Soccer-Specific Strength and Fitness Training and the Off Season

First, is there ever really an off season for top flight soccer players? At any level? Male or female?

The answer is no!

Should there be?

Well, that’s a topic for another article or series of articles and is part of an ongoing and intense debate!

For the purposes of this article, let’s assume there is something of an off season, even if it is simply a period when a soccer player plays less often. Once established, then the next issue to be addressed is:

What sort of training will provide the greatest edge when the next season begins, in this case, the Fall 2010 season. The answer is complex but, in addition to continuing to keep your foot on the ball, and yourself on the pitch, at least a couple of times a week minimum, it is time to hit the gym.

I receive interesting comments from time to time here on the Ultimate Soccer Training blog. I also receive articles and comments via my other websites, blogs, and social media memberships. The information I receive generally falls into three categories:

1. The old soccer training school: “All you have to do is play soccer!”
2. The conservative soccer training school (usually voiced by parents): “My child is already doing too much, he (or she) doesn’t need any more training!”
3. The informed soccer training school: “I realize the players are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever before and if I want to compete at the highest levels, I need an edge!”

It shouldn’t take a genius to guess which position I take on this subject?

Yup! #3

The most misinformed comment I have received to date came from a “coach” who was critiquing an article I wrote on leg training. He maintained that because soccer players do not use movements, or the muscles to prompt such movements, on the pitch, there is no need for leg extensions and leg curls!

WRONG!

That’s like saying football players don’t need to bench press because there isn’t a bench on the fifty yard line or goalkeepers don’t need to be aerobically fit because they almost never leave the box! I could go on for days on this one but you get the message…I hope? It is old school and misinformed. Not only does it neglect to take into account synergy between muscle groups and their actions, it fails to take into account that muscle movement is complex and not only involves other muscles, other than the ones you are working, but it impacts the connective tissue as well.

And where do most profound and career ending soccer injuries occur?

The knees!

And what portion of the knees are most profoundly affected?

The connective tissue!

And how do we strengthen the connective tissue?

By engaging in strength training directed at strengthening the muscles and the connective tissue associated with those muscles and the adjacent, synergistic musculature!

OK! I went off on a bit of a rant. But the fact is, if you do not strengthen the overall musculature and the associated connective tissue, you are more susceptible to injury and, and this is the biggy for this article, the soccer players who are engaging in strength training are going to be what?

Yup!

Bigger!

Stronger!

Faster!

And, if not faster…certainly more powerful!

So, hit the gym but do it right. Find a knowledgeable strength and fitness coach, someone familiar with sport-specific, and, in particular, soccer-specific strength and fitness training and start hitting the weights and the machines (there are benefits to both).

Ultimately, it depends on how far you want to take it but competition is intense and to play at the highest levels, you need an edge. Just go to any soccer complex in almost any city or town across the US and certainly abroad on a Saturday morning and ask yourself these questions:

What makes me so special?

How am I going to stand out against all of this competition?

What do I have to do to gain an edge?

The answer is quite simple really and is two-fold: 1) Play often and at the highest level possible; 2) Find a competitive advantage and then work at it until it separates you from the pack! The combination of the two will pay dividends you can only hope for at present but from one who has coached soccer athletes at every level…you have to remember that one question: “What makes me special?” Answer that and you will be among the top 1% and will have an opportunity to play when everyone else is sitting on the bench or in the stands.

Coach Z

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The key to an effective soccer-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness program is planning. A well constructed training regimen will yield greater results in a shorter period of time. Additionally, a well planned and well-thought out program will make it easier to track progress throughout the season. As noted in the previous article on this topic, soccer-specific strength and fitness training is quite a bit different from training programs for other sports and/or activities. It is widely known that the average soccer athlete may run several miles during the course of a match; and, goalkeepers being the exception, of course. Proper nutrition is vital for success, both in training and in competition. Dietary habits, combined with proper nutrition can make or break a program. This article, the second in a series will deal with diet and nutrition for an off-season, soccer-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness training program.

