Parents - for better or worse

One of the common themes from soccer coaches is that parents do more harm than good when it comes to the long term development of their child.  This is not just limited to the youth game.  A  former pro manager I spoke to who once had an ex-school friend of mine playing for him in the English Premier League a few seasons back said that, though he was a good lad, his biggest problem was his Dad.  But do parents get a raw deal?  Are coaches using parent behavior as a get out clause for their own lack of ability and performance?  Or are coaches within their rights to voice their displeasure towards parents, despite the fact that parents often fork out over a $1000 a year for their kids to play the sport?

It must be taken into account, that with the pay to play model in the US, parents are consumers.  They spend their money and as a result, they have the right to voice their concerns to coaches when they disagree with something.  After all, they want what is best for their child and at the same time, they want to see their child play, improve and enjoy playing soccer.  This is totally reasonable and a coach that takes winning as a priority over these things should be spoken to and be made aware that is unacceptable.  I myself had an experience playing for a team (I was only there for 8 games towards the end of a season) where I received a total of 8 minutes playing time, spread over 2 games.  The other 6 games saw me stay on the sideline (1 of which I was asked to run the line - the game hadn't even kicked off and I knew I wasn't going to play).  As a 14 year old who just wanted to play soccer, this was no fun at all, and the costs to play in the UK were, and still are, far less than that in the US.

It must also been taken into account that soccer parents have become far more educated in the game in modern times.  Games are readily available on the TV from all nations, the MLS continues to grow,  the internet allows for numerous pieces of information to be consumed and days where a coach could turn up with an accent and blag his way to run a team are no longer present.  Parents have valid opinions on how the game should be played and, as with most sports, want their opinions heard.

Saying that, is the information the parents are yelling from the sidelines the right thing to do?  Only last week, I heard the shout of "kick the ball!!!"  to an academy age player while the game was in play.  My initial thought was one of "it's soccer...what else is she going to do?!"    There is also the case of information being given to players that might contradict wit what the coach is asking of the players.  A friend of mine had asked his Full Back to give the opposition winger space as he was getting beat for speed time and again by sticking tightly to him.  The shout from the parents side "PRESS!!!"  My friends response to that parent, in his own terms, was not particularly polite.

The best youth coaches are 'teachers' of the game, similar to how teachers at school are 'teachers' of particular subjects.  It is our job to teach the fundamentals of the game, and increase the difficulty as the season progresses.  This means that mistakes are going to happen as kids are improving their understanding of what to do.  Would a parent stand at the back of the classroom in math, shouting "Add!  Add!!  Take it away!!!  NO, NO, NO, MULTIPLY!!!!!!!"?  The answer is probably not (of course, I can't talk for everyone).  Kids would get flustered and be unable to think straight, most probably getting the answer wrong.

Yet, despite this, when it comes to game days at a soccer game, some feel the need to do this exact thing, but in a soccer context.  When a young player receives the ball, they have to think where the defenders are, where their team mates are, where the space is, how close they are to goal and make a decision on what they want to do with the ball in less than a second.  Couple that with potential noise from the team mates, parents and the coach, and that is an awful lot of information to process in a short space of time.  Decision-making and quick thinking is what stands the elite players out from the rest, and the reason for this is that they have been given the opportunity from an early age to make these decisions, whether right or wrong.

I go back to a game I watched where I was standing in between 2 parents, 1 quiet and 1 who wouldn't stop talking to his son.  The boy of the loud parent lost the ball every time it came to him,  the boy of the quiet parent had the freedom to play the game, scored numerous goals (in fact, the only time his Dad said anything was when he over celebrated a goal, telling him to calm down) and within weeks was playing for a professional club's academy in the UK.  Since then, the last I heard, he had graduated to an academy of a Championship club and played for England at schoolboy level.    During that game, you could see the nervousness of the kid with the mouthy parent every time the ball came near him.  Tense players rarely make good players.

Most parents see development as one thing - winning.  This is true in a lot of countries, but especially in the US as the culture permits to going out and taking what you want.  Success is celebrated in this country (as opposed to the UK where successful people are often criticized) and that is a great thing.  But should success be judged on only short term results?  In soccer, this can be especially damaging.  Kids are competitive players.  In the Academy program , where results and league tables are not kept, players will come off and know the 'score' of the game.  However, from an adult point of view, if we want to develop high level players long term, it is important that we do not see this as the be all and end all.  Youth games, especially U13 and below, are often won and lost by speed, size and strength, regardless of whether the players can kick the ball properly or not.  While a nice short term feeling to do so, as though players get older, game intelligence will take over and speed easily negated by teams who know how to do so.  Focusing on the win is doing said players who have raw athletic ability a disservice, as eventually, they will be found out.

