Training to Reduce Injuries and Improve Player Performance

Jim Launder - Calvin Deutsch

Starting PointThe Game of Soccer

• 90 min long (or less at various youth levels)

• Repeated mixture of sprinting, running, jogging, walking

• Many short duration “actions”

• Sprinting, receiving ball, passing, shooting, tackles, direction changes

• Constantly evolving and on the move, no time-outs/set plays (except free kicks)

Injury Info

Injuries

• Thigh- Strains (pulls)

• Knee- ACL (female)

• Ankle- Sprains (male)

Basic Principles

• Dynamic Warm-Up (Physiologic, Technical, Tactical, Psychologic)

• Strength, balance, movement education, footwork exercises ***Put in soccer language***

• Cool down, static stretching

• How much of this can we include the ball and how can make injury prevention and performance improvement soccer centric?

FIFA

FIFA 11+

http://f-marc.com/11plus/exercises/

9 Running Exercises

Each practice/

match

6 Strength Exercises

2-3x/wk

FIFA 11+

11+ with ball

FIFA 11+

11+ with ball

11+ with ball

Movement Quality

Movement Quality

Field Session

• 11+ without and with ball

• ACL Injury Prevention- integrated into soccer

• Ankle Sprain Prevention- integrated into soccer

• Hamstring Injury Prevention- semi-integrated

• Athletic Skill Development- fully integrated

Field Review

• ACL- improving knee position, athletic stance, 3-5 step stop / good footwork

• Ankle Sprain- balance exercises, good footwork

• Hamstring Strain- Eccentric exercises (Nordic Curl and deadlifts)

• Athletic Skills- emphasis on footwork, practice reacting/reading other players or the ball. “It’s OK to think once in a while” -Bob Gansler’s Grandfather

**** How can we simultaneously develop injury prevention and athletic skills while playing and learning soccer? ****

Knee Position

Examples

Examples

Examples

Examples

Examples

Examples

Movement Summary

• Quick footwork- shorter steps allow for faster change of direction, transfer of force, and improve the biomechanics of your body=Injury Prevention and Athletic Skill Development

• Defending- utilize quick short steps and angle body. Players need to learn how to time this correctly by practicing on real players with the ball.

• Integrate single leg opportunities into technical exercise

• Nordic Hamstring and/or single leg deadlift

Dribbling Agility

Dribbling Agility

Dribbling Agility

Prep Footwork

Prep Footwork

Reactive Agility

Isolated Agility

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5isQVrSti1w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6GfSfRCaxI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbQZ4FGv9ug