Female soccer players need more high intensity running. Not just from small-sided games where they undergo hundreds of cuts and changes of direction. They need high intensity running where they work on speed and speed endurance. In the past, I've written dissertations on conditioning for soccer players,...
I'm going to kick this off with an analogy that will hit home. It's a bit offbeat, but bear with me. It's about alcohol. Okay, for starters, I don't drink alcohol anymore. Long story short, it wasn't serving me and my health and the direction I wanted to...
Young athletes thrive on routine. They want to know exactly what they're doing, what they're working toward, how they're going to achieve their goals, and if they're progressing and getting results. Quarantine has been a challenging time for young athletes who have been bombarded with circuits, workouts...
"Go hard or go home!" "It's all about the grind!" "If you aren't hustling you aren't winning!" I'll be honest: I'm sick of the grind culture that promotes working endless hours, being busy all the time, filling your schedule with meetings, and forgetting you have a soul. As strength...
Trigger. Trigger. Trigger. Yes, this topic is a massive trigger for many. Should skill work be done with speed, acceleration and strength and power work? Should we bring the soccer ball, the hockey puck, the basketball, the golf club and the lacrosse stick to the gym? Moreover, should we hold...
Bad soccer performance training is like dinner at Burger King: abruptly tossed together last minute with no thought and care. Good soccer performance training is like a five course meal: meticulously prepared ahead time with thought and intricacy. To that end, I've seen a plethora of performance...
This much I know: youth soccer players train and play more than professionals. The year-round schedule is packed with practices, technical training sessions, free play nights, games and tournaments. And sometimes, players play two to three games a week with an itty bitty 24-hour recovery window. Excuse me,...
This much I know: conditioning programs will make or break your athletes. You’ll either build them up to withstand the demands of their sport, or you’ll tear them down and hinder their health and destroy their love for movement. So yeah. I'm going to drop the mic right...
"Speed training for soccer players is more than flying through sprint drills. It is more than strapping on parachutes. It is more than ladder drills. It is more than plyometric training and box jumps." Soccer players all want speed. They want explosiveness. They want a faster "first step." Well, I'm...
Fun fact: no one knows what it takes to train in the off-season. Okay, okay, before you get triggered, here I am explaining why in this two minute video: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj0MEVERcqU[/embed] You see? Off-season training is no joke. It's long. It's a grind. It's a process. As a coach, it...