Q & A

A GREAT EXERCISE TO DEVELOP
KICKING POWER!

One of the best strength exercises to develop kicking power is the Split Squat.  This exercise not only loads all of the muscles in the same range of motion as when you strike a ball, but also develops unilateral strength in each leg when performed properly.  You can perform this exercise with a barbell or dumbbell.

Q & A

My son will be 11 yrs old soon.  Is he still too young for strength training?  If so, what do you recommend at his age?
Soccer Mom

ADear Soccer Mom,
Good question.  You are correct, 11 years old is still too young to implement strength training.  Your son really needs to wait a couple of years.  For now I would use exercises that focus on using his body weight as resistance.  For example, push-ups or chin-ups are great body weight exercises.  Below is a workout that your son can do for the time being.

• Body Squats - 15 repetitions for 3 sets (repetitions make up sets)
• Walking Lunges - 10 lunges out and back for 3 sets
• Push Ups - 20 repetitions for 3 sets
• Chin Ups or Pull Ups - 3 sets of how many repetitions as he can do.

He should rest about 30 seconds to a 1-minute in-between sets.

This work out should help your son. Good luck!

Hi Mark,
Thanks for the newsletter. I will be looking forward to the following 
articles. It is refreshing to see trainers understanding the 
importance of strength for soccer players.

I do have a question, in your professional opinion: My nine-year-old 
boy is taller, stronger and quicker than most athletes his age. 
Should I incorporate weight training or plyometrics into his program? 
Is he too young? Should I just continue with body weight training 
exercises?

I do appreciate your time and opinion.

ABill, Thanks for the kind words; I am glad to see that you feel the same way that I do in that strength training is one of the keys to soccer players’ success on the field.

To answer your question, at your son's age, even though he is above average in the area of strength, I would still have him just do body weight exercises for the time being. You can start with plyometrics, below are some of the best exercises to do for soccer:

1. Line Jump Variations: Double/Single Leg - Side to Side and Forward and Back - Have him do as many repetitions as he can for a given time frame like 10 or 15 seconds then rest for 30 seconds then perform it again. Have him perform each variation for 3 sets and make him keep track of how many repetitions he gets for each set.

2. Box Jumps - Using a 12-inch box, have him jump up as high as he can and land in the middle of the box and then step down. Perform 5 repetitions per set and rest for about 30 seconds to a minute.

3. Jump Squat into accelerations - he should jump as high as he can using everything he's got and upon landing sprint out of it for 5 yards and then jog back. Perform 3 sets of 6 repetitions resting 1-minute in-between sets.

I hope this helps your son get to the next level!

Thanks

Question and Answer Section:

You can ask Mark any question dealing with Strength and Conditioning for Soccer player and he will address two or three questions each month.

Mark now has his strength training manual Williams Soccer Strength Method available on his website!