3 Components to Success

The key to an effective soccer-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness program is planning. A well constructed training regimen will yield greater results in a shorter period of time. Additionally, a well planned and well-thought out program will make it easier to track progress throughout the season. As noted in the previous article on this topic, soccer-specific strength and fitness training is quite a bit different from training programs for other sports and/or activities. It is widely known that the average soccer athlete may run several miles during the course of a match; and, goalkeepers being the exception, of course. Therefore, it is assumed that running and running alone is the secret to effective training. It is not unusual for other training methods and considerations, even diet and nutritional requirements particular to soccer athletes, male and female, to be totally ignored for this reason. In fact, one only has to watch top level amateur or professional soccer match to get a sense for just how physical, and physically demanding, “The Beautiful Game” can be.

On the Ball or Off?

For this reason, and for a myriad of others, a complete, soccer-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness program must be followed. The proper training routine will be one that takes into account diet and nutrition, stretching and flexibility, and strength and overall fitness. It is true, much of soccer training, particularly in-season training, should be done “on the ball;” and, this is not at issue. Yet, even in-season a suitable strength and fitness program should be adhered to, not only to maintain strength levels, but for flexibility and tone, as well.

Diet and Nutrition

The initial focus and primary stages of any off-season program, as noted above, should cover three factors: nutrition and diet: stretching and flexibility: and, the third stage is aerobic conditioning. This article will cover the first of the three stages, diet and nutrition in some detail. Nutrition and diet play a central role in any fitness program, particularly during periods of peak, strenuous training; and, for that reason, we will address nutrition and diet first. Diet, dietary habits, and nutrition are inextricably linked. Dietary habits, particularly when the athlete is involved in a strenuous strength and fitness training program, will make or break your results, determining the success or failure of your overall program. For a number of reasons, including how your body is able to break down and metabolize nutrients, meals should be taken in every two and one half to three hours, give or take a few minutes. The old days of steak and eggs before football and basketball games, and huge amounts of pasta the night before soccer matches and endurance events have made way for balanced, well-thought-out meals, planned at regular intervals. While carbohydrate loading is still used and may still have valid applications, that strategy is not applicable for our purposes.
Carbohydrates are extremely important as they provide immediate and intermediate range fuel for the body. Carbohydrates are made up of simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are generally made up of sugars and starches; and, they break down into glucose molecules as they are metabolized by the body. If the body does not have a need for immediate energy, glucose is converted to glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles for future energy needs.

Carbohydrates: Go Fuel!

The average athlete who weighs between 155 and 165 pounds, which may be a little, needs approximately 2400 calories, carbohydrate calories, to fully supply his glycogen tanks. To take in 2400 to 2500 carbohydrate calories requires 600 grams of carbohydrates. It should be obvious to anyone reading this that the body cannot take in and metabolize that sort of volume in one, two or even three sittings. It generally takes a day and one-half to three days to consume that many carbohydrate calories (approximately 40 pieces of whole wheat bread!). For that reason, and for others, carbohydrate loading is not only ill-advised, it is impractical. When the body uses up most of its store of glycogen, it will begin to burn fat for fuel. While fat may be a good fuel source, it is not optimal for our purposes and should be avoided at all costs. Ultimately, if the body depletes both glycogen and fat stores it will begin converting and consuming amino acids from proteins into fuel. This can be particularly problematic if dietary protein is not readily available because the body will begin to cannibalize itself, using muscle for fuel. Additionally, if the body must use amino acids, taken from ingested protein, this may weaken your immune system and inhibit muscular development.

Carbohydrates, particularly complex carbohydrates, are the best source of fuel for your muscles, as well as for the brain which is a voracious carbohydrate consumer. Keeping in mind that a strenuous, soccer-specific strength and fitness training program will deplete glycogen stores, as well as fluids from the body, lost as sweat, it may take between one and two days for the body to fully recover. It may take longer if you’re not eating a high quality diet made up of complex carbohydrates, plenty of fluids, and easily digested, high-quality proteins. You should be able to see why, if you do not adhere to the proper dietary and nutritional guidelines, you may go into nutrient debt, and stay, there in a relatively short period of time.

Vegetarians Beware!

I am assuming, for the course of his program, that the reader is not a vegetarian. The vegetarian dietary requirements are very complex and may not be conducive to this sort of a training regimen. While I am not making a value judgment, a vegetarian diet and optimal soccer performance may not coincide, unless of course an incredible amount of forethought and planning, particularly as it relates to combining the necessary proteins in the proper ratios to make available all of the necessary amino acids for easy assimilation and metabolism.

