Soccer is a sport where constant movement is the name of the game. Soccer players, during a game, will change directions roughly every 3 seconds or 1300 changes of direction per game. Players can also run on average 5-7 miles a game. The physical demand of the sport differs depending on the level of soccer you play and your position.
The change of direction alone is enough to cause injury if you are not moving with proper movement strategies. The saying, quality over quantity has always been something I have lived by when it comes to rehabilitation. However, for soccer, quantity of movement is a necessity- so I think I will adopt the saying “quality for quantity”. I should probably go trademark that so everyone can air quote me moving forward.
The Success Factor
Quality of movement is directly related to performance gains, durability, and staying out of the rehab office. I recently did a lecture for a soccer academy and talked about the importance of developing athleticism before you can master the technical and tactical skills of soccer. Athleticism and availability to play will directly affect the success of the team. In many of the soccer strength and conditioning articles, athleticism for soccer is composed of the following:
Strength- Agility
- Power
- Aerobic endurance
- Speed
- The ability to manage repeated high intensity actions.
All of these when planned appropriately over the course of a preseason lead to preparation of the athlete’s joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. The more prepared for the demands of the sport the less likely an athlete will miss time due to injury.
The Constant Factor
The constant throughout all the preparation and athleticism comes down to movement quality. It is very rare to watch soccer where the dominant players on the field, in the sport, or in history, have poor movement qualities.
Watch highlights of some of the best players to play the beautiful game, their movement sometimes just looks effortless! While some of these elite stars are clearly genetically gifted, they also put in the hard work to build a foundation of athleticism that promotes movement quality, or maybe their movement quality promotes athleticism.
The “Athletic Stance”
If I have to convince you further, let’s look at the term “athletic stance”. We hear this a lot from coaches at the youth level in soccer, “get low” or “get in an athletic stance”. Why? Because that position is the one that facilitates quality movement to optimize strength, explosiveness, or change of direction.
So when you prepare for your season, just remember: “quality of movement in order to have quantity of movement”.
Meet Matt
Matthew Bourdeau, PT, DPT, earned his Bachelor’s in Exercise Science from Towson University in 2009 and his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from The University of Maryland, Baltimore, in 2012. Dr. Bourdeau has worked in outpatient sports and orthopedics as a Physical Therapist, Manager, and Leader for Internal Education / Program Development. He has taken extensive coursework in movement assessment, gait analysis, manual therapy, sports medicine, and general orthopedics. Dr. Bourdeau specializes in the treatment of sports and orthopedic injuries with a concentration in athletes with ACL and throwing injuries.
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