Divastators: My Site News

Wednesday, July 29
5 exercises for stronger soccer players
I thought you might enjoy this article I recently read about 5 exercises for soccer players to do to get stronger!

Being able to drive a ball farther on a goal kick is a matter of incorporating two things! The first has everything to do with technique.
Refining proper ball striking skills for a player is key, but that is not what I want to focus on today.
The 2nd component to drive the ball farther has to do with strength....actually lower body strength. This is the topic for today! If you can get your players stronger, this will not only help them in other facets of their game, it will help them drive the ball farther too and maybe even add 10 yards to their goal kick. When I talk about strength, whether it is lower or upper body strength, I am referring to developing functional strength. You want to develop strength that allows your players to be stronger for the sport of soccer.

Below are some great lower body functional strength exercises that do not require any equipment and are appropriate for players 10 years and up.

Prisoner squats: have the player place their feet about shoulder width apart. Place their hands behind their head and squat down (like you are sitting down into a chair). Try and keep your heels on the ground and keep your head and chest up. Also, make certain when you bend your knees, that your knees don't go past your toes. 10-15 in succession equals one set. Build up to 2 sets.

Lunge walks: have your player take a long stride (like they are walking) and ask the player to drop their hips (back knee is an inch from touching the ground). Keep repeating this walking movement for 10-15 yards. Build up to 2 sets. Very important as well is to again make sure the front knee when it bends does not go past the toes of this front leg.

Lateral Lunge walks: Same concept as the lunge walk except now your steps are sideways, not forward. Again make certain that the player performs the movement with good form. Knee not flying past toes, hips are down.

Pogo Jumps for height: Imagine you are on a pogo stick. Start with legs open to shoulder width apart. Arms are placed in front of you at a 90 degree angle. Drive the elbows back (like you are reaching back for your back pockets with your hands) and then quickly drive them forward and up, propelling you upward. Land softly on the front part of both feet, bends the knees to absorb the jump and then repeat the process again very quickly. One set equals 10-15 pogo jumps for height. Work on building this up to 2 sets.

Prisoner Squat Hold: Have the player squat down and hold the prisoner squat for 30 - 45 seconds all the while maintaining proper form. Work up to 45 seconds or so and do that 2-3 times.

I hope you enjoy these functional lower body strength exercise for your players to work on.

For more information on soccer skills and speed tips, you can go over to the website www.soccerandspeedcoach.com and register to get more soccer and speed tips delivered to your inbox free every week.
Have a great day!


Wednesday, May 6
10 Rules of Good Nutrition
If you can follow these 10 rules each and every day, you will be on your way to optimizing your nutrition and your performance.  These are 10 easy steps to being on top of your nutritional game.  Each of these topics will be explored with their own article in the months to come. 
  1. COME BACK TO EARTH!!!  Try to choose the least processed forms of carbohydrates.  If you give your body efficient fuel, it will perform better.  Fruits, veggies, and whole grains (whole wheat bread, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta) will give you more stable energy levels than more processed foods like chips, soda, white bread, and candy.
  2. Eat BREAKFAST every day!  The longer you wait to eat breakfast, the longer you will be running in a low gear!  Eating breakfast jump starts your energy levels and your metabolism.
  3. Eat smaller portions more often, spread evenly across the day.  No excuses --- you should be eating 5-8 meals/day!  You should be combining protein, carbs, and healthy fats at each of your meals!  Just think 3 for 3.  The 3 nutrients every three hours.  An easy way to make sure you do this is to pack snacks from home and keep them in your locker and your back pack!  If you stay fueled all through the day, you will have better performance at practice and games.
  4. Stay HYDRATED!! Dehydration = Decreased Performance!  Drink at least ½ your body weight in ounces of water per day.  Make sure to think before you drink!  Stick to mainly water and every once in a while 100% fruit juice.  Use sports drinks only before, during, or after activity! 
  5. Include a LEAN PROTEIN source with each meal.  When choosing your lean protein sources, just think “the less legs the better!”  Fish have no legs and are a lean source of protein.  Chickens and turkeys have 2 legs and are great sources of protein if you take off their skin and don’t fry them.  Finally, when choosing any products that come from cows and pigs (animals with 4 legs) you need to be more selective.  Choose lean red meats, low-fat dairy, and lean pork products.
  6. PACK YOUR LUNCH!  Don’t rely on the cafeteria to provide your fuel.  By bringing your own lunch and snacks, you will guarantee that you will be optimally fueled.
  7. SUPPLEMENT WISELY.  Add a multivitamin daily.  A general multi-vitamin is a good way make to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need.  Food first, supplement second, but if your diet is not consistently getting you all of your needs---take the multi-vitamin.  Beyond a mulit-vitamin, you must be careful with supplements.  As a high school athlete, focus first on eating the right foods, in the right amounts at the right times.  Many supplements are not tested for banned substances and may contain harmful materials not noted on the label.  As a high school athlete, I do not recommend any “specialty sports supplements”, but sports foods such as bars, shakes and gels, can help you to get extra carbs, protein and electrolytes that you may not be getting from food alone.
  8. Eat Fruits or Vegetables with each meal!  Fruits and vegetables provide you with natures forms of anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
  9. Drink a mixture of carbohydrate and protein immediately after your workout.  Recovery is one of the limiting factors of performance.  If you get a combination of carbs and protein immediately after a game or workout, you get a jump start on repairing your muscles and refueling your body.  Try an EAS shake or bar for optimized nutrition and convenience.
  10. Last, but not least --- Get some rest.  The body recovers and repairs when it is sleeping.  Try to get 8 hours of sleep per night.