Sadly, from a parent perspective, this expectation of winning games can lead them to acting a little too aggressively at times.  Once again, this is not aimed at every parent.  This video is a great example however.  After a 9 year old makes a mistake, kicking it away from his own keeper and out for a corner (not a bad thing.  Maybe the keeper didn't call for the ball), one parent decides to scream "What were you thinking!!!"  What makes it worse, is it wasn't her son.  The poor boy's reaction straight away says it all.

As mentioned before, would this be acceptable in everyday life?  If a kid was to drop a grocery bag and an adult, not related to the boy, shouted at him "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!!" would this be tolerated?  I doubt it.  Yet during a game of soccer, for some reason, this adult saw it as reasonably normal behavior.

A coach I once worked with, had decided to switch his team around in terms of playing positions and playing time when leading a game 4-0.  The game remained the same.  He later received an e-mail from a parent asking why he did this and his response was that the game was already won and it was a good opportunity to switch players around and let them learn something different.  The parent was not happy with this, stating that in the US you are taught to "crush" the opposition, he did not agree with the coaches decision and that he would not be educating his daughter that way! 

For those players who have aspirations to play Elite level, whether on a national league stage, college or professional, winning a U11 league is not going to play a part in their tryout.  How they think, how they  move, how they control the ball certainly will.  For those that do have that ability, winning a U11 league is not going to play a huge role in their development towards becoming an adult.  Reactions like the one in the video above, or here, very well may do and one would think, not for the better.

It should be said that  most parents are not like this.  They are supportive of their children, allow them to make their own decisions on the field of play and offer encouragement after a difficult performance.  As mentioned in a previous blog, the support they provide on game days in terms of numbers is fantastic and offers kids a great tool in their development for performing in front of watching eyes, whether that be any kind of sport or presentations that they make in later life for their chosen line of work.  However, it is vital that as adults, we do not take wins and losses personally, we do not try and live our sporting dreams through our children and that we act in a way that towards  the players that we too would want to be treated, allowing them to learn the fundamentals, learn the aspects of the game and give them the best opportunities possible for success.

After all, that is what every parent wants.

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USDA v ECNL - will the girls game improve?

Earlier this year, US Soccer announced that they were introducing the US Soccer Development Academy (USDA) model to girls soccer, with the idea that it would mirror the way the program works for boys in developing elite players.  Similar to the recent changes to the heading rule, age groups changes and sizes of teams, this has created a lot of controversy, namely what will happen in the shape of the current elite program for girls in the US, the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).  Is the program really necessary considering the USWNT are the reigning world champions and the current no.1 ranked team in the world?

As 3 times World Cup champions and 4 time Olympic champions, it is a fair assumption to make that the development of female soccer players in the US is something that has excelled over an extended period of time, arguably ahead of anywhere else in the world.  Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach, Hope Solo (for soccer related reasons at least) and Mia Hamm are all well known names across the country.  We have also seen the rise of Mallory Pugh into the USWNT, while plying her trade at ECNL level and having a huge impact.

According to US Soccer, the reason for the Development Academy program is that they "want to provide a player centered program that is focused on the development of the individual without bias, distractions, self-interests and financial gains that compromise the optimal everyday environment. We also believe this is needed so we continue to set the standard for world-class players." 

The first sentence of the statement is where the real positive for this transition is obvious - a player centered environment without bias, self-interest and financial gains.  The ECNL was formed by a number of DoC's of  'Elite' clubs.  With this, regardless of the integrity of each individual involved, comes a conflict of interests.  Youth soccer in the US is a very political place, from rec to the elite level, whether it be coaches heavy loading their rec teams to win a 'championship' or board members refusing to give their players opportunities to play elsewhere.  It is perfectly feasible to surmise that those running the program have their own clubs interests at heart when it comes to decisions.  One ECNL coach shared as much with me, stating that it what something he was concerned about, despite being a big fan of the league.