Protein Intake

Protein intake, like carbohydrate intake, is central to a good overall program. The average male, at 5’ 10” and an ideal body weight of 165 to 175 pounds, depending on musculature, must take in between 50 and 60 grams of protein per day. Protein, in large quantities and in one sitting, is very difficult for the body to completely digest, meaning much of it may go to waste. However, if the protein is broken up into five, even six smaller meals, the body will have little or no trouble using most, if not all of the protein taken in. There are approximately 28 grams in an ounce, and since there is not a precise one to one ratio of ounces to protein, even in the leanest meat, it will usually take between two and 4 ounces of lean meat per day for the average person, twice that if you are involved in a strenuous training program. For a female, 5’6” tall, protein intake should be between 40 and 50 g per day, with the same sort of meal schedule.

Fats

Fats are also very important, not only for nutrition but for nervous system health; and, for other reasons beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say, and diet high in quality carbohydrates, a moderate level of high quality proteins, and low to moderate fat content will keep the body fueled and the athlete engaged in a strenuous, soccer-specific strength and fitness training program fueled and lean. The proper balance will ensure the development of the musculature and endurance for optimal performance by the time the season rolls around.

Hydration!

For all of the above reasons and many more, it is extremely important to eat smaller meals, at regular intervals, and as well balanced as possible. In addition to the above carbohydrate, protein, and fat considerations, hydration must play a central role. Carbohydrates are crucial for holding water in the body until needed. Water consumption also plays a vital role in dietary role when it comes to nutrient intake and digestion. While sports drinks have been shown to have some use, water is the training beverage of choice, period! Vitamins should also be considered, particularly if life events and/or work or school prohibit you from taking in all of the proper nutrients. Ultimately, a well thought out, daily and weekly plan for nutrient consumption, including what you are going to eat and when, is as important to the overall success of your program.

In Conclusion!

Nutrition is as important to the success of the program as any exercise or group of exercises you may do. If you do not provide your body with the necessary fuel, it will soon revolt, and you will go into a state known as overtraining, something we will cover in an upcoming article. Overtraining is a condition no athlete can long endure and still perform at peak levels. In the next article we will discuss stretching and flexibility, followed by an article on the aerobic foundation. Do you think you are flexible and aerobically fit? We will see soon enough! For now know this, a soccer-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness training program, properly design and fueled by the proper dietary habits and nutritional guidelines, will make you into a different athlete, a formidable presence on the pitch by the next season.

Junk Food is Out!

Oh yeah, one last thing! Cut out the junk food. That’s right, cut it out! How bad do you want it? Do you think your competition for the spot you envision yourself playing next season is pigging out on Big Macs and fries? Or buttered popcorn and nachos? Carbonated beverages and Kool-aid? If you are going to be a top-level athlete, start acting like one, training like one, and eating like one! If you want garbage? Give yourself a cheat day one day every couple of weeks, as a reward. You will find you enjoy the reward more and, after a while you will crave the junk less and less. But again, it’s up to you, you will get out of this what you put in. Garbage in, garbage out…just like a computer!

Coach Z, John Zajaros
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
coachz@ultimatesoccertraining.com

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Training for soccer is very different than training for almost any other sport, for a variety of reasons. Soccer-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness training presents some interesting challenges for both the athlete and the strength coach involved in developing and implementing the program. Over the next week, I will propose several alternative programs, both male and female-oriented, that you may use to get ready for the upcoming season.

Summer Leagues, Camps, and ODP

I realize many of you are probably playing straight through the summer, particularly those of you who are playing at the highest levels, going to camps or are involved with your state association’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) state, regional, and/or national team. For that reason, and for others, I will attempt to develop alternative strategies for those of you who may be playing either throughout the summer or for part of the summer, both with an eye toward the next competitive season.

Overall Considerations: Balance and Flexibility

First of all, a soccer-specific training program must balance anaerobic and aerobic activity, combined with a strategy developed to enhance overall flexibility. Flexibility is extremely important, both in male and female athletes, for a variety of reasons. When designing and implementing a soccer-specific, sex-specific strength and fitness training program, overall muscle balance is a key consideration. Therefore, the proper program will balance strength training with stretching, combined with aerobic and anaerobic interval training, along with periods of intense circuit training to fully engage the athlete’s musculature as well as his or her cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary systems. The combination of affects, if and when the overall program is implemented properly, will peak athletic performance in time for the next soccer season.

