where the open man is for a pass. Even simple things like greeting your teammates and coaches when they arrive at the pitch. The more vocal you are, the better off you’re going to be.

Many teams struggle with finding a vocal leader to help guide their teammates during the regular season. Using your voice could be a key to keeping you on the roster and seeing some playing time. When you do make the roster, if you find that your playing time is limited, continue to use your voice from the bench. Call out the openings that you see and yell words of encouragement. Don’t coach your teammates, leave that to the coach; but always be positive and yell words of encouragement.

Trying out for a new team with a new group of teammates and coaches can be a bit overwhelming. But if you remember these tips, you’re going to help yourself stand out and prove you can be a worthy addition to the team.

Photo Credit: iStock/monkeybusinessimages

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How can you make sure you’re able to make these amazing saves? You have to prepare your body to be fast, explosive, powerful and agile. This is no easy task, but with the right programming and correct exercises, you’ll be able to build a body that’s always ready to leap into action. Here are three of my favorite exercises that prepare goalies for greatness.

1. Cossack Squat

The Cossack Squat is a bodyweight variation of the standard Squat which is great for strengthening the hips.

Strong hips create a better, more explosive athlete. This exercise will make your hips more mobile and allow you to quickly drop to a knee and lunge for a save.

To perform the Cossack Squat:

• Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Rotate one foot to the side and bring your toe off the ground.
• Keep your knee straight and begin squatting with the opposite leg.
• Keep your chest up and a tight upper back, and sink down until you reach depth or are unable to go any deeper. Don’t allow your heel to come off of the ground or your spine to round.
• Once you hit proper depth, push off the ground to squat back up while rotating your foot back and return to the start position.
• Repeat with the opposite leg.

This video shows the move in action. If you find the range of motion in the standard Cossack Squat to be too difficult, you can always add a box to the movement.

2. Box Jumps

Box Jumps are one of my favorite plyometric exercises to increase explosiveness.

To reach the upper 90 corner of the goal to make a highlight-reel save, you’ll need to be as explosive as possible. Box Jumps are a great way to increase your vertical jump. One key to remember when performing Box Jumps is to land as softly as possible on the box, a technique that will reduce the pounding on your joints and potentially save you from injury.

Once you’ve mastered the standard Box Jump, you may want to add weight to the movement. The best option to do this is by wearing a weighted vest. The load is strapped to your body, so you can focus on the jump and not have to worry about the safety issues that come with holding weights. You can also use dumbbells, because they’re easier to ditch than a barbell. By adding resistance to the normal Box Jump, you’ll be able to build more muscle and become a more explosive athlete.

3. Band Bench Press

You just made a huge diving save and deflected the ball out of the goal. Congratulations! Now the ball rebounded right back to the other team and you’re still lying on the ground. You need to be as explosive as possible to get back on your feet and into an athletic position. The Band Bench Press is a great way to train this critical goalkeeping movement.

Once you get past the “sticking point” with a standard Bench Press, the rest of the movement isn’t much of a challenge. That changes with the Band Bench Press, as the added resistance from the band only increases the farther the bar gets away from your body. This makes it an excellent exercise for building explosive upper-body strength, which is exactly what you need to push yourself off the ground as quickly as possible. If you don’t have access to bands, the standard Burpee is another exercise that can help with this movement.

Try throwing these exercises into your training program to increase your odds of making a huge save!

Photo Credit: simonkr/iStock

When playing on such an expansive surface, communication is absolutely vital. No player can see everything going on around them, and that’s where verbal cues come in. To have success on the pitch, soccer teams and players must be able to effectively communicate with one another.

In crucial moments, teammates must be able to let a player know when to take a shot, when to make an extra pass and when to drop the ball off to slow the attack. Some teams may choose to have one player be the “vocal leader” on the field, while other teams may use the tiered system of communication, which means there is a player designated for being the eyes and voice of each area of the field. This is typically broken down into offense, midfield and defense. In my personal experience, it is best to have the defense controlled by the goalkeeper, as opposed to a player on the back line. The goalkeeper is able to see plays develop and let players know where he or she wants them to push the attacking offense.

There are many ways soccer players can provide verbal cues, but the best ones are short, precise and let the player know exactly what their best move should be. To be most effective, the commands should be no more than one to two words.

“Drop!”

The drop is called to signal the ball handler to pass the ball back to a teammate behind him or her. This means that there isn’t a play developing toward the goal and that the best option is to make a backwards pass to reset play and work the ball in a different direction. This can be very useful when attacking near the net and a clear shot isn’t available.

