SPEED OF SPORT: SOCCER

At TB12, we encourage all athletes to train at the Speed of Sport. So to prepare our brains and bodies for game day, our training needs to include movements that prime our muscles and our mind by simulating in-game activities.

In soccer, you are constantly kicking, jumping, and running. This means having strong lower-body muscles is crucial to your success — no matter which position you play.

Here are two exercises to incorporate into your training:

BANDED GIVE AND GO

Start by fastening two looped resistance bands together, one around your partner’s waist and one around yours. Begin with a pass, then take off sprinting forward for a couple of yards and then receive a pass from that same player. This will improve your speed and acceleration and challenge your core and hip stability. You should feel the need to activate your glutes and core more during this exercise than without the resistance band. It should look like this:

LATERAL RESISTED TOE TOUCHES

Start by placing a long looped resistance band on a spine at waist level. Have the side of your body facing the pole and get into an athletic stance; knees slightly bent at 15 degrees, sitting back with your feet shoulder width apart and engaging your core and your glutes. Next, start alternating toe touches on a soccer ball in front of you as quickly as you can while pumping your arms back and forth in a running motion. Keep your hips, torso, and shoulders facing forward while maintaining an athletic stance every time you shuffle each leg onto the ball. It should look like this:

You want to repeat these exercises on the other side of your body to train with balance. The goal of these exercises is to challenge your core musculature, which is key to promoting balance and force while on the soccer field.

Try these exercises for 20 seconds, first focusing on proper form and then moving as quickly as possible while maintaining good form throughout the movement. You can apply these workouts to any position and movement on the soccer field.

Just remember that training slow doesn’t translate to fast play on game day, so train the way you play so you can play the way you train.

For more TB12 resistance band exercises you can do at the Speed of Sport, check out our TB12 Mobile App.