What Does Standing On One Leg Have To Do With Scoring Goals?

We take for granted the minutiae that contribute to a free flowing Messi or an extravagant Ibra. Yet we've all heard commentators talk about the incredible balance that the very best players have. So we run them more if we're coaches, doing all sorts of drills requiring a quick change of direction, and acceleration away. But as I have mentioned before, simply rehearsing your skill will not improve your efficiency at it if the requisite elements are not present to begin with. 

Can you do this?

Years ago, with a team of three others, I measured speed and agility in a professional soccer team. We took 22 players through a simple light-gated test where they sprinted 20 meters, made sure they stepped over the line before turning back. The most interesting part was not speed so much as their turning ability. A feint, side step, the pass around the corner that sets up the one-two, even the small steps that get the keeper in position to make that goal saving dive- all have single leg stance competency in common. I found this demonstrated when eyeballing the data. The fastest players were not always the fasted players on both legs. There was as much as a 2-second differential between the turning off the left leg and turning off the right leg in SAME PLAYER. For others, the difference was not as big. I am not aware of any data that compares the two sides, making a certain amount of time between the sides advantageous or otherwise. I don't know if it's even possible for the two to be the same even in 2-footed players. These players only show an ability to use both feet but even then, one feels more natural than the other. So why discuss this at all?

• Because if you're a forward, you will win more often than not if you go to the defender's lesser side. If you're a defender, you'll show the defender your strong side because of your confidence on that side. 

• Because if you sell a fake to the right well enough and go left, it will take the defender that much longer to recover from the dummy. Tell me, what could you do with an extra 2 seconds? 

Balancing on one leg demonstrates the same motor control, in a controlled environment, that turning does, in a more volatile one. It demonstrates the sequencing of muscles to get into position, the timing and control of the whole body. The lunge is even more dynamic, taking the requirement from the stability in one leg while the other performs a dynamic movement to both legs having to work simultaneously. The hurdle step and the in-line lunge represent the qualities required to accelerate through a sprinting stride and cutting and changing direction respectively. The inability to perform in these two tests suggest that players are not performing as efficiently as possible. Efficiency removes the limitations to (but does not guarantee) maximal performance, and helps reduce the risk of injury. Inefficiency in a player who otherwise performs well suggests compensation. Athletes are some of the best compensators. Though patterns do exist, every body compensates differently. That means one athlete who fails stand on one leg may not run into any trouble while another who also fails may have recurring injuries that can be traced back to this one thing. If the goal is to reduce the risk of injury, both athletes need corrective attention.

Case Study


Frank is a diminutive defender, powerful and has really good awareness in the game. His movement profile is good:-

1. Overhead Deep Squat- 2
2. In-Line Lunge- 2's (Greater difficulty with left leg in extension)
3. Hurdle Step- 2's (Also greater difficulty with left knee extended)
4. Shoulder Mobility- 3's
5. Active Straight Leg Raise- 3's
6. Rotary Stability- 2's 
7. Trunk Stability Push- Up- 3

Negative on all clearance tests.

As far as the Functional Movement Systems model goes, load 'em up! Frank should be training hard in all the patterns. Correctives would only be to make things better. Unlike Steven's program that I outlined here, Frank's program does not need anything taken out. He would, however, benefit from unilateral training. Remember that running is pretty much an exchange of one stance to another (compared to walking which has a double support phase). For this reason, ALL players would derive greater benefits from going to unilateral training. In Frank's case, let's work work on upper body strength with some overhead presses, so he can do better when it comes to shoulder-to-shoulder challenges. But since we want to address the sloppy balance we saw in the in-line lunge and hurdle step tests, let's lift his right leg up onto a box. This will create a situation where he must react to the perturbation produced in the pressing movement with that left side. Without the help of the right foot, he will have to figure out his balance. I've highlighted before Why Soccer Players Need Abs, so Frank will do his presses one hand at a time- this will increase the load through the core. 

Mountain climbers would be a great idea. I like to grab a tennis ball, bottle of water or whatever I can find and place it on the small of the back. Frank's task is to raise his knee towards his chest as far as he can go and back, WITHOUT dropping whatever I have on his back. This emphasizes control of the hip. Notice how, (apart from the hand position), the knee up is like the sprinting stride and like the hurdle step. Focus then on his performances when he lifts his right knee towards his chest. At first, it was slow here because he kept dropping it on this side. But with a little practice (more reps on that weaker side focusing on their quality), we were able to progress to faster reps. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE BODY IS STRAIGHT. A hiked hip defeats the purpose of the exercise.

In keeping with the unilateral approach, lunges with the weights in different positions are warranted. Below is a video I recorded just messing around with lunges and presses. Single-leg deadlifts are another of my favorites for developing a hip-hinge pattern critical for power through the glutes and hamstrings. The single leg component will also challenge that unilateral balance and strength.

Just messing around

In summary, Frank's program looks like this:

Single leg deadlift (unloaded)

Back lunges (unloaded, in place)

Ipsilateral (same side) shoulder press

Contralateral (opposite side) shoulder press- both with right foot raised on box or in half-kneeling

Mountain climbers

Single-leg deadlifts (loaded)

Lunges (unilateral load)

How many reps? As many as it takes to get it right! Once it's done right, I'll aim for 12-15 reps.