“Again!”

When a player yells “again!” it can mean one of two things. If the player has recently taken a shot and rebounded the ball, “again!” is called to tell the player to take another shot on goal. Generally this means that the keeper is still recovering from the previous save or the defense is out of position. If a player has just made a pass, “again!” can also notify the receiver to quickly look to make another pass. Typically this will signal a give-and-go, or let the new handler know there is a teammate open in better position.

“Backside!”

This is generally a defensive phrase used by the goalkeeper that signals to the defenders an unmarked offensive player that has snuck behind the defense and toward the back goalpost. This is used to help prevent crosses into an area the defense has left susceptible.

“Through!”

This calls for a player to send a through ball, or a pass that splits two defenders and plays an offensive player into space as he’s cutting behind the defense.

“Carry!”

Carry is a simple and effective call that notifies the ball handler they have a clear path and no defensive player is in position to challenge the ball.

“Man-On!”

This call signals to the ball carrier that a defender has approached them. This call is usually made when the defender approaches your teammate from their blind spot or behind them. This lets your teammate know that they should brace for a challenge, make a pass, make a move to evade the defender or take a shot.

“Challenge!”

The challenge call is given to signal the defending team that they have freedom to pursue the ball handler. It’s used when the defense is in proper position and they can afford to let a player out of position to pursue the ball in attempt to disrupt the offensive play.

“Clear!”

This one is pretty self-explanatory. This lets the ball carrier know they are being challenged and in a vulnerable position. The best play is to kick the ball far upfield away from danger or to kick the ball out of bounds and temporarily stop play.

“Contain!”

This is another defensive call that notifies the defender to play conservative defense and not aggressively attack the ball handler. The player receiving the contain call should make their best attempt to keep the attacking player in front of them and hold on until the defense can get into a better position.

“Keep!” or “Keeper!”

This verbal cue is only used by the goalkeeper. It simply means to clear out of the way and allow the keeper to make a play on the ball.

“Cross!”

This is a very common verbal cue and simply intends to notify the ball handler to look across the field for a cross.

“Switch Fields!”

Similar to the cross call, this call directs the ball handler to slow down the play and move the ball to the opposite side of the field for a better opportunity.

These are just some of the calls that can be used to help your teammates navigate the field when they don’t have eyes on the entire pitch. Some teams may find it best to have one player make all of the calls and be the “on-field captain” who is in charge of plays and ball movement. I found it best to have multiple players across the pitch using verbal cues as it ensures there’s never a lack of communication. Use these tips and commands to control the soccer pitch and help lead your team to victory.

Photo Credit: Radovanovic96/iStock

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Small-sided games utilize a smaller-than-regulation field and fewer players than the standard 11. They are used to target specific areas of the game, but can also be used to help fine-tune a player’s skills before unleashing them onto a full-size field.

To properly execute small-sided games, you must first decide the goal you want to accomplish. If you want to focus on ball movement, limit the games to 6-8 players for 10 to 12 minutes with teams competing in passing drills.

If the goal is to increase shooting accuracy, split teams into 5-6 players per side and have them battle to score on a drastically smaller goal with no keeper. Goals should be on the end line, approximately 3- to 4-feet wide but can be lengthened to scale the drills for any level.

Defensively, small-sided games are used to familiarize the players with certain one-on-one situations as well as playing at a disadvantage and working to force an offensive player into bad positioning.

Small-sided games are used to eliminate the stress of using the whole field and getting players comfortable before playing a match. The games will teach players to move the ball with purpose and shoot accurately when they are playing on a full-sized pitch.

Here are two of my favorite small-sided games to increase shooting and ball movement.

Small-Side Shooting Drill

A simple small-sided shooting drill can be performed by putting two teams of five or six players against each other on a field roughly 35-40 yards long and 20-25 yards wide. Add two goals (cones or mini nets) on each end line approximately 3- to 4-feet wide.

The offense must make five passes before shooting the ball, and shots must be taken no more than 10 yards away from the net. Add a second goal or extra defender or shorten the length of the shot for an advanced challenge. If the goal is to train offensive players, adding multiple goals on the end line can teach them to properly get back in defensive position and raise defensive awareness.

