High school soccer players are some of the most driven and hardworking young athletes. Between practices, games, academics, and personal responsibilities, their schedules are packed. I have always argued that high school soccer players have a far more demanding schedule than professional players. This blog will address Training Busy High School Soccer Players considering the whole athlete.
As coaches, trainers, and mentors, it’s essential to meet our players where they are, helping them balance their demands while optimizing their training to ensure they thrive rather than merely survive. Here are some key considerations to guide your approach to training busy high school soccer players.
1. Align Training with Their Soccer Schedule
Make sure you have the right perspective for their sake and YOURS! Of course we all want our athletes to prioritize training with us. The expectation of players attending our sessions 3-4 days per week, at any time of the calendar year, only leaves us with disappointment and can inadvertently add more pressure to our athletes.
High school soccer players are busy and often juggle intense practice sessions, competitive games, tournaments and club soccer commitments…year round! Adding more physical demands without consideration for their current load can lead to burnout and even injuries. Consistency with us is their biggest asset. These strategies will set you, and them, up for success.
Coordinate with their soccer schedule: Communicate with every player, parent and, optimally, their coaches to understand their weekly workload. Plan strength and conditioning as well as recovery sessions accordingly. I recommend encouraging ownership and responsibility by having the player be the primary source of information regarding their schedule.
Remember, our primary role is to to help them move as proficiently, efficiently and pain free as possible. Program accordingly on lighter practice days or recovery days to avoid overloading them…most often when they come to see you they are already at a deficit.
- Prioritize recovery: Incorporate active recovery activities such as, foam rolling, active range of motion, flexibility and muscle activation to help your young athletes rejuvenate both physically and mentally.
- Appropriate programming:: Understand that one-size-fits-all training doesn’t work. Create plans that consider the athlete’s game intensity, positional demands, and personal recovery needs. For example, for an athlete that has a demanding schedule but does not play very much in their games, an element of conditioning needs to be a higher priority than that of a starting player with substantial minutes.
2. Respect Physical and Mental Fatigue
When training busy high school soccer players, physical fatigue from constant exertion and mental fatigue from academics and social responsibilities are real challenges. Emotional exhaustion can also be a catalyst for health and performance issues. Look to emphasize programming elements that:
- Prioritize health over performance: Emphasize that long-term health and well-being are more important than short-term performance gains. Push your athletes to listen to their bodies and rest when needed.
- Monitor energy levels: Take inventory by asking pointed questions about their relative level of fatigue and energy. Vague questions will elicit vague answers.
- Include low-intensity options: Movement is medicine…at the appropriate amount and intensity. Your athletes will recover quicker with pain free movement at the right intensity and volume..
- Address mental wellness: Encourage athletes to journal, practice gratitude, or use focused mindfulness or meditation. These strategies can help them manage stress and stay focused on their goals.
3. Emphasize Hydration and Nutrition
Busy high school soccer players need proper fuel to perform at their best and support the rigor of their schedules. Educating them about hydration and nutrition is crucial. This is their silver bullet. Their secret weapon. Their game changer.
- Hydration: Set hydration goals, such as drinking a specific amount of water before and after practices. Discuss the importance of drinking water on a consistent basis, especially during warmer months or after intense sessions and games.
- Pre- and post-training meals: Teach the value of meals rich in complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Create a nutrition challenge where your young players track what they eat and have a reward at the end to encourage consistency.
- Quick snacks: Share easy, on-the-go snack ideas like trail mix, protein bars, or fruit and nut butter to keep their energy levels stable throughout the day.
4. Reinforce the Value of Sleep
Sleep is a cornerstone of a busy high school soccer player’s recovery. However, sleep is often sacrificed due to academic and extracurricular demands. There are several ways to encourage restoration through sleep.
- Educating on its benefits: Use studies or anecdotes to explain how sleep aids muscle recovery, cognitive function, performance and overall health. Focus on the positive benefits of sleep and how it relates to better play on the field.
- Creating routines: Suggest consistent sleep schedules and activities like reading or light stretching before bed. Highlight the negative impact of blue light from screens on sleep quality. I know this is a tough one!
- Tracking progress: Continue to ask them about their sleep in a non-threatening or judgmental way. Use the information they give you about the quality and quantity of their sleep for insight into your programming as well as tips specific to each young player.
