Plyometric Drills for Soccer Players ..................................................... Here are some basic plyometric exercises you can do: • Run up the stairs in a stadium. But vary the steps a little. First, touch each stair with each step but then skip steps to make it more difficult. Then using both feet, simply jump up a flight of stairs. • Agility ladder training. As seen in the picture above, the agility ladder is a tool that helps you improve your acceleration, lateral speed and change of direction while enhancing balance, rhythm and body control. • Place feet together - and hop side to the side and then forward and then backwards. Yes, this is a simple jumping exercise but is a great way to build power and strength. • Standing long jump – Use this for height. See how far you can jump! And yes this will tire you out rather quickly if you do ten standing long jumps in a row. • Jump over a ball on one foot - alternating with your left and right feet. Then try jumping over the ball from front to back. Great for the knees and MCLs, especially for rehabilitation. • Hurdle Hopping – Jump forward and backward over a hurdle (or other barrier such as a cone) with your feet together. • Bounding – This is when you take long strides while running. Jumping with two legs will reduce the impact when landing, and bounding up stairs is helpful to develop both the vertical and forward jump. But be careful! Bounding up stairs can be dangerous! • Hold Drills/Hop and Hold – Same as bounding but in between bounds do a little hop. For example, you want to bound, then stop and then do a quick hop. Then bound again, then another hop. • Skate Bounding – Skip for distance and height. The object is to achieve longer hang time. • Box Jumps – Basically, you jump on and off of a sturdy box or platform to develop your vertical jump. Typically, you use two feet, especially for higher elevations, but more rigorous sessions can be done with a smaller box and both feet. • Down Jumps/Depth Jumps – While standing on a platform, jump down. But during the descent of the jump, prepare yourself for an immediate jump upwards again. • Tuck Jumps – All you do is pull your legs up into your body while jumping. • Various sprints - To work on diverse groups of muscles – slalom, zigzag, weaves, cutting in and out of cones, angled runs, etc. Challenge yourself! You can create a circuit around a field by forming several stations where you perform whichever jump you wish. Create different circuits for yourself and see if your friends want to join in. Maybe you can race. The routine will be intense but the results will be well worth it. Take a day off when you’re training a lot. The body needs a day of rest to recover and refuel.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 17:22:37 +0000
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