Small-Side Ball Movement Drill

An effective way to teach controlled, purposeful passing is to set up a team of three players standing 5-10 yards away from each other in a triangle. Have the players pass the ball amongst themselves in a rotation, changing direction after every five or six passes. Once the passes are accurate, have the passing player rotate to create a new triangle. Each time a player makes a pass, a new triangle will be created allowing players to work around the field. To advance this drill, make the players stand farther away from each other and add a defender! This movement will allow the players to work the ball around a larger field more accurately.

Small-sided games can be utilized to build every aspect of the game and are an easy way to progress from beginner to advanced levels. These drills will help players become more effective at moving the ball on the larger pitch, become more efficient passers and take more precise shots.

Photo Credit: mikkelwilliam/iStock, thenicnic/iStock

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1: Be On-Time

Coaches expect the best players to show up. If you want to compete at the highest level, you should make a conscious effort to show up to every practice on time. If practice starts at 6 AM, arriving at 5:59AM is not on time. Show up 10 minutes early, ready to work. Mandatory workouts aren’t actually mandatory. Coaches notice who’s attending and who isn’t. If you have work or family commitments, let your coach know and show up when you’re available.

2: Go The Extra Mile For Your Teammates

Maybe it’s a senior captain, maybe it’s an incoming freshman who’s never played before. Always do everything you can to help make them better. If you’re in the weight room and a teammate is struggling, offer assistance. If a freshman makes a mistake on the field, explain to them how to correct their errors and learn from it. You don’t need to bring snacks to every practice, but making an effort to offer support won’t go unnoticed. Coaches will recognize when you put yourself out there to help others. Pump up balls before practice, carry cones to drills and lead your team warm-up. These are all things that will earn the respect of your teammates and coaches. They will reward you when the time comes.

3: Don’t Wait Until Practice Starts To Improve

If you wait until the season starts to get in shape, you’re already too late. You’ll be fighting to get and stay in shape for the season. Take 2-3 days per week during the off-season to better your fitness. There are plenty of resources available via stack.com to help you achieve these goals. Taking a yoga class, working on sprinting, and completing a circuit workout are easy ways to make the commitment to being in your best shape when you report for camp.

4: Be A Student Of The Game

You don’t need to spend the entire off-season watching every soccer game possible, but it will help if you understand the game. Use your free time to learn different formations and tactics. Read a book that discusses the game from a global perspective so you understand how athletes around the world play the game. Watch youtube videos of the best players in the world to understand how they move and play your position. Go the extra mile and ask your coach what formation he plans to utilize, then study it and understand how you can fit into his system. Understanding the game at a high level will instill a level of trust with your coach. He will rely on you to be a coach on the field in difficult situations.

5: Support Your Hard Work With Proper Nutrition

Cut the sodas and energy drinks. Ditch the chips and pizza. It’s okay to indulge on occasion, but your nutrition should be dialed in so that you are able to perform at a high level. Make sure you are drinking water throughout the day. Aim for 90-120 ounces per day. Your diet should be a healthy balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Pre-training eat a banana and handful of nuts to fuel your workout. The players scrambling to eat before practice or hitting the nearest fast food restaurant post-workout will break down. They will have low energy on the field and be sluggish in pBetter High School Soccer Playerractice. Eating a balanced diet is one of the most important aspects of competing at a high level.

Becoming a better high school soccer player takes time. Write down your goals at the beginning of the off-season and take the necessary steps to achieve success. Waiting until a few weeks before practice starts won’t put you in a position to succeed. Put in the work during the off months and enjoy the fruits of your labor when summer camp rolls around!

Due to a large risk of injury, many baseball and strength coaches have ditched shoulder pressing variations in their programs completely. Although there may be some truth that overhead pressing movements can harm a throwing athlete, that’s largely due to the athlete not being properly coached or performing the exercise with poor form. In fact, most shoulder injuries occur from under-training and over usage.

With proper form and progression, overhead pressing movements are completely safe for all athletes, especially throwing athletes. Here are a few simple tips to ensure your athletes are pressing safely and effectively:

1. Pay Attention to the Push-Pull Ratio

For every one pushing variation you do, you do one pulling movement. It’s important that when programming this ratio, the push and pull are utilizing the same movement pattern (for example: Neutral Grip Dumbbell Bench and a Neutral Grip Seated Row.) Mimic the same rep/set scheme between exercises. If you’re using a 5×5 method when pressing, use the same for pulling exercises.

2. Progress the Movement Correctly

Athletes with little or no exposure to pressing shouldn’t walk in the door and begin pressing with a barbell.

