The game of soccer has changed over the last ten to fifteen years and there are now many reasons to put young soccer players on strength and power training program. But first, keep in mind these are not programs that turn your son or daughter into a body builder.

In the past many coaches would have their players do push ups and sit ups as well as go for 40 minute conditioning runs. This now is outdated soccer conditioning. This type of soccer training leads to weakness, postural imbalances and over use injuries.

It is for these reasons that youth soccer players (male and female) from age eight and up need to be on some sort of strength and conditioning program. In the past, before the convenience of text messaging and computers, young athletes would be in the street, in a park or at a playground playing and being active. Unfortunately many young soccer players are easily entertained by just sitting on their “buttocks” watching a screen.

There is a rise in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears in females. Recently I had to inform a thirteen year old girl and her father that she completely tore her ACL. The injury occurred in an indoor league. Now she needs to build back her strength and power. The orthopedic surgeon decided against a repair at the time because her growth plates had yet to fill in.

It is time to move forward and build strength and power to prevent these types of injuries.

Here are the top five reasons youth soccer players need to train for strength and power:

1) Confidence - strong and powerful players develop amazing inner strength, they believe they can achieve anything on the field.

2) Speed – Naturally by slightly increasing a player’s strength and power they will improve speed on the field. This is a quality that all coaches at any level look for in a player.

3) Injury Prevention – players need the strength to stop instantly under control then explosively change direction.

4) Long Term Strength Development - players who focus on distance running weaken the development of fast twitch muscle fiber needed for strength and power. It is absolutely necessary to focus on strength and power development between the ages of 13-17. Conditioning for soccer is done with high intensity interval training.

5) Burn Fat - Both male and female players I have worked with who had low fitness levels due to high levels of body fat were able to make significant changes over a three to four month time span. A smiling face speaks volumes.

In summary the time is now to change from outdated long runs, sit-ups and push ups to current training methods to build strength and power for your child or team.

I think one of the worst mistakes a coach can make is by setting a bad example for players. Whether it is yelling at a Referee, being a general poor sport or treating some players differently, the coach is a leader and teacher simultaneously, and it is hard to do either properly when you are behaving inappropriately. Coaches who yell at the Ref, have players and parent’s who yell at Refs. Set a good example for your team first, and it is much easier to keep control of the team’s attention. From that point, teaching them about the game becomes much more manageable.

So what do you think are the biggest mistakes a coach can make?

Given the time required to coaching a soccer team, I can’t help but think that some people just don’t have the time to coach next year. What are your plans for next season? Will you be coaching the same team or a new group?

Along these lines, I would like to know what level and age group you coach, and about how many games your team plays per year, including how many of these games are league and how many are tournaments. If you don’t coach, how many teams does your child’s team play in an average season?

Also, here is a history of the different formations if you are interested

For some, the season is in full swing. For others, it is rapidly approaching. If you are coaching this season, let us now how it is going thus far.

If you are just getting under way, how about a prediciton. It might be interesting to look back at the end of the season and see how you did.

Please post your thoughts via the comments feature, and as always check out previous questions in  The Coaching Corner