Nutrition and Dietary Habits

Nutrition is also a vital component in any off-season soccer strength and fitness training program. Because the soccer athlete will be burning a great deal of energy, and consequently calories, it is imperative that meals are taken 4 to 6 times a day, usually 3 hours apart, with adequate amounts of water and nutrients, particularly proteins and carbohydrates, during periods of peak energy expenditure. If nutritional guidelines are not adhered to, an athlete will soon overtrain and/or will reach the point of diminished returns, at which time risk of injury goes up exponentially. While I am not a dietitian, yet I have been training and advising athletes for more than three decades and will make certain recommendations I feel are appropriate. Of course, it is up to you to either follow them or not, but for optimal results, nutritional guidelines and dietary suggestions should be adhered to, particularly as they relate to the frequency of meals and protein intake. You will be breaking down muscle tissue and, if you do not provide your body with adequate resources, it will begin to use your own muscle tissue for fuel, never a good situation. Nutritional supplements? If you are eating properly and taking a multiple vitamin, one I will recommend in an upcoming article, you should have no problems with energy or overtraining. Additionally, the use of protein supplements may of may not be a good thing, with much depending on your individual circumstances. We will discuss the use of protein supplements in an upcoming article, as well.

Medically Cleared: Get a Physical!

To get started, every athlete should have a complete physical. Fortunately, most athletic departments, both at the high school and college level, and particularly at the professional level, require a physical prior to competition. It is also important to be medically cleared before engaging in a strenuous anaerobic and aerobically demanding soccer-specific strength and fitness training program, male or female. We will discuss some of the considerations particular to males and females in an upcoming article but there are myriad differences and there are considerations for one versus the other when implementing the proper strength training regimen, and we will deal with those variations, as well.

Where to Workout: High School Gym to Cushy Health Club?

Finding the right facility is so important! If you do not have access to a high school or college weight room, the YMCA or YWCA is usually extremely reasonable and quite accessible. Many of the commercial training facilities will also have special seasonal rates for students, generally three months in length. Do your homework, find a workout facility you feel comfortable in. Also, talk to the staff and the manager of the facility you are considering, a friendly yet serious training atmosphere is crucial to your success. Make sure they not only sell memberships to young people, particularly athletes, but that they welcome you too. Some gyms will take your money, they are after all in business to make money, but they will make you feel less than welcome. Avoid those places like the plague! One bad trainer or manager can ruin your workouts and your overall training focus.

Training Partner, Accountability Partner, and Spotting Partner

Having a training partner can mean the difference between succeeding and failing. It’s always beneficial to be accountable to and pushed by a workout partner. If all else fails, ask a family member to at least be your spotting partner, because you will be working with heavyweights at times and a spotting partner is necessary. In commercial establishments this is usually not as much of a problem, as there are trainers or employees on hand to help you out. It may also be possible to ask for a “spot” from someone else training there. There is an unwritten code among individuals who train a great deal, particularly strength athletes (bodybuilders and powerlifters) and they will provide assistance in return for a reciprocal “spot,” when needed. It is a good system but you should not count on someone being available. If at all possible, have your own spotting or workout partner, it will also improve the effectiveness of your program and up the intensity.

Coming Attractions!

So, you understand a little bit about what is ahead and what is expected of you. We discussed nutrition and diet, not necessarily the same thing, and we also talked about where you should work out, at least for the weight training. There is always a track and/or a soccer pitch somewhere around. If not? “Got field?” Little “Got Milk?” joke there! In the next article, we will go into a detailed stretching and flexibility program, one that should be integrated into your daily routine, particularly prior to workouts, and hopefully twice a day. The rest is up to you, if you follow the program, by the time the fall season comes around you will be a different player. If you simply go through the motions, you might as well save yourself the time and energy, because you will get little or nothing out of it at all… it is up to you.

Of course, should you ever feel the need to call, to ask specific training questions, please feel free to do so.

Coach Z
216-712-6526
coachz@ultimatesoccertraining.com

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Why would a sex-specific, soccer-specific strength and fitness trainer go off the reservation, so to speak, and post a video about small sided games and training?

The answer is really very simple! I was speaking to a group of soccer coaches recently about soccer-specific strength and fitness training and during the question and answer portion, someone asked my my opinion on the use of small sided games as a coaching strategy. Well, he did it, he asked my opinion! During the next 45 minutes, we discussed all aspects of the small sided game technique, pros and cons. I have to tell you, it was a heated discussion.