Find what works best for the athlete and start them there. A Seated, Supported Dumbbell Press is a safe way to learn the movement pattern and remain healthy. Perform this variation until the athlete perfects the form and then remove the support. Keep progressing the athlete until they are able to properly press a barbell.

3. Build the Supporting Muscles

Pressing in any variation recruits more than one muscle group. For example, the Overhead Barbell Press While Seated uses anterior/medial and posterior deltoids, traps, triceps, abs, erectors to name a few. Almost every muscle in the upper body is activated when performing an Overhead Press, so it only makes sense to strengthen these stabilizing muscles to ensure your body doesn’t overcompensate in one area. For example, if you have weak triceps, they will be the first to fatigue and the first to be injured. Injuries attack the weakest muscle first. Building a strong supporting cast will ensure that all areas will be protected.

4. Train From all Angles

Utilize a full range of motion to target every angle of your shoulders. Injury risk becomes greater when there is a weakness at any point during the full range of motion. Retract, elevate, rotate and reach as much as possible. This will ensure that you are training a complete range of motion to eliminate weaknesses.

5. Warm up before you train.

This should be a staple in all training programs, but it is often overlooked and not completed. Athletes need to prime the body for movement and exercise to lower the risk of injury. Utilize exercises that prepare the entire body but also focus on the muscles that will be used during the training session.

10 Exercises to Assure Healthy Overhead Pressing

Here’s a list of my favorite exercises to ensure healthy pressing in throwing athletes:

• Dumbbell Supported Press
• Band Pull Aparts
• Banded Blackburns
• Face Pulls
• 1 Arm Upright Rows
• Pull Ups
• Neutral Grip Rows (Seated Rows)
• Banded Rows
• Dumbbell Rows of all variations
• Neutral Grip Dumbbell Bench (lying)

Here are a few warm-up ideas to make sure you’re prepared for your next training session:

• T-spine Extension
• Band Pull Aparts
• Light Dumbbell Overhead Press (5-10 pound dumbbells)
• Pullovers using a cable or band
• Tricep Band Pushdown

Don’t fear overhead pressing for throwing athletes! When performed correctly and safely, it will help keep the shoulders strong and healthy. Include these tips in your training program to help your athletes unlock their full throwing potential.

Photo Credit: THEPALMER/iStock

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Many athletes are quick to train the “beach muscles”—biceps, triceps, pecs, etc.—but often neglect to train the body parts that truly make them strong.

I’m referring to the posterior chain, which is comprised of several muscle groups located on the backside of your body. These muscle groups include the hamstrings, calves, glutes, spinal erectors, traps and rear delts.

In most modern individuals, these muscle groups are sorely neglected.

A confluence of factors have made many Americans anterior dominant, meaning they use the muscles on the front of their body (e.g., the quads and pecs) more frequently than the ones on the back (e.g., the hamstrings and trapezius). This is due to a couple key factors.

One is that our modern lives often force us into a position where our neck’s craned forward, our shoulders are rolled up toward our ears, our lower back’s rounded, and our hands are out in front of us. This tightens the muscles on the front of your body (e.g., the hip flexors and chest) and lengthens the muscles on the back of your body (e.g., the upper back) over time.

Your “mirror muscles” are all located on the front of your body, so you’re also much more likely to train them. Then there’s the fact many of the world’s most popular exercises are of the “pressing” variety, such as the Push-Up, the Bench Press, and the Leg Press. What you have then is a recipe for overtrained and overused muscles on the front of the body and weak, neglected muscles on the back of the body. Considering your glutes are the most powerful muscle group in your body, and the hamstrings aren’t far behind, it’s a disastrous condition for optimal human functioning.

But how do we go about bringing your posterior chain up to snuff?

How to Train Your Posterior Chain

There are many ways to train the posterior chain. Odds are, you’re already utilizing at least a couple exercises that are strengthening your posterior chain. The question is how effective, how often, and how smart are you training?

The posterior chain can be trained every day. The key is to train it in a way that limits overtraining and allows you to adequately recover before your next training session.

This can be achieved by varying sets, reps and intensities, and potentially performing upper posterior chain movements in one workout and lower posterior chain movements in another.

When it comes to exercise selection, there are hundreds of exercise variations that will allow you to build a stronger backside. Here are a few of my staples:

• Hinge (Deadlifts)
• Back Extensions/Hyper Extensions
• Hamstring Curls
• Glute Bridges
• Hip Thrusts
• Face Pulls
• Pull Aparts
• Glute Ham Raises
• Rows
• All Variations of Sled Pulls/Drags

The exercises listed are my “bread and butter” for posterior training, but they aren’t the only variations you can use. You can scale and adjust based on your training level and how your body responds to different variations.

