Resistance Training For Juniors

At junior levels, training rightly focuses on the technical and tactical aspects of the game. Every now and then, however, a team will field several players that are stronger and faster than their peers. These players evince the observation that chronological age differs from developmental age. In other words, 15-year-old children will vary in the physical characteristics of height, weight, etc, and the athletic capabilities that are resultant. While these cannot be standardized, training can help each player, regardless of their chronological or developmental age, to compete at optimal levels.

Resistance training, plyometrics, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and repeated sprint training (RST) can be used to achieve these optimal level. However, many parents are unsure of the safety of some these methods of training.

The UPDATED POSITION STATEMENT PAPER FROM THE NATIONAL STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING ASSOCIATION has the following statements:

"In a report, there was no evidence of either musculoskeletal injury or muscle necrosis (death of muscle tissue) after 14 weeks of progressive resistance training." (page 2)

"Youth resistance training, as with most physical activities, does carry with it some degree of inherent risk of musculoskeletal injury, yet this risk is no greater than many other sports and recreational activities in which children and adolescents regularly participate. In a prospective study that evaluated the incidence of sports-related injuries in school-aged youth over a 1-year period, resistance training resulted in 0.7% of 1576 injuries whereas football, basketball, and soccer resulted in approximately 19, 15, and 2%, respectively, of all injuries." (page 2)

"Because weightlifting movements involve more complex neural activation patterns than other resistance exercises, childhood may be the ideal time to develop the coordination and skill technique to perform these lifts correctly." (page 3)

"Another concern related to youth resistance training regards the safety and suitability of plyometric training... plyometric training conditions the body through dynamic movements, which involve a rapid eccentric muscle action that is immediately followed by a rapid concentric muscle action. When the stretching and shortening of a muscle are performed quickly, the force generated during the muscle action is greater than the force that would be generated if the muscle were not stretched immediately before the muscle action. The contention that age-appropriate plyometric training is unsafe for youth...is not supported by current research and clinical observations. Indeed, comprehensive resistance training programs that include plyometric exercises have been found to enhance movement biomechanics, improve functional abilities, and decrease the number of sports-related injuries in young athletes." The NSCA goes on to cite the playground game of hopscotch as plyometric in nature! 'This type of exercise, although game like in nature, actually conditions the body to increase speed of movement and improve power production." (page 3)

"A traditional area of concern related to youth resistance training is the potential for training-induced damage to the growth cartilage...Although children and adolescents are susceptible to injury to the growth cartilage, the potential for this type of injury may be less in a preadolescent child than in an adolescent because the growth cartilage may actually be stronger and more resistant to sheering type forces in younger children...To date, injury to the growth cartilage has not been reported in any prospective youth resistance training research study. Furthermore, there is no evidence to suggest that resistance training will negatively impact growth and maturation during childhood and adolescence." (page 3)

The document is 20 pages in length, including 258 references collected over 38 years (1972-2008). Here is the link for those who may be interested in reading it.

http://www.nsca-lift.org/Education/E-learning/Would-my-Youth-Athlete-Benefit-from-a-Strength-and-Conditioning-Coach-/

Hopefully, this will ease parents' minds, and address some of their concerns over some very important questions they may have had.

Thanks for helping us keep the game beautiful.

Hamstring Injury Prevention In Soccer Players

I was all alone, the ball at my feet. I had a man approaching, but to me that just meant he was leaving space somewhere. A looked over my shoulder and played a perfect, favoured back heel, and off my right-winger went. At the same time, I felt a twinge in my upper right hamstring and my hand was over it reflexively. I had pulled a hamstring. Like anybody else, I tried to walk it off, but to no avail. Ice, heat, rest, foam rolling, and stretching did nothing but tell me how badly I was hurt over the next few days.

While there is no one cause for hamstring injury in soccer players, some factors may be predictive of injury than others. Flexibility abnormalities (Witrouw, 2003), issues related to warm-up and fatigue have been reported as increasing the risk of hamstring strain. Verrall et al., (2005) believe that stretching can improve force absorption for a given length of muscle, thereby making the muscle more resistant to injury that occurs when the muscle is stretched. It has been suggested that strength imbalances play a particularly important role in injury (Crosier, 2004), as it was in my case.

In a study involving 462 professional players, Crosier et al., (2008) found that players with untreated strength imbalances, mostly between the quads and hamstrings, were found to be 4 to 5 times more likely to sustain a hamstring injury when compared with the normal group. They concluded that normalizing the strength profile significantly reduces injury frequency. It goes without saying that performance will be less than optimal in the presence of imbalances as well. Because of the high prevalence of hamstring injuries, a preventive bodyweight and, in time, weight-training program could be undertaken by all players. Programs must include specific sequences targeting increased hamstring strength, particularly in the eccentric mode.


The primary function of the hamstrings, particularly when running, is hip extension. It is the glutes, the hamstrings, and other muscles about the sacroiliac joint that propel the body forward. Thanks to Bret Contreras, I know now about load vector training. Simply put, when we run, our hips move from back to front, (anteroposterior direction), we shout train movements that emphasize that direction as well- remember the principle of specificity. Below are a few exercises that have been my mainstay since my injury and they will, hopefully, help players stay off the sidelines, because of non-contact hamstring injuries, at the very least. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but its a start!

Body weight Exercises

Nordic Hamstring Exercise- I have mentioned this exercise in a previous article. The importance of training the eccentric contraction of the hamstring cannot be overstated. This exercise in particular was included in FIFA's "11+" programme, which has produced such good results, the governing body recommends that it replace the regular warm-ups of players aged 14 and older. This video is from that programme's manual.

Swiss ball hamstring curls

Glute Bridge

Weight Training Exercises- these are for advanced players who have weight training history/experience. Do not attempt these otherwise!

Romanian Deadlifts

Kettlebell swings

Lying leg curls

Lying leg press (legs high on the plate)

Weighted back extensions

Hip thrusts- Since my own injury, I have been doing hip thrusts among my other exercises. Consequently, I have stronger glutes, and for that I am faster without having to worry my hamstring injury recurring. So in honor of the Glute Guy, here's a video of him demonstrating this move he has championed:

References

Croisier et al., (2008). Strength Imbalances and Prevention of Hamstring Injury in Professional Soccer Players. A Prospective Study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. X, No. X

Witvrouw E, Danneels L, Asselman P, D’Have T, Cambier D., (2003). Muscle flexibility as a risk factor for developing muscle injuries in male professional soccer players: a prospective study. In Croisier et al., (2008). Strength Imbalances and Prevention of Hamstring Injury in Professional Soccer Players. A Prospective Study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. X, No. X

Worrell TW., (1994). Factors associated with hamstring injuries: an approach to treatment and preventative measures. In Croisier et al., (2008). Strength Imbalances and Prevention of Hamstring Injury in Professional Soccer Players. A Prospective Study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. X, No. X