Being run by the national governing body, the USDA will have no such concerns.  Their interests, you would like to think, will be what is best for the players in terms of getting them to USWNT level.  In this sense the program change can only be a positive for players hoping to reach the highest levels of the game in the US, with all being afforded the same opportunities to progress.  It should also be noted that the USSF consulted with the ECNL, detailing that they believed they could improve standards better without them.  No specific reason was given, but you have to think the conflict of interests played a huge role.

Development wise, clubs will be required to have coaches who licensed to at least USSF B level.  Though not in place yet, US Soccer will aim to push towards this in the future.  Though most ECNL clubs will have coaches at this level, it is not a requirement for coaches, as it is the clubs decision who they hire for which teams.  It can be argued that a B license doesn't mean a coach can effectively communicate with 12 year old girls, but it does guarantee a level of standards that the ECNL currently does not.  

It is hard to predict the long term benefits to the changes.  So far, 74 clubs have agreed to be a part of the inaugural season, leaving the ECNL, including NC based teams CSA and CASL.  Where as ECNL can have individual team registering and taking part, the USDA requires the whole club participation, meaning a more filtered pathway for elite players.  This could have a huge impact on smaller clubs, who are already struggling to keep players after the age group changes.  One would surmise that it will ensure the USWNT and college programs have a more specific scouting range as the best players gravitate towards the bigger clubs.  Only time will tell.

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How do we develop Elite players (Part 3)?

Part 1

Part 2

Since the turn of the century, soccer has truly become a global game.  With improvements in technology, marketing tactics and the drive of FIFA to make it the world's game, most of the truly Elite players (Ronaldo, Messi, Iniesta, Zlatan) are known in every country throughout the world.  The US is no exception to this, with young players often adorning the jerseys of these well known stars...yet, subjectively of course, it seems the US is still to develop that truly Elite player who transcends the game, especially on the men's side of things.  The Women's game has had more success in this field, Carli Lloyd showing just how good she is in her World Cup Final performance (all the more impressive considering 86 million people worldwide watched the game) and Alex Morgan being a face and name that most soccer fans recognize.

Having coached here for 12 years, I have always maintained that depending on certain factors, the US could dominate the men's game.  The amount of pure athletes in this country is ridiculous.  Only last year I was coaching a U14 boys team and at least 5 of the players were at eye level with me (I'm 6'0) and in much better shape physically.  Coupled with the combination of ancestry in the US (everyone is part something or other) and it seems these elite athletes are gaining the best physical traits from the land of their grand parents/great grand parents.  Despite this, the men's national team doesn't seem to be competing at the level it needs internationally.  Is this a cultural thing?  Is this due to the coaching?  Or is there a problem with the system?

The US Soccer Development Pathway looks something like this

Although the Pro game is fairly direct - start at one level and work your way up - the youth level seems to have no consistency or clear pathway at all.  AYSO want to keep their players, US Youth Soccer want to keep theirs, High School train 57 Hours a week and play games (it's not 57 hours, but it is 5 days.  Even pro teams don't do this) and from the outside, there seems to be no clear step up.  Is ODP better than Academy level?  Which national championship holds the most weight when college coaches are scouting players?  Too many questions for parents to find answers to.

Compare this to the English Girls and German models

Very simple, very structured.  Start with your club team, if you are good enough, you will get  a chance with a pro academy.  If you shine there, an opportunity to play for your national team age group will arise etc.

With this being the case, how do parents know which is the right route to take?  Looking at the rosters for the UNC Men's and Women's teams, the make up of both rosters comes mostly from those who have played US Developmental Academy (Boys) and Elite Clubs National League (Girls) - aka the Academy route.

Academies were introduced to make sure the "Elite" youth players were receiving year round training in soccer, rather than being taken away to do other sports or compete for their High School.  Based on the European model, where each pro club has it's own academy to develop players and eventually bring them through into the 1st team, in terms of making sure truly Elite players are competing against the best the country has to offer, it can certainly be argued that it is a success.  Mallory Pugh is evidence of this, making her debut for the National Team while still playing for her ECNL club.

Where the US differs from the European model however, is funding.  In Europe, academies are part funded by the club and part funded by the national association.  Players receive uniform, training, travel, facilities and all other extras at no cost.  This allows players of all social status the opportunity to excel and progress.  In the US, academies are awarded "US Developmental Academy" status by the USSF after meeting certain criteria.  They are however, provided minimal or no funding from the governing body.  Therefore, costs have to be covered elsewhere - generally the parents, who in some cases, could be spending over $2,500 a year for their kids to play soccer, not taking into account additional tournament fees and travel costs, which in itself could total a further $2,000 when traveling to high level tournaments at Disney or in Las Vegas.  Though scholarships and financial aid is available at these academies, whether or not players are being selected due to their ability or due to their financial status is up for debate.