Before you attempt to hit a new personal best on Deadlift, it’s important to realize where you are with your training and which variation of these exercises will best service you as an athlete.

Before deadlifting, it’s important to nail down the proper hip hinge. Before grabbing a barbell or trap bar, grab a training band and wrap it around a pole. Keep your chest lifted high and push your hips back keeping a flat back. Explosively push your hips forward returning you to an upright position. This exercise is called the Banded Pull-Through and will be an excellent tool in teaching the hinge pattern:

Perform 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps to set yourself up for success when deadlifting. This exercise can also be used as a precursor for Good Mornings and RDLs.

Back Extensions and Hyper Extensions are fairly common exercises which come in many shapes and sizes.

Before you hop on a Reverse Hyper or Back Extension machine, find a Swiss ball. This is the large, inflated ball you often see people performing Crunches or other ab movements on top of.

Start by lying face down with your midsection supported on the ball. Grab a pole or something steady to help keep your balance, and pull your legs toward the ceiling. Your body will be one straight line at the top portion of the movement. This is one possible setup:

You can adjust this exercise by starting with bent knees and progress it by extending your knees. I usually keep the sets low (about 2-3) but perform high reps in the 20-30 range. Once you feel you’ve mastered this move, you’re ready to move to an actual Reverse Hyper or Back Extension Machine.

The Hamstring Curl is a versatile exercise with many ways to perform it. The standard variation, lying face down on a machine and curling the loaded weight toward your legs, is by far the most popular. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best or most effective.

Try wrapping a band around a pole and then again around your ankles. Lie in the same downward position and curl the weight to your legs. After you’ve mastered this, bring back the Swiss ball and lie with your back on the ground. Rest your ankles on the ball and curl the ball to you, squeezing your glutes through the top portion of the movement:

Once you’ve nailed both of those variations, you’ll be ready to tackle moves like the Glute Ham Raise and even the Nordic Hamstring Curl!

If you don’t have access to the GHR machine, simply tuck your feet under a support and slowly lower your torso to the ground in a controlled fashion. If you can find a partner to hold your feet, that works, too. With control, lower yourself as far down as possible, push off the ground if needed, and then allow your hamstrings to pull your body back to the start position:

When going manual with the Nordic Curls and GHRs, I train 3-5 sets of 6-10 reps.

Hip Thrusts and Glute Bridges are similar movements but target the glutes and hamstrings in different ways.

To perform a Glute Bridge, lie with your back on the ground, knees bent at 45 degrees and your heels planted firmly into the ground. Drive your hips up and contract your glutes hard at the top:

To make the movement more difficult, add a dumbbell or band for resistance, or try performing the same movement as a single-leg move!

Hip Thrusts require the same setup, but this time, you’ll rest your back on a bench. This will allow a greater range of motion for your hips. With your back supported and your heels driven into the ground, drive your hips forward and squeeze at the top. Adding dumbbells, barbells and bands will help you progress this movement:

To focus on your upper back, the Face Pull and Pull Apart are two of my favorite movements. To begin the Face Pull, start with a band attached to a high pole or other form of support (you can also use a rope handle on a cable pulley machine). With a gradual lean, keep your elbows high and pull the band toward your face. Squeeze your upper back and slowly return to the starting position. This can be progressed by adding a cable or a rope for heavier weight!

Like the Face Pull, the Band Pull-Apart will target your upper back. Begin with the same band and extend your arms above your head. Pull your arms away from each other as far as possible remembering to squeeze your upper back along the way.

I recommend training both of these movements in the 50-100 rep range in the least amount of sets as possible.

Sled Pulls are a great way to train your posterior chain while allowing your body sufficient time to recover. The progression/regression is simple. Change the rope attachment length and add/subtract weight as needed. Doing this will help you build work capacity to handle heavier weights for longer distance. I like to begin athletes with 25-45 pounds for 5 trips of 20 yards. I will gradually add weight or distance and vary the intensities depending on athletes needs.

Just as a team is only as strong as its weakest position, your body is only as strong as its weakest link! Choose 1-2 of these posterior chain exercises to complete per day. Train the exercise with greater resistance for low reps one day and then alternate lower weight for high reps the next. Rotate the exercises each day so your body is able to recover for your next training session!

