Soccer Season Preparation

Soccer is a great game as it requires coordination, core strength, balance, speed, stamina, etc. One very important aspect of playing soccer is single limb balance. Whether you are passing, receiving a pass, or shooting, you must stand on 1 leg to perform those activities. Just look at the pictures below of soccer greats Henry, Messi, and Morgan, and you can see how often you end up on a single leg playing soccer.

COVID 19 has affected almost everything and everyone in this country one way or another. Unfortunately, high school and youth sports are going to be dealing with some of the ramifications over the next year. With the very real possibility of shortened seasons due to COVID, you may be getting ready to play soccer this summer or fall with fewer practices and less time to prepare. Soccer is such a unique sport, as 99% of the game is played with your feet, and no other major sport requires that. That means you must prepare a little differently to get ready for a soccer season as compared to football, volleyball, etc . Since there likely won’t be as much time to prepare for the season, it’s a good idea to start working on your single leg balance now rather than later. Not only will this help improve your game, but it also will help reduce your chance of injury.

As you prepare for the season, add in some of these single leg balance drills that can help improve your overall balance and will translate well to improving your game whether you are a striker, midfielder, defender, or goalie. (Yes, even goalies need to have good single leg balance!)

Images courtesy of https://madison.com/ ,www.businessinsider.com , www.bleacherreport.com, www.medbridge.com