5. Balance Academic Demands
High school athletes are students first. To ensure training doesn’t compromise their academics:
- Be flexible: Design workout sessions that can be scaled down or done at home during exam weeks without compromising overall progress.
- Teach time management: Provide tools like planners or suggest apps to help them balance study time, soccer commitments, and social activities. As adults, we all know how overwhelming a long to do list of activities, meetings and work can be. It is realistic to assume it’s worse for a young athlete to manage everything.
- Provide opportunity: When appropriate and available, provide an environment where your young players can start in on homework, study or read before or after their session.
6. Work at Open Communication
The most successful training programs for busy high school soccer players are built on trust and understanding. The way you speak with your young players is critical to the success of open communication. Remember they, in some part, are at the mercy of their schedule outside of your sessions.
Ridiculing or voicing your dismay regarding their soccer schedule and over-loaded amount of play does not help. Be there with them through the process with empathy and understanding. They need to understand you are in their corner.
- Check in often: Be sure to use the beginning of sessions, warm-ups and down time to discuss how they’re feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally.
- Encourage honesty: Create a safe space where your athletes feel comfortable sharing their struggles or asking for modifications. I KNOW it may not seem far that you have to be the one that accommodates changes in schedule or programming due to external factors…however that is where we can do our best work!
- Collaborate versus compete: Unite with team coaches, clubs to be part of the solution. It’s far too easy to create a scenario of us against them. We all are really on the same team – that of the player. It is unfortunate that in most cases trainers, coaches and even nutritionists, physical therapists and tutors are competing for the same thing…time with the same young player.
I hope it’s clear at this point, training busy high school soccer players requires more than physical drills and exercises. To do it right, it also involves what you say and do to affect them when they are not in your presence. It demands a comprehensive approach that considers their unique challenges and specific goals.
By aligning with their schedules, addressing physical and mental fatigue, and emphasizing key lifestyle factors like hydration, nutrition, and sleep, you can empower your young athletes to excel on and off the field.
By always prioritizing their health over short-term performance to ensure their long-term success and well-being, you will be the game changer they need in their young lives. With open communication and a tailored approach, you’ll help them not just survive their demanding schedules but truly thrive.
Does all of this sound like I’m asking you to become a life coach instead of being a performance coach? What we do is so complex. What we provide our young athletes is so very important. We cannot control their schedules. We can control how we coach them through it, around it, under it and over it!
A note about programming considerations
A well-designed program enhances their strength, power, speed, and endurance, all of which are critical for soccer performance. It should also address the common physical demands of the sport, helping young athletes build resilience against injuries such as sprains, strains, and overuse issues.
If our busy high school soccer players are not consistent, even our best programming efforts will deem less effective. By incorporating an app to deliver and track their training, players can gain a structured, consistent approach tailored to their needs. This can ensure they stay on course even during their busiest weeks. This combination of targeted training and tech-driven accountability maximizes both effectiveness and convenience.
For high school soccer players juggling demanding schedules of practices, games, academics, and personal commitments, having an app-based strength and conditioning program is a game-changer. It allows them to train on their own time while still adhering to a proven, progressive plan. An app can provide video demonstrations, progress tracking, and reminders to complete workouts, ensuring that players stay consistent despite a hectic lifestyle. This accessibility and adaptability make it possible for young athletes to prioritize their development without compromising other responsibilities. It’s a win – win!
Integrating strength and conditioning training backed by education from resources like the IYCA, is integral. We know that when players feel strong, fast, and injury-resistant, they are more likely to perform at their best under pressure.
Getting them there is our calling, and our struggle. By leveraging the power of technology and coaching to simplify and personalize their training journey, high school soccer players can achieve peak performance while staying resilient, consistent, and ready to tackle the demands of both the game and their lives.
The world needs you. ~ Coach Dave Gleason
Coach Dave Gleason is the former owner of one of the top youth training facilities in the world and has worked with thousands of athletes ranging from the shy six-year-old to all-stars at the professional level. He’s also an acclaimed international presenter on youth fitness and widely regarded as the fitness industry’s ‘go-to guy’ for coaching kids ages 6-13. He was the 2010 IYCA Coach of the Year. Dave has been an advisor and content provider to Reebok International and a consultant to trainers, coaches, physical educators, national and local youth sports organizations and public school systems K-12.
Check out Dave’s online program for Busy High School Soccer Players
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