After further observation, discussion and consultation with soccer athletes and enthusiasts as well as proposed by E Wing et al at ‘Importance of Strength and Power on Key Performance Indicators in Elite Youth Soccer’ movements such as ‘passing, shooting, dribbling, tackling, and heading’ are common movements in soccer games, however ‘strength and power training’ are an important factor aligned with the main goal of this proposal which is completing the game for the necessary period of time. Within this proposal I will not be focusing at the skills training as it would likely be looked after by the skills training coach. After further analysis demonstrated below, the main goal is to complete the game, through soccer standard time divided in to blocks of 45 min.
Within the main performance goal, completing the game through the total 90 minutes required and aware that players have limited resistance training experience within, as well as considering athletes physical diversity across a range of age groups with different maturity levels as proposed by S. Lloyd et al (The Youth Physical Development Model: A new Approach to Long-Term Athletic Development), for the purpose of desging the trainng plan process I understand the team is composed by athletes from 16 to 18 years old. All this factors should benefit young athletes with necessary mental and physcal developments. For the purpose of this week long anatomical adaptation resistance programme research, I will focus on the key performance indicators such as Strength and Power broken down on the diagram below as Acceleration, Explosive Power and Core strength or Trunk Control, simplified as Core Strength & Control for the purposes of this plan. Using framework proposed by Read et al, (p. 93) and understanding similarities within hurdling performance and applying to soccer under the prior determined team performance goal. I suggest the team focus within the plan as below.
E Wing et al, (Importance of Strength and Power on Key Performance Indicators in Elite Youth Soccer) explains that there was noticed correlations between squat movement loading capability strength and the ability of tackling within the game which I believe should also impact the proposed KPI`s such as explosive and core strength and trunk control. Following the understanding of squat movement impact on the game, I understand it is also important screening athletes for Overhead Squqt (OHS) movement quality as while observing pre-existing recordings of soccer games I have noticed that soccer performance heavily relies on lower body muscles such as the groups quads and hamstrings. Having that in mind, we will screen the team by using OHS scoring system as per FMS, Gray Cook et al. (2010), for standardiziation and monitoring purposes of movement quality anlaysis. In addition to monitoring the OHS scoring system, I will also perform the Modified Thomas test as according to Mills, et al the hip flexor tightness in some individuals (2015) might alter the way that athletes move lower body, implying a potential need of work in that area prevent injury could be taken. This way exercises progressions and regressions can be prescribed with more precision within the broader team.
As suggested by Read et al, ‘Performance Modeling: A System-Based Approach to Exercise Selection’, ‘evidence exists of strong correlations between counter-movement jump (CMJ) and sprint performance’. The same studies also suggests that CMJ test would indicate better performance on jumping higher, which would likely translate towards soccer related skills, such as heading. This clears the need for another test aiming to measure strength power I understand that the main driver of one of the KPI`s identified such as acceleration it is implied the need of explosive power. The test performed here would be short sprints and drop jumps.
References
Beaccle and Earle (2008) Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Champaign, Human Kinetics
Boyle (2010) Advances in functional training. California OTP
Schoenfeld (2016) Science and development of muscular hypertrophy. Champaign, Human Kinetics
Simao et al ( 2012) Exercise order in resistance training. Sports Med
Read et al (2016) Performance Modeling: A System-Based Approach to Exercise Selection. Journal of Strength and Conditioning