While the benefits of an appropriate resistance training program for high school athletes are well documented,\u00a0two common excuses made for not implementing a training program\u00a0is that there is not enough time to add it into the already busy practice schedule, or the school\/club does not have a weightroom to train in (IE, lack of equipment).<\/p>\n
A simple solution to remedy both of these problems is to incorporate a strength and power training program right there on the practice field!\u00a0 A program like this requires little equipment, and can be performed as part of the normal practice, in order to not waste time having athletes go from the gym to the field, or to have to ask the athletes to show up at a different time of the day in order to get their resistance training in (IE, lift in the morning before class and practice in the evening after class).<\/p>\n
A recently published study in the\u00a0Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research<\/em>\u00a0looked the potential benefits a program like this would have on a high level under-14 soccer team.\u00a0 The program was conducted for 12-weeks\u00a0in the preason phase of training, during which the experimental group performed a strength and power workout on the field twice a week along with (on the same day as) their normal twice-weekly soccer training practice.\u00a0 The control group only performed the twice-weekly soccer practices.<\/p>\n The athletes were\u00a0measured both pre- and post-training in the following tests:<\/p>\n The training program was a 12-week program broken down into three phases:<\/p>\n The general adaptation phase consisted of higher repetitions per set, and was performed in a circuit fashion with short rest intervals.\u00a0 The strength phase had the athletes performing lower repetitions and the rest intervals were increased to meet the demands of the higher intensity load.\u00a0 The power phase consisted of plyometric activities as well as power cleans and high pulls, in order to stimulate the stretch reflex and improve the athletes\u2019 ability to develop force rapidly.<\/p>\n The equipment used was minimal:<\/p>\n Upon completion of the 12-week program, those in the strength and power training group saw significant improvements in vertical jump, ball-shooting speed, Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance run, and they improved upon their 30m sprint time compared to the non-training group.<\/p>\n Conclusions and Practical Applications<\/strong><\/p>\n The athletes in this study were between the ages of 13 and 14 (they had no prior resistance training background), and were playing at the highest level of soccer competition for their age group in Hong Kong.\u00a0 One thing noted in the paper that I found interesting was that it stated,\u00a0\u201cThe season lasts for 28-weeks, during which the formal match was played once a week\u2026During the preseason, they performed soccer training twice a week, with each session lasting for approximately 2-hours.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n That\u2019s it!\u00a0 They play one game per week.\u00a0 Only ONE!\u00a0 In the preseason they only practice twice a week!\u00a0 Compare that to our youth programs over here where athletes practice several times a week, and then attend a tournament on Saturday\u2019s were they may play anywhere from 3 to 5 matches throughout the day.\u00a0 Obviously the concept of developing athletes is a much higher priority in this program than it is in the United States, where beating the kids into the ground has become more of a common occurrence.<\/p>\n But I digress\u2026.back to the paper\u2026.<\/p>\n This paper just goes to show you how simple it can be to implement a strength and power training program with your athletes.\u00a0 Obviously they used soccer in this study, but this would work for any sport really \u2013 lacrosse, basketball, baseball, etc.\u00a0 The researchers in this study used minimal equipment, but\u00a0focused quality movement and exercise technique (which was emphasized in the paper itself), and set up a program that had phases of training, which built upon the previous phases, leading up to the competitive season.<\/p>\n\n
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