Here is a basic soccer dynamic warm-up that I filmed while also having my beloved beard (I miss it terribly). The idea behind the order of the movements is quite simple.
Slow and controlled movements moving towards more dynamic quicker movements.
Juventus : “The Old Lady”
The warm-up is often an overlooked aspect of sport that I have presented to a few soccer coaches in community to give them a sense of how athletes can incorporate more single leg strength/stability, motor control, hip and thoracic spine mobility, the dissociation of hips and spine, ankle mobility (which is not in the video), and a host of movements for coordination that is typically lacking in many players (besides overall strength).
The video is only one variation and there are many ways to get a desired effect. Especially if certain athletes having glaring mobility or stability deficits, we can individually address these with specific mobility/stability drills or correctives.
My colleague David Lasnier designed all the phases for our baseball athletes this year and he came up with a great way to design the programs for a group of athletes that may require different qualities. Certain athletes require more stability work while others may present with more stiffness thus prioritizing more mobility work. Writing the program this way (and highlighting which athlete needs what) makes it a bit more effective and more individualized. Also, if you work in large groups this may be a great way to regress or progress athletes based upon their individual differences. Check out the picture below
highlighted options for this particular athlete needed more mobility
Check out B2: Athlete “A” would perform a set of the side standing med ball scoop w/ partner toss (B1) then perform a set of a prayer position thoracic spine rotation mobility (instead of the rolling pattern –a stability based exercise). In C2, I chose to incorporate both as the athlete needs dynamic stability of the cuff and ankle mobility.
Another example is seen in D3, instead of belly press (which is important) we are going to work on full body hip and t-spine mobility.
Note: Not that they wouldn’t work on stability but they will incorporate drills which they need to prioritize certain qualities than others.
In Part 1, the goal was to provide a basic way to start core stability for soccer athletes (among others) in order to provide static stability through the hips, pelvis, and torso. Another way to look at core stability is to be able to dissociate the extremities from the pelvis and torso. Today, I wanted to shed light on “traditional” core exercises that are not suited for these athletes. These tend to train athletes into disadvantageous positions which you may already know about…
#1 Sit-Ups
Excessive lumbar flexion can place upwards of 3000n of force onto the lumbar spine..I believe that is 600lbs (correct me if wrong)!
Promotes lumbar mobility instead of lumbar stability. We want lumbar stability.
#2 Drawing-In or “Abdominal Hollowing”
Imagine sucking in your gut. This is drawing-in as a means to activate transverse abdominis (Tva) which was thought to be a way to prevent back pain. We know that core strength or stability is about co-contraction of all abdominal musculature (inner=timing to turn on, outer=works to prevent movement) not necessarily isolation.
hollowing will shrink your stomach size temporarily but will not keep you healthy increase performance
#3 Supermans
Quite similar to sit ups, it is loading the lumbar spine repetitively….flat out, just not advised.
Not smart considering soccer athletes live in “extension”
Unilateral lifts are an integral part the training process for our athletes. On occasion we may have athletes that have suffered or currently suffer from hip flexor strains. Part of the learning process is adapting the training program to continually progress strength, power, or conditioning (among other qualities) even if a nagging injury is present. Reverse lunges and split squats have fantastic progressions that allow us to load them sufficiently to enhance our athletes strength strong, however, a hip flexor strain can be further irritated if we perform a unilateral exercise where the back hip is in extension. 1-leg goblet squats are a smart choice if the goal is strength and stability without irritating the back hip.
Great alternative for lower body
As you can see, the bottom leg (off bench) does not need to get into extension. You have the choice of holding lighter DB’s out in front (picture) or holding a DB on the chest (goblet position) which allows you to load more weight. The 1-leg goblet squat is also a progression we use for single leg strength so it is important to understand where our athletes are at so that we know if they are ready it.
