Challenges

Soccer Workout Challenge: Push-Ups, Abs and Bodyweight Squats Circuit

By Parker & Walsh 1 Comment

4253058200_14bc87db2d_z Working on your fitness is crucial to becoming a complete soccer player. But soccer fitness does not just mean pounding the pavement putting in mile after mile of running.

You need also need to work muscles including your core, shoulders and legs. Push-ups are a great workout. Not only do they work your chest, shoulders and triceps, but you need to engage your core, quads and glutes to keep your body straight as you lower your chest to touch the ground and lock your arms out at the top to achieve perfect form.

Famous NFL player Herschel Walker is one athlete who understood this well: he would routinely do hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups a day instead of lifting weights in the gym. In addition to push-ups, crunches and bodyweight squats are great exercises to add to your routine, and the big benefit is that you can do them at home or anywhere else you have a little space. No need to travel to a gym or buy any equipment.

Your Workout Challenge

Our challenge for you is to perform a circuit of push-ups, crunches and bodyweight squats with a total of 25 reps every day for one month.

A “circuit” means that you perform a chosen number of reps for each exercise (pushups, crunches, bodyweight squats) one after the other in quick succession with no rest, if possible. If you feel you do need to rest, try to keep it under a minute.

This challenge may sound easy to you, but it will give you a mental challenge as well. It takes commitment to stick to any routine for a whole month without slipping even once. Can you commit to accomplish this goal? Once you succeed, you’ll be able to continue that dedication to more advanced workouts. Once you accomplish your goal of 25 reps of push-ups, crunches, and bodyweight squats, you could bump the number of reps up per day to 50, 75 and then 100. But I guarantee you will feel stronger at the end of the month with this challenge.

Here are a couple of circuit routines you could try to help you accomplish your goal of 25 reps a day and eventually 100 reps a day.

Get the reps done any way you want – You can perform as many circuits of the three exercises as you want until you reach the number 25 for each exercise. For example, you can perform 5 circuits of 5 reps. You could perform 2 circuits of 10 reps with one circuit of 5 reps. You can perform one circuit of 15, 10, and then 5 reps. You could even just perform one circuit of 25 reps.

Pyramid circuit – A pyramid circuit is a great way to get in a lot of reps in a short period of time and also allows you to learn to keep proper form while fatigued.

A pyramid circuit will have a top number, such as 5, 6, or 10. You start by performing one rep of each exercise (a pushup, a crunch, and a bodyweight squat in our example). Then you go to two reps for each. Next you do three reps in the circuit. You work your way up to the top number of reps in the pyramid, and then you work your way back down to 1. To total 25 reps, you would do a Pyramid 5 (increase number of reps from 1 up to 5 and then back down to 1.)

No matter the details of your circuits, your challenge is to achieve 25 reps each of bodyweight squats, pushups and crunches every day for a whole month.

Try it out, and let us know in the comments below if you achieve it!

And do you have any other bodyweight exercise routines that you like? We’d love to hear about those too.

image credit

Improving your 50-50 Challenges in Soccer (and 60-40 and 40-60)

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

During a soccer game, there are a variety of different types of challenges we make when going after a loose ball, including 50-50, 60-40, and 40-60 challenges.

50/50 challenges are when you and a player from the opposing team arrive at the soccer ball at the same time.

Each player has a 50 percent chance of winning the ball, hence the name.

60/40 challenges are when you are going to get to the ball first, and 40/60 challenges are when the opposing player is going to get there first.

How to Win 50-50 Balls (and more)

When going after 50-50 balls, you want to play sure that you are well balanced so that you have a better chance at winning the next ball.

Some coaches harp on winning the initial 50-50 challenge and other coaches look at how many second challenges (the ball or challenge right after the 50/50 challenge) are won.

For 60-40 challenges, it’s a given that you’re going to be the person that gets to the soccer ball first. There are two ways you can win this challenge. First, you can just simply push the ball into a space where the defender will not be able to get to it.

The second method is a little more complicated. If you notice that the defender is off-balance and about to lunge in on the tackle, then you can hold off on winning initial challenge and actually let the opposing player win the challenge.

You just need to set up a block tackle so that the opposing player kicks the soccer ball into your block tackle.

The key is the angle of your block tackle. You want to make sure that when the opposing player kicks the ball into your block tackle, and then you know what direction the ball is going to bounce. This second way to win 60/40 challenges takes practice and also the right situation.

Finally, with 40/60 challenges the opposing player will get to the soccer ball first. So you need to set up a block tackle when you believe the opposing player is going to try and direct the soccer ball. You want your foot to be like a wall so that the ball bounces favorable in your direction.

Remember that if you set up a block tackle too far away, then there is a good chance that you may redirect the soccer ball back into the opposing player causing the ball to bounce off him and go behind you.

Try to keep these ideas in mind the next time you are going after a loose ball. Do you have any other tips for 50-50, 60-40, 40-60, or any other type of soccer challenge?

Best Ways to Stay in Soccer Shape Over the Summer

By Parker & Walsh 2 Comments

Summer is a time to relax and have fun, but also get into shape for your upcoming soccer season.

For many players, your club soccer is just about to end and you will have a couple of months of free time before your high school season begins.

(And even if your season is on another schedule, it is likely there will be a summer break in there somewhere.)

Summer is a crucial time to get into soccer shape, and this post will outline the best ways to stay in soccer shape over the summer.