Small sided games versus the traditional mode, drills!

Frankly, I believe there is room, and in fact a need for, both. That being said, I weigh in heavily in favor of small sided games and, as the title suggests, letting th e kids play! I have used a video, clearly not my own, to illustrate the small sided game technique. The video is a rather tame version of what I used to do as a coach. In all fairness to Jeff, he was teaching them a new technique and, as such, the kids weren’t really up to speed yet.

Speed of play and touches on the ball!

The main benefit to small sided games is in getting your players as many touches on the ball as possible. As the game progresses, the emphasis can change and the restrictions focused so you have to touch the ball once, twice, three times before passing and you need to complete five successful passes before trying to score. You can go two versus three, you can have a neutral midfielder. In other words, mix it up, depending on what your team needs, your weaknesses, and your strengths.

Fully adaptable model!

The real benefit to the small sided game is that it is fully adaptable, quickly and, in many instances, on the fly! You can see a need during training, adjust accordingly, and proceed with training. With drills, kids stand in line, wait their turn, and have limited touches on the ball. The small sided game eliminates this draw back and keeps the kids playing. The latter is far more intense and effective in so many ways.

Small sided games and the D License

I remember way back, well over ten years ago, I was in a coaching clinic for the D license and Tom Turner of Ohio Youth Soccer Association-North (Ohio-North) was the instructor. At the time, the debate about the small sided game technique had reached fever pitch, with Tom being one of the chief proponents, particularly in Region II but nationally as well. The emphasis of his classes? You got it! Small sided games. Well, the crowd was about 70-30 against until the end of the clinic. By then, every coach save one was sold. There’s always one, isn’t there! And this was an intense class, every soccer coach from just about every premier club (top level club teams) in Ohio-North was in that class, and a few coaches from nationally ranked high school and college squads, like Walsh Jesuit. So, it was a tough crowd, but Tom won almost every coach over, not by instruction but by demonstration.

Small sided games gain in popularity and favor

Well, it’s been ten or fifteen years now and the small sided game is the model. The drills of the past? Some things linger and sometimes the terminology remains but the practice defined is different. Unfortunately, drills has remained firmly entrenched in our lexicon. The military connotations notwithstanding, the word drills should be put to bed once and for all. In fact, one of the coaching methods I am currently advertising calls his program 20 drills! UGH! But the guy is good and he has some really helpful strategies. Do I think it could be better? Yes! Are there better programs out there? Not many! So, if you have specific questions you can always contact me, otherwise click the link below for one of the programs listed or the side panel Soccer U.

Three programs to get your team going, made for coaches starting out or wanting to step thing up a notch!

CoachZ
John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
coachz@ultimatesoccertraining.com

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Brian Begins, Quits, and Begins Again: Soccer Strength and Fitness Training Begins!

The first thing I do, I’ve always done, with all of my clients, and Brian was no exception, is to sit down for an hour or so and just talk about soccer, his team, his coach, about school, about life, his goals, and about his family. There are a number of issues I wish to get clear during my initial conversation with a prospective client. And yes, at this point Brian was still a prospective client. First and foremost, I need to find out, one-on-one and without parents present, if the athlete really wants to be there, I mean in that situation and facing a training program that will be both demanding and time consuming. I can’t stress this point this enough during the first visit because it sets the template and establishes the tempo for everything that follows. The soccer-specific strength training and soccer fitness training I’ve developed is different from any other kind of progressive resistance exercise that I know of and, for that reason, the athlete, and his or her parents, must be on-board 110%! If any one person in that dynamic is not totally committed, the enterprise is almost certainly doomed to fail, regardless of how much I know or how hard the athlete trains.

I want to be clear about this, I am not a sports psychologist, although I have been able to get athletes to do things most coaches, teammates, and even parents just shake their heads in amazement over. I’ll tell you why that is in tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow! I am certainly not a priest, a reverend or a minister, although everything, and I mean everything, a client says to me stays with me! No exceptions, ever!

I did have one borderline incident, not with Brian. A young lady I was training, a swimmer, had just lost her mother and there was a sense that her life might be in jeopardy. I had to step forward. Thank goodness nothing happened and she never knew I had spoken up to protect her! Even in such a situation, it is tough to regain a child’s trust after “telling on them.”

Anyway.