The US also has the issue of a number of other sports on offer to young athletes.  Football, Basketball, Baseball and Ice Hockey all have rich histories in the US.  In the early years, it can be argued that this is good for the Elite Players' athletic development.  Ajax Amsterdam, talked about previously, have their young soccer players taking part in other disciplines such as Judo (to help with balance), Track (endurance and running technique) and Basketball (movement, rebounds, positioning).  At the age of 13 however, this stops and players place their focus firmly on soccer.  In the Netherlands this is far more feasible, as outside of Darts, there isn't really another sport where Elite players have consistently emerged.  In the US however, this is a different story.

If multiple sports have a positive impact on a young players athletic development, from teenage years (where it is widely thought a decision can be made on whether or not a player can take their game to a higher level) it will have a negative effect.  Non-soccer related injuries can occur, time dedicated to becoming a better player technically is limited, travel here, there and everywhere becomes an issue and increasing costs to parents. On top of this, children are more likely to make a decision on which sports their future lies in.  From a female standpoint, this seems like an obvious choice.  The US  women's team are well known around the nation, offering role models for young girls to aspire to.  On the men's side however, one would imagine that Carson Wentz or LeBron James are far more realistic sporting idols than Clint Dempsey or Jozy Altidore.  Not to mention that the Superbowl is a worldwide event, compared to the MLS Cup which I'm sure most around the US do not know when it is taking place.

The US also faces the challenge of the amount of time players spend away from the training ground where they are working on their skills.  Zinedine Zidane, arguably the world's greatest soccer player between 1998-2006, didn't sign for an Academy until he was 14.  Though he played club soccer, it was widely reported that a lot of his immense ball mastery came from playing street soccer with his friends, away from the watchful eye of parents and coaches, where he was free to express himself and try new things.  Growing up, it was a sight on most English streets to see a bunch of kids playing games such as headers and volleys, Wembley, 2 v 2, slam and making up their own scrimmages using the famed "Jumpers for Goalposts" with scores of 23-21.  While this image has changed in England also in recent years, it is more glaring in the US, where it seems players rely on training and training only, being under constant observation from adults and unable to make mistakes and attempt tricks and skills that the likes of Messi and Neymar display on a regular basis in the pro game.

If the US are to ever create a truly Elite men's player, more must be done to encourage play away from training.  Players must be allowed the chance to develop these natural instincts that there athletic capabilities are no doubt capable of.  Compared the the majority of US Sports, soccer is a player's game as opposed to a coaches game, where quick thinking and creative play are to be encouraged.  Despite the fantastic things in place at club level (facilities, twice a week sessions, enthusiastic boards and volunteers) the correct coaching environment needs to be provided to help to bring more creativity out of players in games.  If I was to see a player attempt the Rainbow Flick in a game, such as Jay Jay Okocha v Arsenal a few years ago, whether it worked or not, I would be thrilled, but this isn't something I will be teaching my players to do...it has to come from them.

Looking at a former PUK Elite player who is now playing ECNL and taking part  in USWNT U13 training, this environment was certainly encouraged by both the coach and her parents, allowing her to use inventive bits of play (variety of finishing, chipping the goalkeeper when 1 on 1, experimenting with different types of passing, taking players with fakes in 1 v 1's) in her game.  it didn't always come off, but she was confident enough to attempt these more than once and the proof is the pudding regarding her progression over the past 2 years.  If more young players are given this environment, one has to believe that the talented young players will stick to soccer when the time comes, with the ownership that comes with being able to make their own decisions on the field.

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How do we develop Elite soccer players (Part 2)?

Read Part 1 here

Developing Elite players is a skill when it comes to coaching.  There is more to it than simply throwing down a bunch of soccer balls, putting on a session and determining that one player is better than the rest.  Technical, Tactical, Physical, Psychological and Social aspects all come into play.  In recent years, it seems that no one has done a better job of this than the nation represented by the reigning World Cup champions, and women's World Cup 4th place team, Germany.

