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.