Brian and I spoke for almost two hours! We talked about almost everything. I say almost everything because every athlete I’ve ever trained has held something back, initially. The final barriers come down but they come down slowly with time, trust, and mutual respect. Kids, in particular, while easy to win over if you show you respect them and their space (literally and figuratively), are absolutely unforgiving if you violate that trust, ever!

So, after two hours Brian and I decided to give it a shot, there was something about this kid, I didn’t know what it was, but he seemed to have a fire inside, just out of sight and well guarded…but there. My challenge? Get Brian to believe in me, so I could help him to believe in himself! Once that seemingly simple task is accomplished, everything else falls into place. Strength and fitness training is the easy part, it’s the head game that takes time and effort.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy with Brian, not at all. Frankly, it never is!

After the initial consultation, I sat down with the family…even his sister who giggled and rolled her eyes a lot, she was all of 8 (and a future client!). The purpose of the final meeting was to clear up any last minute questions or concerns and to lay the groundwork for the first stage in the process of developing, what I always hope will be, a champion. Soccer, football (American), basketball, track and field, triathletes, marathon runners, male, female, young, not-so-young, amateur, semi-professional, and/or professional, they all begin the same way…with a written statement describing, in detail, their immediate (day, week, month, season), intermediate (1 to 3 year goals), and long-term (3 to 5 years) goals. I realize 5 years isn’t long-term in terms of life-events…but in terms of an athlete’s career, it’s definitely up there.

In the personal statement, I try to get the athlete to be as specific as possible and to really spell it all out, nothing is out of bounds and nothing is discouraged. I want them to think, to dream, and eventually to focus! The written statement was our first step, after getting to know each other during the interview phase, in building a plan that would take shape over the first 90 days and carry us for as long as Brian, or anyone else for that matter, stayed with me. Soccer training had always been about the ball and running for Brian. Over the next few months Brian was going to find out that in order to be a true champion he had to gain control of his body as well.

Brian’s personal statement was a real piece of work. I still have it around the house, all ten pages of it, somewhere. I don’t need it, though, I can see it in my head. Brian wanted to make his Bayview’s travel squad, he said he was tired of playing with a bunch of kids that really didn’t care about the game, he knew he wanted to be a great soccer player and the first step was to get off of that “little kids’ team.” “Then,” Brian continued, “I want to make my high school’s varsity team as a freshman!” This was quite a goal because up until that time, no player had ever played soccer on the Bayview varsity squad as a freshman…there was even an unwritten rule to that affect! Those were his short-term and intermediate goals, along with wanting to play with his friend Paul’s premier club team. Paul was two years older and played Under-11 for the Westside Cobras Premier Soccer Club. Brian wanted to be just like Paul, wear that cool black and red uniform with the cobra, and all! That’s how he described it, too. “I want to have a uniform just like Paul’s…cool.”

Finally, Brian stated for his long-term soccer goal, and it was a doozy! Brian wanted to play college soccer and go to school on a “full-ride,” so “my parents won’t have to spend their money to send me to college.” The final goal told me what kind of a young man Brian was, and, as I remember, it brought a tear to my eye at the time! Brian, it seemed, was a very thoughtful young man.

Well, we had Brian’s goals pretty much mapped out, and now it was time to get down to business. Soccer-specific strength and fitness testing…into the whirlwind! It was the night before the test and I was asleep, tomorrow would be the day. Out of a dead sleep I heard the phone ring, at first I thought I was dreaming. I remember it like it was yesterday. Heck, I remember most things about my experience with Brian that way. You’ll understand why as time goes on.

Soccer Strength and Fitness Training Begins…except….

Anyway, I thought, “Who the heck is calling me here at this hour!”

I was actually more than a bit aggravated and it must have come across in the tone of my voice because whoever it was hung up as soon as I said hello…more like yelled hello! Well, I hung up the receiver, tuned over, and put my head back on the pillow. No sooner had I gotten comfortable, and halfway back to sleep, the phone rang again! This time it was Brian, he sounded upset. I looked at the clock radio next to the bed, I was living at the training facility at the time, trying to put everything I could back into the business, and sleeping on a fold-out couch in the office.

It was 1982 and it was 1:00am! Of at least those two things I was sure. Oh yeah, I remembered my name, too!