The bench press is one of those elite lifts that is important for athletes to learn at any age, particularly because it is often performed incorrectly. The only thing I dislike about the bench is that people tend to think you need to bench, or should I call it “chest day” all day, everyday in order to improve it. Also, understand that there are a few things that will drive your strength up, decrease your chance of injury, and get rid of nagging shoulder pain than the tips listed below:
1. Having adequate t-spine mobility is needed to allow for the scapulae to be put into a good stable position to press effectively (soft-tissue work and mobility drills are needed)
2. Upper back strength and control is significantly important to improving pressing power.
3. Learn the basics of the setup
4. Always focus on your form and technique, it takes time to master something. Even elite lifters will tell you they continually try to work on their form..if someone benches a ton of weight and he or she is still trying to improve upon technique then I think we should be too.
5. Use shorter range of motion until the t-spine mobility or scapular stability is under control (or pain subsides).
A few exercises that are always awesome to help with shoulder pain…(Pressing) push-ups, DB Bench, Floor presses, board presses
Learning how to row, face pull, isohold (batwings) and chin ups effectively is a great way to teach someone where there shoulders need to be during the bench (back and down)
Beast man DT
Here is a video demonstrating incorrect and correct shoulder position during the bench. The first two reps are incorrect (sh.blades coming apart) by a benching standard, in a push-up we would want to see this. The last 3 is demonstrating better control and more stable tight shoulder blades in the presence of the pressing movement. Shooting cannon from a canoe is the best analogy here..meaning you need stability in order to press effectively
The only thing that is not shown is that I would typically put three fingers between their shoulders blades and tell them to pinch them back and down and to try to keep them there while pressing out. Cues such as “pull or row the weight down to your chest,” “chest up, ribs down,” and “stay tight” have all been effective is helping with teaching this. Finding what works is the art in the coaching.
At Endeavor, we started having FMS meetings where each one of the staff screens someone else. The other staff members serve as another pair of eyes to analyze what score was tallied up and if there was anything missed. Ultimately the goal is to get practice with screening individuals and to achieve consistent scores across the board within the staff to ensure that we are on the same page. If you have not heard of the FMS, you can find out at these websites.
The screen consists of 7 gross motor movement patterns which when limited or asymmetrical can increase the likelihood of injury, decrease body awareness, and overall just destroy what is fundamental to moving well. When scoring the test, we ultimately want to see at least scores of 2′s with no asymmetries between left and right sides. If there are 1′s and other asymmetries we need to address and fix them. It goes back to the quote, “do not build strength on top of dysfunction.” Basically, you can condition as hard as you want, lift as hard as you want, but if you have limitations in these movement patterns, you are putting yourself at some at risk conditions. It is another reason, why assessing people is so paramount when they come into the facility. This is why I am not a big fan of Crossfit, or simply crushing people, because they accept poor movement patterns and more than likely someone coming into your facility is limited in something, it is not for most . Crushing someone (fatigue) with complex movemments is one sure fire way to cause major damage. The only thing I would agree on is that yes, it can spice up your training because you never know what you will get, but believe me there are ways to make training smarter and more effective. It is our job to get people moving better, to do no harm, and then increase the performance qualities.
The likelihood of doing hang snatches for conditioning?
Anyway, with the FMS there is an algorithm that you would follow in order to fix what needed to be corrected. Listening to a StrengthCoach.com podcast around a month back (I think) I listened to Brett Jones discuss this algorithm. We need mobility before we can demonstrate proper stability. This is why the active straight leg raise and shoulder mobility screens are so important to proper movement.
What is your shoulder mobility?
If these screens are poor, then they manifest themselves in gross motor patterns like the squat, lunge, and hurdle step (single leg stance). A great example would be that scoring poorly on shoulder mobility should influence your programming. You would not have someone perform overhead pressing motions in this situation. Very simply, do no harm. These are just some simple insights into what we learned at the meetings and from other podcasts and athletic development coaches have said. Assessment is where it’s at. You need to assess before you progress. I for one, am pretty excited to be learning this system because it helps you pinpoint movement deficiencies and how to attack them to ensure your athlete’s are moving better, reducing the risk of injury, and improving on their performance.
