The State of Soccer Performance
There is a reason why I am so obsessed with teaching my soccer players the fundamentals of athletic performance and strength training. That reason is the simple fact that….
They usually suck at it. No joke.
No, this is not meant to be offensive by any means. The purpose of this post is to bring awareness to the lack of importance in a soccer player’s hierarchy of needs.
Having trained players of all levels, when they first come in, whether they’ve been training prior to coming here or not, its like they haven’t touched a weight in their life.
Now, in my opinion, soccer strength and conditioning is still in it’s infancy and there are a ton of things we can look at relative to why there is a disconnect.
From academy level all the way up to the professional level, most players either don’t have a strength coach or simply go through the motions at their team strength sessions. I don’t know whether it’s the fact they don’t see the value, they don’t like it, its not culturally relevant, or their previous coach/strength coach didn’t do a good enough job communicating the benefits or purpose. Whichever way you look at it, there needs to be a change. Every single player should be investing in a strength training program. It should be non-negotiable.
The reasons are endless: from increased performance relative to acceleration and change of direction, strength, power, capacity/endurance, and better stress management which in turn may reduce the likelihood of injury; to getting looks from better teams, transitioning from the bench to the starting lineup, making national teams, and winning end of season awards/accolades. The benefits will always far outweigh any potential risk.
With Pursuit FC we are looking to change the game. We want to provide a solution for soccer players of all levels to accomplish their goals no matter what they may be. Through the utilization of proven training principles, we will provide our athletes with the highest level of training taught by our world-class strength coaches who actually have the experience of training players at the highest level.
Within the next few months we will be launching several different programs, from high-school, college, to pro-level training options, all of which will have in-person, online, and team options. We will also have a sports nutrition program as an a-la-carte option as well.
We cannot wait to get Pursuit FC up and running. Be on the lookout in these next few months for several emails and posts on social media! Until then, stay #onthepursuit.