After my mind cleared, I asked Brian what was up. He said he was sorry for calling so late, and I said not to worry about it. Then, and I’ll never forget this, he said “Coach Z, I found out how much money my parents are spending for this program and I can’t let them do it. I’m going to have to quit.” Then, he hung up before I could say a word.

While I was still trying to figure out what had just happened, trying to clear my head so I could think about what just happened, the phone rang again. Yup! It was Brian. The phone went dead for a moment and I thought he had hung up again. Then, faintly, I thought I could make out what sounded like sobs and sniffles. Yes, I could hear him clearly now, he was crying. I waited until he was ready and we started to talk. It took a while but he finally settled down a bit. I could tell he was holding something back but didn’t want to push it. Besides, this was a discussion beyond his years, one that should have been between his parents and me. But Brian wasn’t going to let this drop and I could tell he had more on his mind, that money wasn’t the whole story, so I pushed a bit.

I said, “Brian, your Mom and Dad only want the best for you and this is the best program available in this area right now. Besides Brian, they’ve already paid me.” He didn’t say anything for a moment, then a moment turned into a minute; and, finally, after what seemed like an eternity he said, “Well, you’ll have to refund their money because I am not going to do it! I can’t!” The receiver went dead again and this time Brian had hung up on me. He was finished talking..or at least I thought so.

By this time it was close to 3:00am and it was clear that sleep was out of the question, my mind was racing, going in a thousand different directions at once. So I got up, put the sofa bed back together, and headed for the showers. Oh well, we’d be opening in a couple of hours and I could get my work out in beforehand. I was just drying off after working out and showering, it was almost 5:00am, when the phone rang again. I knew who it was, so I wrapped a towel around me and ran for the office, getting there just as he was about to hang up (I found out later). I must have picked it up on ring fifteen or twenty! Clearly, Brian wanted to talk.

Once again, I waited for Brian to begin speaking. After what seemed an eternity, Brian told me he was afraid his father would be laid off and they wouldn’t be able to live there any more, the only home Brian had ever known. You see, Brian had listened in on his parent’s conversation about how they were going to make ends meet, put him through my program, and still keep the house if there were any more lay-offs at the steel mill. You see, between 1980 and 1984 almost everyone was laid off at one time or another at US Steel or the Ford plant where a lot of his soccer teammates’ dads worked. The same was true across the rust-belt but Bayview had been hit particularly hard.

A Child’s Solution.

Brian, hearing this and wise beyond his years, took it all in and decided, entirely on his own, that he would step in and fix things for his Mom and Dad. Brian was going to give up his soccer strength and fitness program and, to his way of thinking, his dream of playing soccer beyond his community recreation league team.

Of course Brian’s thinking wasn’t informed and it wasn’t based in fact, at least not all of them. It was, however, based on Brian’s love for his family and his tremendous sense of obligation, unless I could make him understand that things would be OK, he was lost to the program. Trying to think and open the business up for the early birds, I knew what I had to do. I told Brian things would be fine. After a moment to work things out in my head, sell a Gatorade and a PowerBar, and give someone a spot, I promised Brian I would work things out with his Mom and Dad so that if his Dad was ever laid off, and couldn’t afford the program for Brian, I would indeed refund all of his fees and continue to train him, as well.

At first, nothing. I mean not a sound! And then, he started to whoop and holler and cheer and yell! Now, keep in mind that it’s 5:00am on a Saturday morning and his parents have been asleep through this whole thing! I can only imagine, I now know, what Brian’s Mom and Dad thought as they jumped out of bed to see who or what was attacking their son.

Me? I couldn’t stop laughing! Out of joy? A sense of doing the right thing? Relief? Lack of sleep? All of the above? People all over the gym are looked at me like I had a screw loose or something. In the span of about 60 seconds, the tension broke, the problem evaporated, and I convinced a champion, because in every sense of the word he was one, that people do care for each other and he could achieve his goals, if he worked for them. It was all up to him.

Brian had, through his sense of responsibility and duty to his family, shown me, his coach for the next few years, what a true champion is made of long before his next match was ever played. The soccer specific strength and fitness training would contribute to his play, even to his confidence, but Brian’s championship character was cast in granite and formed long before we ever met. What happened next was amazing and….

Next: Brian’s Soccer-Specific Strength and Fitness Physical Test…and a new rule. No more eating before work outs!

See you on the pitch!

CoachZ
216-712-6526
coachz@ultimatesoccertraining.com

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