Setting fitness goals for soccer

When you physically write down the goals you wish to accomplish, you are more likely to follow through and succeed.

One good goal is to be able to run 2 miles in 12 minutes.

Another goal should be the number of push-ups, abs, lunges, and split-leg jumping squats (jumping lunges) done in a week. You should try to raise the number by at least 1 each week.

Just get out there and run: A way to accomplish the first goal above is to get a watch, pick a running loop (whether it is shorter or longer than 2 miles), then try to run it faster each time. Then periodically test your 2 mile time throughout the summer. (Check out our post on Interval Training and the Importance of Change of Pace in Soccer.)

Does Playing Other Sports Help You in Soccer?

You bet! Other sports can be great for improving your soccer fitness, such as basketball, tennis, swimming, kayaking, rock climbing, and biking.

Aside from being fun, other sports have distinct fitness benefits.

For example, playing basketball allows you to work on your lateral movement while getting in a lot of short sprints. Tennis is the same way.

Swimming, on the other hand, will help improve your cardiovascular fitness.

Kayaking will help your arm strength to shield and hold opponents off.

Rock climbing is a full body workout which improves the strength of your arms and legs.

Biking will help strengthen your legs.

Especially for those who have to force themselves to go running each day, playing other sports helps spice up your summer while helping you to prepare for the upcoming soccer season.

Play Soccer! (And What to Focus on)

Finally, there is no better way to get into soccer shape than just playing the game itself.

If you are a defender, then try to make more attacking runs out of the back to get more running in.

If you are a forward, then try to track more guys down from behind. As for a midfielder, try to play box-to-box to get the most fitness in that you can.

Best Time of the Day to Train for Soccer Fitness?

Finally, when working out, you should take into account the time of day.

The hottest part of a summer day is usually from 2pm-4pm.

Many players would not work out during this time, but I think that it is a great time to work because your workout is intensified with the heat.

If you can perform in intense heat, then it will only make the games in optimal weather like a walk in the park.

If you are going to do this, however, be absolutely sure to stay hydrated and stop if you are feeling overheated.

This also depends on your location. If you live in a hot region where there may be a heat advisory, we do not recommend practicing then and instead in the morning or evening when it is cooler.

Photo credit cempey

5 Soccer Challenges That Will Help Hone Your Skills

By Parker & Walsh 6 Comments

soccer challenges When you’re working to improve your soccer game, coming up with a fun game or challenge can be a great way to stay engaged and get your competitive juices flowing.

The following 5 soccer challenges are meant to be somewhat difficult. Don’t get frustrated if you can’t complete them right away, and feel free to use modified versions as you see fit.

These challenges are made to test your skills but also to help you improve as a player.

1.) The Crossbar Game Challenge

The crossbar game is a classic soccer challenge. I played this a lot before high school practices with my coaches.

To do it, stand 30 yards away and drive a soccer ball to see if you can hit the top crossbar of a soccer goal.

If you have with a partner to play with, then see who can hit the crossbar 5 times first. You can also try hitting each of the posts.

As you’re going through the challenge, try both striking a set ball and a moving ball.

Hitting a set ball will help with your free kicks, but you always hit a moving ball during open play in a game so that is crucial to work on too.

The goal of this challenge is to pick a small target and hit it.

This has a lot of real-world utility, because when you are playing in a game, just a couple of inches can determine whether or not you score a goal, complete a pass, or whether your cross gets over a defender’s head.

2.) The Driving Range Challenge

The following game is a variation of the crossbar game. Again, stand 30 yards away and strike a ball at the goal.

The goal of this challenge is to drive the soccer ball into net without the ball hitting the ground.

This will help improve your shooting skills, especially driving a soccer ball.

The more that the ball is on a rope, the quicker it will get from point A to point B. Again, it is often more enjoyable to challenge a friend, and the competition will make you better.

3.) Target Practice Challenge

To do this challenge, place a trash can 40 or 50 yards away and try to kick a soccer ball into it. It’s simple but fun and very difficult to get right.

I saw an example of this challenge in a Youtube video of a behind the scenes commercial featuring David Beckham, one of the game’s best ever crossers.

This challenge will help you with your crossing accuracy. Learn from the best and start practicing.

4.) Juggling a Tennis Ball Challenge

Juggling a tennis ball is very tough, but can do wonders for your touch and control.

You can start by just kicking the tennis ball with your right foot once and then catching it. Then go left foot once and catch.

Progress to right foot, left foot, catch. Once you get comfortable do not catch the ball at all. Just keep juggling.

If you try this one, let us know your high number in the comments!

5.) Partner juggling over a house or a large tree

The final challenge is definitely a strange one. I first saw it on a commercial in the early 2000s, and I am not even sure what the commercial was promoting or selling. I just thought it was so cool to see two soccer players juggling over a house!

So immediately after the commercial my brother and I went outside and tried it. If my memory serves me correctly, then my brother and I completed juggling the soccer ball over our house about 5 times.

You can take as many touches as you need in order to settle the ball and get it under control, but do not let the ball hit the ground. If you need to modify the challenge, then only allow the ball to bounce once per side.

See you if you and a friend can beat beat 5. Let us know. It is tougher than it sounds. (Also, be sure to get permission before trying and don’t try this challenge if you might break something!)

Do you have any other favorite soccer challenges we haven’t mentioned?