To give you a brief understanding of the history behind the current German Development philosophy, back in 1990, West Germany (the Berlin Wall had been knocked down but the Football Federations were still separate entities) were crowned World Champions, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final.  At Euro 96, they were crowned European Champions.  Roll forward 4 years to Euro 2000, and they finished bottom of their group, with 2 defeats and a draw to show for themselves.  An investigation went in to why the performance was so bad, why the players were not able to replicate the same form and levels as the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and current USMNT head coach (and USSF Technical Director) Jurgen Klinsmann.  The investigation brought together the DFB (German abbreviation for German Football Association), the Bundesliga (Germany's equivalent of the Premier League ) and the professional clubs.

One of the key aspects that the DFB introduced was the Talent Development Program in 2002, which consisted of 390 development centers designed to work with young players on technical skill - passing, receiving, finishing, ball manipulation - and tactical understanding - decision making, positioning, awareness.  Similar to the Premier UK Elite Developmental Program, the Talent Development Program allowed players from Academies as well as Local Travel Clubs to attend.  By combining the 2 groups, this meant that local players were allowed to receive high level training, as well as work alongside those who were playing at a higher level to help improve their speed of play, speed of thought and understanding of the game, with the opportunity to progress to a higher level team if they were able to improve to the desired level.  Academy level players were able to receive a different view point a compared to their clubs "play the (insert club here) way" and, no doubt, develop their leadership skills by working with less able players (as mentioned in part 1, personality plays a big part  in being an Elite soccer player).

What made this program all the more impressive and worthwhile was that the 2 teams that competed in the 2013 Champions League final (Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund - both German) had a combined 26 players on their rosters who came through the Talent Development Program.  As far as additional training being a benefit goes, that takes some beating!

Similar to the Spanish and the Dutch, the DFB believe that technical skills are the cornerstone for all players.  Size and speed cannot compensate for this at Elite Level.  Robin Dutt, Sporting Director of the DFB stated that size was important for defensive players, but they still need to be able to play with the ball at their feet, citing German International Mats Hummels as a prime example.  If a player cannot control a ball under pressure, strike a ball cleanly, manipulate a ball to keep it from the opposition and pass a ball accurately and with the correct weight, they will have a ceiling on how far they can go in the game.  Similar to American Football, fast strong players are important, but how effective can a Running Back be if he has butter fingers?!

The German system sees competitive soccer introduced at U12, very different from the British model and something that we seem to have agreement with in the US.  Players need to learn that some games are there to be won, and learning the will to win is a key component in Premier UK's philosophy, but as Dutt says, it is not the main priority between U8-U14, "the main thing is to do good training."  One of the challenges we face in the US is the competitive nature of not just the players, but the adults as well (coaches and parents).  With limited time at practice (on average, 2 sessions a week), having the patience to focus on the long term development of each player as opposed to looking at the short term gains of winning a game is difficult.  As a result, technical development is often overlooked for tactical performance.  Sadly, certain tactics cannot be applied without good technique.  Asking a team to switch the field is all well and good, but if a player cannot play a cross field pass, the success of this is unlikely.  Technical training centers allow for these skills to be developed, without the pressure of the "need" to win.

Similarly with the Germans in 2000, it seems that after every international tournament, the English Football Association (FA) go through their very own investigation as to why the National team struggles.  Rather than looking at things long term, the here and now seems of most concern.  Of course the mentality of the nation doesn't help, seemingly happy to criticize the National team at the drop of a hat.  The last tournament, Euro 2016, was no exception.  For years supporters have said they wanted new blood in the team instead of the same players who had let us down previously.  With England having one of the youngest squads in the competition, we once again struggled, with certain fans citing a "lack of experience".  You can't please everyone.

The FA's Director of Elite Development, Dan Ashworth, has recently introduced an "English DNA" model, designed to incorporate the characteristics that each England player and team should have going forward.  First and foremost, the long term aim of the England DNA is to create winning senior teams, with the performance of the development teams being the main aim.  Though this should be the focus of every coach working with young players, learning the will to win is surely an important mentality for players to have.  The Academy system in England currently does not have competitive league play until U18, which, looking at the Spanish and German models (the last 2 World Cup winners) is too late.  Some clubs have taken it upon themselves to enter their Academy teams into tournaments to allow players to feel that pressure to win games, learn about managing games and develop that will to win, but with how the game schedule runs, this is hard to do on a consistent basis.