I was excited to see this video and thought I'd share it with you. It features Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger in individual training sessions on their return from injury. It features a great little clip that shows the demand for single leg stance in our game.

Enjoy!

Training That Makes You Indispensable Looks Like This

Rooney and Ronaldo. 

Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole. 

Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo. 

Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandes. 

Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand. 

All over the place, if you know what you are looking for, you'll find pairs that make the difference. They may not be the ones who score, but without them, the team does not tick the same way. Every now and then, the duo becomes a trio or more. I highlight these because they complement each other so well, one without the other seems just weird. You may not be part of a dynamic duo, but you can still make yourself indispensable. 

What makes us say Zidane had great vision? Not only could he see the pass, he could complete it. The accuracy he showed when he made a pass was magical. I have not yet seen a player who can control the ball as well as he. Every player has a strength. To get to the next level, you need to identify a quality that complements that one, making it even more valuable. So what pairs go together?

• Speed and strength- think Wayne Rooney
• Power and presence- think Yaya Toure
• Attacking and tackling abilities- think Philip Lahm
• Size and agility- think Manuel Neuer
• And as I've already mentioned, vision and accuracy. 

There are other examples of qualities that can be paired together as well as players that display them well. The point is to get away from straining the same things all the time. Like I mentioned in my article You Are Ruled By Your Weakest Link, working on your strengths is good, but working on your weakness is even better. 

What do you do when you're a passer and your passes are off the mark? What about when a forward is having a goal drought? These are the outcome measures, but there could be more to them than just a lack of match fitness. 

Steven is 17, tall, not quite done with his growth spurt and is hoping to make the junior team of one of the country's premier soccer teams. His FMS scores were symmetrical 2's on the hurdle step and in-line lunge; a 2 on the squat, push-up and rotary stability with 3's on the shoulder mobility. Big red flags: 1's on both side of his ASLR. 

The 1's suggest that he has trouble when the whole limb is required in flexion and extension at the hip. Steven can't touch his toes. Some how, he has managed to get to this point without injuring himself. In my article, Evidence for the late swing, I presented evidence that the hamstring is more likely to be injured at that point. Both attachments of the muscle are basically in stretch during the late swing phase- exactly what is required in the active straight-leg raise. But the ASLR is not a hamstring test. Palpation, confirmed by subject information from Steven, there very little flexion in his low back- it 'really tight'. Again, I'd say, SOMEHOW he has managed to play to this point without major injury. Nothing more than a sporadic sprained ankle.  But Steven is aiming to make it at a level that is tougher than the one he has been successful at so far. He's going to be pushed beyond his comfort zone. To make it, he will have to put more stress on his body and that dysfunction will come back to bite him. 

How simple is an ankle injury?

It is misleading to assume that ankle sprains are minor. I called them that to throw them into sharp relief when, in the global game, metatarsals, hamstrings, groins problems and concussions are considered more serious. After all, the Question of Returning to Play is not even on the table. These others are more 'serious' because they result in missed games. Ankle sprains are patched up and sufferers are often in the line up for the next game. But think about it- isn't the system trying to tell us something if a player rolls his ankle in a contact situation? Research tells us that there is some inhibition of the glutes following ankle injury. Between the ankle and the glutes are the calves and the hamstrings. Above the glutes is the low back. Typically, the down regulation of the glutes means compensatory work for the low back and hamstrings. Calves tighten up too. How can we try an coax more speed out of this athlete?

The solution is simple- STOP doing what's causing the problem! Its elementary, my dear Watson. It's a huge problem when a soccer player can't run because running is exacerbating the injury cycle. This is where we must consider what I call energy system training. By now, I trust we have abandoned running laps around. The field as 'cardio' or conditioning. Instead, Steven could do kettlebell swings or medicine ball slams. Both elicit ridiculous cardiovascular adaptation if done properly as well as developing power through the entire stem. Try battle ropes. Again, lots of cardio, plenty of work for his upper body for those shoulder-to-shoulder clashes in the game and his feet don't have to leave the ground.

His training program is basically conditioning his strengths (3's and symmetrical 2's) - push ups, clap push ups, and pull ups. It also means approaching single leg stuff with caution. It also means deleting or at least putting in hold those exercises that exacerbate the problem. Previously, in The Best Exercises Soccer Players Are Not Doing, I mentioned that hill sprints (uphill) are great for working on stride length while going downhill is very useful for challenging stride frequency. Remember that speed = stride length x stride frequency. Steven however, SHOULD NOT be doing hill work. It will throw him up against his limitations and with the scores he has, they would be compounding the leg raise problem, if not downright getting him injured. Our athletes should be training to get better at the game. Players getting hurt in training is simply unacceptable.

Corrective for ASLR. 

(functionalmovement.com)

The fact that Steven has had ankle trouble is significant. As are his 1's in the active straight leg raise test of the Functional Movement Screen. His back is tight for a reason- it's protecting him from further injury. Address these things, and you can reduce his risk of injury. A Movement Screen with no 1's or asymmetries does not mean his performance will increase, but it does mean that the physical limitations that could be getting in the way of him executing the play book, being better, stronger and faster are removed. That is the dynamic duo.