June 11th: Day 5

Warm-up

3 x

10 push-ups

10 sit-ups

10 squats

10 push presses

Samson stretch

Workout

20 minute run (about 2.1 miles)

Strength Exercise

max rep pull-ups (already seeing some improvement here from Monday's marks)

Soccer

pace passing, sharks & minnows (yep, you're never too old for sharks & minnows), diamond drill -> shot, lightning

June 10th: World Cup Eve

We had a light turnout today, as we had several gone to state cup and various appointments/vacations. Best of luck to those playing on teams in the state cup.

Warmup

Gaelic basketball (10 minutes)

pull-ups (regular grip)

10 push presses

10 squats

10 pushups

Samson stretch

Metcon Workout

Tabata plate workout with 8 sets of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds rest (4 min. total) of each of the following exercises:

- Halo (arms elevated and weight revolves around the head)

- Side to side (weight is fully extended to the side and then lifted overhead to

the other side. Lather. Rinse. Repeat)

- Squats (plate is held close to body for regular squats)

- Overhead press (weight is lifted from chest to above the head)

Strength Exercise

Front squat 5 x 5

Soccer

Fast footwork, juggling, futsal. We started recording the juggling scores today, which we will do throughout the remainder of June. The scores were very respectable with seven with over 50 juggles, but a special "shout out" goes to D. (332), J. (290), and C. (116). Well done.

June 9th: 7 v 7 Opens Tonight

Today we concentrated mostly on arms and core in an effort to save the legs for 7 v 7 in Jefferson City tonight. We apparently succeeded as the boys won both games. Good job, guys.

Warmup

10 (or max) pull-ups (reverse grip)

10 mountain climbers

10 squats

10 push presses (bar)

Samson stretch

Metcon WOD

Partners take turns completing:

10 Turkish get-ups

10 push-ups

10 jumping jacks

AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) 20 minutes

Strength Exercise

Hang Cleans 5 x 5

Soccer

Fast footwork, juggling, keep-away, and futsal.

June 8: Cheating is bad form

Before we started today, we talked about the importance of good form. A gazillion reps of an exercise done incompletely cheats the athlete out of the benefits of the full range of motion. For example, squats should break the plane of the knee, while in pull-ups the arms should be fully extended. Do the exercises correctly in order to get the full benefit -- as well as to be fair to your teammates.

Warmup

3 rounds of:

max pullups (no more than 10)

10 squats

10 mountain climbers

10 shoulder presses

Samson stretch

Metcon WOD

50 squats

800 meter run

40 pushups

800 meter run

30 squats

800 meter run

20 pushups

800 meter run

10 squats

Strength Exercise

3/3/3 (shoulder press/push press/push jerk) x 5

Start with bar and add weight with each successive round

Soccer

We worked on our touch by passing in an aerobic condition with both instep passes and volleys. We finished with a game of lightning.

June 7th: Testing Day

Today's "workout" was a series of tests to establish individual and team benchmarks. To measure our speed over a variety of distances, we ran:

100 m

200 m

400 m.

We also ran a little agility test called the 2-run (because the course looks a sideways 2), which calls for the players to run forwards, sideways, and backwards in 10 yd segments (50 yds total).

Our strength measurements were:

sit-ups (1 min.)

push-ups (1min.)

max pull-ups

max deadlift

max shoulder press

At the end of the four weeks, we will re-rest to see what kind of improvements have been made. As for the results today, a couple of things jumped out at me. First, we need to work on our upper body strength. (For example, we only averaged 5 pull-ups.) We will be doing lots of pull-ups and other upper-body exercises. Second, we need to work on our explosive power, which comes from the legs. We will be doing lots of leg exercises (squats, lunges, and box jumps).

All in all, I was pleased with the effort today. If they can keep up a good work ethic over the next four weeks, we will see good results.

World Cup Television Schedule

In the previous post about soccer intelligence, I suggested that you watch soccer games with the tactics from the NSCAA quizzes in mind. The perfect opportunity presents itself next week with the upcoming World Cup.

Every match of the 2010 World Cup will be broadcast by the ESPN family of networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 (formerly ESPN360), and ABC. The tournament opens on June 11th with the hosts South Africa playing Mexico at 8:30 a.m. Central Time on ESPN and concludes with the finale one month later on July 11th @ 12:30 on ABC. One month of soccer -- 64 games in all -- for you to see some of the best soccer players in the world.

ABC will broadcast 10 of the games (included the much-anticipated U.S. vs England match on June 12th). Every other game will be either ESPN or ESPN2. In addition, every game on those two networks will be broadcast on ESPN3 (www.espn360.com). The complete schedule can be found here. Tune in and turn up your game a notch.

Soccer Intelligence

Are you a dumb jock? Or a smart one?

The most successful athletes are often the smartest ones on the court or on the field. Hockey's Wayne Gretzky and basketball's Michael Jordan were sublimely skilled athletes. However, that wasn't what set them apart. Some say that Gretzky's greatest attribute was his ability to see the game. He knew what was going to happen on the ice before anyone else. "Air" Jordan was famous for his "hops", but what really set him apart was his court vision. Both men seemingly always made the right decisions.

Likewise with soccer. While soccer may be a game played between white lines, it is a game that, more often than not, is won between the ears. In other words, intelligence is an important component - arguably the most important one - of success in soccer. We have all seen the player who is strong and fast, and who possesses a good touch on the ball, but who makes poor decisions. This is a player who lacks, what some call, a "soccer brain." He (or she) makes passes into congested parts of the field, mindlessly hoofs the ball upfield, fails to make supporting runs or provide defensive support, and in general, fails to anticipate the consequences of their actions.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America has put together a series of quizzes to test your decision-making ability. Take a look at them and see how you do. (It will take you a few questions to get the hang of the symbols and lines, but if you can handle an X-Box or Playstation, you won't have any trouble.)

Try to get through all of the quizzes prior to the World Cup, then see how well (or not) the players make decisions. You will have a much better understanding of the game unfolding before you.

Remember, your brain is like a muscle; if you don't use it, it will get flabby, too. Eventually, you (and your teammates) will pay the price for neglecting it.