How To Prepare For Youth Soccer Tryouts – Parents Guide
Today I’m going to show you awesome tips to get ready for soccer tryouts! We work with a lot of youth soccer athletes and one of the biggest mistakes they make is not continuing to train during the off-season.
I’m going to show you a couple of different exercises that you can do in a circuit-based fashion that your youth athlete can do during their off-season to help them prepare for upcoming tryouts.
These exercises are a great way to increase speed and stamina.
We’re going to do a couple of intervals. It’s going to be 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. That means your athlete is going to go for 30 seconds and then take a 30-second break and then do the next exercise.
That way it’s giving your athlete’s heart rate a chance to catch back up but you’re also getting ready to get into that next exercise.
Exercise #1: Jumping Lunges
So, for the first exercise, we’re going to go jumping lunges.
It’s a great way to work on explosiveness to the hips, but also the quads.
The athlete is going to come down, explode up, explode up, explode up, explode up.
One thing you want to keep in mind when your athlete is doing this exercise is you don’t want to go too far forward on your lunge because one, they will go to be off-balance, and two, you’re going to put too much pressure on your knee joint and not enough pressure on your quad.
When they come down, I want them to come straight down, keeping their chest up, driving through the heel, and exploding up, exploding up.
I want short, quick, explosive reps. This is going to help your athlete get faster and produce more speed and more acceleration on that field.
Exercise #2: Single-Leg Lateral Jump To a Stick
Next, we’re going to do a single-leg lateral jump to a stick.
This is going to work on ankle stability but also balance and coordination and explosiveness and a different plane of motion.
So, we’re going to go boom, stick, boom, stick, boom, stick, boom, stick.
Again, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, allowing that heart rate to come back.
Exercise #3: Downward Dog
Another great exercise we can do is a downward dog.
Now, this is going to create more flexibility in your athlete’s calves and your ankles.
So, if your athlete has ankle dorsiflexion restriction, this is a great exercise to do, but it’s also going to work core stability because they will be in a plank position.
It’s also working that upper body as well.
We’re going to come right here in a plank position on your hands. Then the athlete will come up and down, up and down.
Make sure they are really focused on inhaling and exhaling.
Exercise #4: Mountain Climbers
Your fourth exercise in this circuit is going to be mountain climbers.
This is a great way of getting more explosive in the hips again, but also a good core exercise as well.
So, again, we’re going to start in that plank position. The athlete is going to drive their knees forward, keeping that neutral spine.
I don’t want them to arch their back or bring their shoulders forward.
I want them to get in a nice neutral spine position and drive those knees forward.
Good Luck!
So, those are four great exercises your athlete can do in a circuit fashion to increase speed and stamina but also get them better versatile for tryouts.
Another great tip is to always make sure they are hustling, whether it’d be going to the bench to get water, or it’s going to the station.
It’s always good to be on their feet moving quickly because it shows the coach that they are ready to go, and they are always hustling which is really important.
If you live in Lee County, Florida, you can look here for soccer tryout dates and programs with the Lee County Strikers.
If you are looking for more ways to help your athlete dominate at try-outs, improve their athletic performance, or prevent injuries, let’s chat!
You can schedule a free consultation with me where I can evaluate your athlete and create a training program specific to them and their needs.
Look forward to speaking with you soon! 🙂
About the Author: Harminder
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