{!firstname}, Strength vs Agility vs Fitness...
and the winner is...

This my opinion and my experience. This is not fact.
Let me explain. But first let's revisit agility. According
to wikpedia agility is "the ability to change the body's
position and requires a combination of balance, coordination,
speed, reflexes and strength"

Two of these requirements are speed and strength. It
goes with out saying that you need to have strength to
have speed.

{!firstname}, what happens if a player has to stop suddenly,
immediately change direction and accelerate into
space and doesn't have the strength to do it?

Most of the time they will fall flat on their face or worse
case scenario tear their ACL and be out of soccer for
nine months to a year.

Soccer players regardless of their age need to have the
strength to slow down and change direction under control.
Lack of strength prevents this from happening.

Most non contact soccer injuries are preventable if
players are building strength throughout their body. 

The key with younger players is proper technique.
They will be able to build strength simply by learning
and mastering techniques to stop and change direction.
It is vital at the younger ages to reinforce technique as
it will serve long term for proper movement patterns.

It is better to spend more time focusing on proper technique
than just running players through drills for the sake of just
doing the drill or exercise.

If the coach of the team is unable to give you a logical
answer to the drills your child is performing you may
want to start looking elsewhere...

Players must have "eccentric" strength ( ability of muscle
to lengthen under control) to lower lower their body to
both stop and change direction.   

For this reason I want you to remind you of  the four
progressions a young soccer athlete goes through
when acquiring a new skill.

A. Unconscious Incompetence
- player doesn't understand what is required and demonstrates
poor technique 

B. Conscious Incompetence 
-player understands what is required and demonstrates poorly

C. Conscious Competence
-player understands what is required and demonstrates
what is expected

D. Unconscious competence
-player performs specific technique automatically with out
any thought.

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Please visit my friend  Rob Karboviak. to take a look at his
Fast Feet Trainer for your own agility drills with PVC piping.
Please click here to see if  Fast Feet Trainer is for you.

Agility training is also indirectly a form of plyometric or
"jump training" as some people like to call it.
However -many coaches suffer from
"PLYOMETRIC SYNDROME"
In the next newsletter you will discover how to
"diagnose" plyometric - syndrome.

Who knows may be you are suffering from it now...?:)

                               *** Product Reminder***

Youth Soccer Power Unleashed now how has an audio component to
it and is updated with a properly integrated plyometric program. Soon to
be added a new way to build an aerobic base specifically for soccer.