Photo Credit: Yuri_Arcurs/iStock

READ MORE:

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What’s next? Some players will use the offseason to rest and recover before preparing for the next soccer season, while others will choose to participate in a different sport.

While both options have their benefits, it’s often a plus for young athletes to stay in shape and compete by participating in multiple sports. If you spend the offseason participating in a different sport, you develop skills such as hand-eye coordination, foot-eye coordination, explosiveness, endurance and agility in a way you may not experience in your primary sport. Different sports require you to move your body differently, which can ultimately make you a superior all-around athlete. Playing a different sport can also help you better develop the mental skills needed to become a more effective soccer player.

If your pursuit is to become a great athlete, picking up a second sport can be beneficial to your athletic success. For example, soccer is a game that largely requires patience, communication and trust. The game often moves at a slower pace than other sports. Basketball is a sport built on speed, explosiveness and quick thinking. By choosing to play basketball in the offseason, you will allow yourself to develop these underused motor skills, which could make you a more dynamic player on the soccer field. All sports offer unique opportunities to grow and develop as an athlete.

With that in mind, here are some sports I believe are particularly beneficial for soccer players to participate in during their offseason.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse incorporates many of the same parameters as soccer.

In fact, it’s often referred to as a combination of soccer and hockey.

The game is played with one ball on similar-sized fields and geared towards the same end goal—putting the ball in the net.

They also feature nearly the same number of active players—11 per side in soccer, and 10 per side in lacrosse.

The vision needed to find open teammates and deliver productive passes under pressure also has a lot of crossover to soccer, as does the constant running up and down the field.

Perhaps the biggest difference between lacrosse and soccer is the physicality. Lacrosse is a full contact sport, and learning how to take and deliver hits during the flow of the game can help make you a more physical athlete. Bringing the same physicality to the soccer field can help you better outmuscle opponents and fight through contact.

Basketball

Spatial intelligence is a must when competing in basketball.

There are 10 athletes on the court and only one ball. Basketball players are required to move off the ball at all times. Setting screens, moving around defenders, looking for open lanes and fighting to get space are all staples of the game. All of these movements have a direct correlation to movements made during a soccer match.

If you want to get open and receive a pass in a dangerous area, you have to learn to move intelligently off the ball. Learning to guard a basketball player in one-on-one situations will also help you develop the lateral agility needed to become a better soccer defender, as well. Certain situations on the basketball court pit you in two- or three-on-one scenarios where you must think quickly and make a decision on who or where to defend. These same concepts can be of great help on the soccer field. Learning how to move around both on the offensive and defensive ends of a basketball game will enhance your soccer performance.

Baseball/Softball

When it comes to baseball/softball, patience is the name of the game. Once the waiting is over and you have a chance to make a play, you need to quickly strike into action and make intelligent decisions. Explosiveness, speed and power are all required to play baseball. Similar to soccer in some aspects, baseball is thought to be a slow moving game. Patience away from the ball teaches you to be ready at any moment to go from still to an all-out sprint.

Baseball players rely on great hand-eye coordination, core strength and power to hit the ball. Learning to build and utilize a strong midsection in athletic actions can translate greatly onto the pitch. By learning to control your core muscles. You’ll be able to generate more power on each kick. Baseball also teaches explosiveness. Imagine playing shortstop and the ball is rocketed your way. You must explode from your starting position in the blink of an eye to react and field the ball. Similar to soccer, when you are playing off the ball and suddenly a bullet pass comes across the pitch, you need a split-second reaction to move toward the ball and beat the defender to make a quick strike. Goalies especially will find joy in baseball, as they have to react quickly and do everything in their power to get their mitts on a batted ball.

Track

Track is really an excellent second-sport option for almost any athlete. No matter what event you end up competing in, a season of track will likely leave you with better running form, better acceleration, better top end speed and better conditioning than you had when you came to the sport. Many of the field events also build general brands of athleticism that translate very well to other sports.

Becoming a better soccer player is going to take time, effort and energy. Many players attempt to train on their own or play another version of soccer (club, indoor, etc.) in the offseason. While these are great options, most young players shouldn’t play one sport year-round. Their bodies and minds can receive extra benefit by dedicating a few months to training and competing in a different sport. The motor skills, fitness, and communication skills you’ll find from a second sport will often help make you a more well-rounded athlete and keep you in tip-top shape for your next soccer season.

Photo Credit: CDH_Design/iStock, FatCamera/iStock, RichVintage/iStock, technotr/iStock

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