The Program

• Warm-up• Dynamic stretching• Plyometrics/agility• Strength• Static stretching

Warm-up

• Prepare the athlete for activity• Not full speed – 50-75% effort• Perform each exercise for

approximately 30 seconds

Warm-up

• Purpose: slowly prepare the body for the training session and provide a chance to educate the patient on good running technique.

• Forward run – perform a slow jog from one side of the field to the other and back performed with good hip/knee/foot alignment.

Warm-up• Purpose: continuing to

slowly warm up while working to engage the hamstrings/hip extensors.

• Backward run - run backwards from one sideline to the other keeping your weight on the ball of the foot and a small knee bend. Keep the knees aligned over the feet and don’t go into full knee extension.

Warm-up• Purpose: promotes

increased speed while warming up the inner/outer thigh muscles

• Shuttle run – perform a side shuffle to the other sideline and back keeping the knees aligned over the feet and the back straight. Face the same direction throughout the exercise.

Dynamic stretching

• Active stretching of the muscles• Perform for approximately 30 seconds • Slow and controlled pace• Brief holds at end ranges of motion

Dynamic stretching• Purpose: warming up the

hip flexors/quads while dynamically stretching the hamstrings/hip extensors.

• Monster walk - begin with the arms straight and bring one leg up as high as comfortable keeping the knee straight and repeat with the opposite leg as you walk forward. Don’t lean back while bringing the leg up.

Dynamic stretching• Purpose: warm up the hips/quads

while dynamically stretching the low back.

• Lunge with body twist - Perform a lunge keeping the front knee over or behind the ankle and the back leg straight. Place the inside hand on the ground while turning and raising the opposite hand into the air keeping both elbows straight. Hold for 2-3 seconds then place the outside hand on the ground and repeat the stretch raising the other hand in the air. The neck turns to look at the hand in the air. Repeat on opposite leg.

Dynamic stretching• Purpose: warm-up the

hips/quads while dynamically stretching hip extensors, hamstrings and calves.

• Knee to chest walk - Step forward with one leg and pull the opposite knee/hip to the chest. Bend the held ankle up as the hip and knee are flexed and pause for a second in the held position. Repeat with the opposite leg.

Dynamic stretching• Purpose: dynamically

stretch the inner/outer thighs while warming up the lower extremities and low back.

• Walking over/under – Step to one side with the leg high as if stepping over a hurdle. After repeating the over the hurdle with the other leg, drop into a squat position and step to the side keeping the body low as if ducking under a hurdle.

Plyometrics/Agility

• Perform for 30 seconds to 1 minute• All about the form

– Soft landings on the balls of the feet– Encourage increased knee/hip bending– Maintain a good hip/knee/ankle alignment

• Add time as exercises get easier• Choose 3-4 exercises per training

session

Plyometrics/Agility• Purpose: increase

power/strength while improving neuromuscular control.

• Forward/backward jumps – jump forward and back over a line as high as possible while maintaining proper hip/knee/ankle alignment and landing on the balls of the feet.

Plyometrics/Agility• Purpose: increase

power/strength while improving neuromuscular control.

• Lateral jumps - jump side to side over a line as high as possible while maintaining proper hip/knee/ankle alignment and landing on the balls of the feet.

Plyometrics/Agility• Purpose: increase vertical

jump and power while working on proper landing technique.

• Tuck jumps - Stand with feet shoulder width apart/knees bent and jump up bringing both knees up toward your chest as high as possible and land keeping proper hip/knee/ankle alignment and landing on the balls of the feet.

Plyometrics/Agility• Purpose: increase power and

strength of vertical jump while working on proper single leg landing technique.

• Scissor jumps - Start with one foot in front of the other with the knees bent and then jump into the air and land with the opposite foot now in the forward position. Reverse the forward/back foot with each jump keeping the proper hip/knee/ankle in alignment during jumping and landing.

Plyometrics/Agility• Purpose: increase hip

flexion strength and improve power/speed while maintaining proper hip/knee/ankle alignment.