As with most nations, the FA have declared that players need to be technically proficient, capable of receiving, turning, traveling with the ball, passing over varied distances, finishing and heading, withe the aim of developing these skills at a young age.  Looking at these well known soccer countries, it has to be taken as a given that technical development is of paramount importance when developing Elite players.  If players cannot control the ball, the team cannot possess the ball effectively.  If they cannot combine passes with one another, they will struggle to break down opponents.  If they cannot use 1 v 1 moves and turns, panic ensues and the ball will be lost. 

There is little doubt, looking at some of the most successful soccer nations in history in terms of the players they have produced and how they are producing players now, that technique is the foundation.  Tactical decision-making is not far behind as well as creating strong psychological aspects of each player. 

Next week will look at the US Development model, South American influence and the role that adults, both parents and coaches, have in the development of Elite soccer players.

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Soccer Specific Conditioning - what attributes does your player need?

An oft-asked question is which are the fittest athletes in the World.  It's a fair question, but also a tough one to quantify.  The fitness attributes required of a boxer are different to that of swimmer, or a triathlete or a sumo wrestler.  One thing is for sure though and that is that if there were such a title, soccer players would be competing for it.

Running on average 7-12km per game, elite level professionals cover a great distance over a 90 minute game.  Not only are players required to run that distance, but at the same time considerations have to be made for changes of direction, speed, jumping, striking the ball and monitoring both their team mates and opposition players.  It is fair to say that running at a steady pace for 5 miles, while great for general conditioning, will not have the desired effect when looking to play at peak condition.  Historically laps of the field have been used for getting players into shape, but answer me this...how many times have you watched a game and seen a player run the perimeter of the field for the duration?

With that in mind, what soccer specific conditioning attributes do players need to focus on?

Agility

Agility is the ability to change one's body position efficiently.  If you have ever seen Lionel Messi in full flow with the twisting and turning with the ball, you will have seen a player whose agility is as good as anyone's. In this video, Cristano Ronaldo has his speed tested against that of professional sprinter, both in a straight line and through a zig zag.  Though the sprinter has the beating of Ronaldo in a straight line, when it came to constant changes of direction, Ronaldo was clearly the faster man.

Agility is not only limited to attacking players, agility is also key for defenders.  When being attacked by a flying winger 1 v 1, the ability to move backwards and change direction with the player in control of the ball is vital.  It is advised players utilize ladders, hurdles and poles to improve this ability, as well as attempting to move through them both forwards and backwards to help with any transitions from attack to defense or vice versa that take place in the game.

Endurance

Endurance is a key element to most athletic endeavors.  With players expected to perform and stay focused for 90 minutes, sometimes 120, this is especially true in soccer.  However, as previously mentioned, players will not be running at a steady pace for the entire time.  The speed they move at can be anything from a full out sprint to a steady walk and players must be prepared for this.

N'Golo Kante, a summer signing for Chelsea, made 28 high intensity sprints in his first game for the club, ranging between 10-30 meters each time.  Combined with the rest of the distance covered, making these sprints throughout the 90 minutes takes a lot of focus.  With this in mind, it is advised that players use High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) when building endurance - longer distance running mixed with 10-20 second sprints.

Power

Power is the combination of strength and speed (2 other elements we won't discuss here).  The ability to strike a ball, hold of an opponent, out jump someone for a header and accelerate away from on opponent or towards the ball are reliant on an individuals power at a given moment the game.  Former professional player and current QPR head coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was once recorded as hitting a free kick at 230km per hour, despite very little back lift in his leg.  As you can see from the video, the keeper had no chance!

Players can develop power through explosive activities such as jump squats, clap push ups and plyometric activities.

Flexibility

Changing direction at high speed, leaping for a header, striking a ball with full power all run the risk of a player suffering a muscular injury.  Hamstrings, quads and groins are all potential parts of the body that are exposed to a pull or a tear in a game of soccer.  For female players, due to the way their bodies form, are also at a great risk of experiencing an ACL related injury.  Dynamic stretching and movements are recommended when players warm up, as well as static stretching and slower paced movements when cooling down after games and practices.

It should be noted that, despite flexibility being at its highest level up to the age of 11, younger travel soccer players should begin to gain an understanding of these movements so that the expectancy does not come as a shock to them when it is more required.

Premier UK runs soccer specific conditioning classes during teh spring and fall seasons.  Speak to your PUK coach for more information.