• Bounding run - Leap from one foot to the other bringing the knee up towards the chest while landing on the ball of your foot with a slight bend at the knee and a straight hip.

Plyometrics/Agility• Purpose: increase height of

vertical jump while practicing proper landing form.

• Vertical jump with header - Stand in an athletic stance on the balls of your feet and explode upward as if doing a header and then land with proper technique and repeat.

Plyometrics/Agility• Purpose: increase

power/strength while working on proper landing technique with perturbation.

• 180 degree jump - Jump off both legs and rotate 180 degrees in the air landing with good hip/knee/ankle alignment. Hold landing for 1-2 seconds and then jump again reversing your direction of turn.

Plyometrics/Agility• Purpose: increase power

and strength of vertical jump while working on proper single leg landing technique.

• Single leg jump – Perform a series of 10 jumps off one leg landing with good hip/knee/ankle alignment with a short pause between each jump. Repeat on opposite leg.

Strength

• Increase joint stability• Perform until fatigue with proper form• Choose 2-3 exercises per training

session• Perform for 30 seconds to 1 minute

looking for fatigue.

Strength• Purpose – strengthen the

core.

• Front plank - Lay on your forearms with bent elbows and hold body up with tight abdominals so there is a straight line from your head to your ankles.

Strength• Purpose – strengthen the

core/hip stabilizers.

• Side plank - Lie on your side, propped on your forearm. Tighten abdominals and lift the hips off the floor supporting weight on your forearm and side of foot with other foot stacked on top. There should be a straight line from your head to your ankles with no hips sagging to the floor. Repeat on opposite side.

Strength• Purpose – strengthen the

hamstrings.

• Russian hamstrings - Kneel on the ground with hands at your side and your partner firmly holding your ankles. Lean forward keeping your back straight so that knees, hips and shoulders are in a straight line. Hold for 2-3 seconds and return to the starting position. This exercise should be done every training session.

Strength• Purpose – work on LE/core

strength and balance.

• Single leg ball touch - While balancing on one leg, bend the knee and reach out to tap the soccer ball to the ground and then return to the starting position. Maintain proper hip/knee/ankle alignment at all times. Repeat with opposite leg.

Strength• Purpose – strengthen the

quad/hip stabilizers while working on balance.

• Walking lunges - Perform a lunge on one leg keeping the front knee aligned with the hip/ankle and directly over or behind the ankle. The back knee should drop straight down and tap the ground. Repeat the exercise switching the back leg to the front.

Strength• Purpose – strengthens the LE

and improves balance.

• Lay ups - Perform a single leg squat and then come up on your toes. Opposite leg swings back with the squat and then forward and up while coming up on toes like a basketball layup. Keep the knee aligned with the hip and ankle and perform the squat as deep as possible as long as it is pain free. Try and keep the knee from going past the level of the toes with the squat. Repeat on opposite side.

Static Stretches

• To be performed as a cool down after practice

• Hold each stretch for 30 seconds for 2 repetitions

• Remember to breathe• Medium intensity stretches maintaining

a steady stretch throughout

Static stretches• Purpose – stretch the

calves.

• Calf stretch - Assume a V/downward dog position with hands on the ground and knees straight. Slightly bend one knee to allow the other calf to stretch and then switch legs and repeat.

Static stretches• Purpose – stretch the quads.

• Quad stretch - Reach back and grab one ankle and bring the heel to the butt. Stretched leg maintains knee pointed down to the ground and close to the opposite knee. Hold a partners shoulder as needed for balance.

Static stretches• Purpose – stretch the

hamstrings.

• Hamstring stretch - Place one foot in front of the other about 2-3 feet apart with the forward foot pointed straight ahead and the back foot turned out. Turn the hips so they are pointed straight ahead and reach forward with both arms until a comfortable stretch is felt. Maintain a straight front knee.

Static stretches• Purpose – stretch the hip

flexors.

• Hip flexor stretch – Assume a lunge position with the front knee over the ankle and back knee resting bent on the ground. Lean forward with your hips while the upper body leans back. Pull your foot to your butt to increase the stretch.