Strength Training for Soccer

Rely on the experts to help build strong, powerful soccer athletes.

Tailoring strength and conditioning programs for soccer requires a deep understanding of the demands of the game. Preparing players to accelerate, decelerate, change direction, and turn and jump can be a challenge.

Developed with the expertise of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Strength Training for Soccer explains the value of resistance training for soccer players. The book—backed by practical experience, evidence-based training methodologies, and research—provides a general overarching biomechanical analysis of soccer and specific analysis of the physical demands of each position: goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards. Using these analyses, you can design an effective training program that translates to performance on the field. The book also offers the following:

• 10 detailed protocols to test soccer players’ strength, power, speed, agility, and high-intensity aerobic endurance capacity
• 6 total body resistance exercises with 4 variations
• 11 lower body exercises with 23 variations
• 18 upper body exercises with 44 variations
• 22 anatomical core exercises with 32 variations
• 27 sample programs for off-season, preseason, in-season, and postseason resistance training

Each resistance training exercise consists of a series of photos and a detailed list of primary muscles trained, beginning position and movement phases, breathing guidelines, modifications and variations, and coaching tips. You’ll also learn proper exercise technique and gain a deeper understanding of what muscles are involved in each exercise so you can develop a complete and targeted resistance training program.

Backed by the NSCA and the knowledge and experience of individuals who have years of experience as strength and conditioning professionals for soccer, Strength Training for Soccer is the authoritative resource for creating soccer-specific resistance training programs to help your athletes optimize their strength and successfully transfer that strength and power to the soccer field.

Earn continuing education credits! A continuing education course and exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately, or as part of a package that includes all the course materials and exam.

Audience

Strength and conditioning professionals, personal trainers, or other related professionals who supervise and train athletes for soccer; also for soccer coaches with intermediate or advanced understanding of strength and conditioning concepts and applications.

Foreword by Tim Howard
Introduction by Bob Bradley

Part I. Principles of Sport-Specific Resistance Training

Chapter 1. Importance of Resistance Training
Garga Caserta and William E. Amonette

Chapter 2. Analysis of the Sport and Sport Positions
Scott Piri

Chapter 3. Testing Protocols and Athlete Assessment
Ernie Rimer and Jo Clubb

Chapter 4. Sport-Specific Program Design Guidelines
Megan Young, Garga Caserta, and Matt Howley

Part II. Exercise Technique

Chapter 5. Total Body Exercise Technique
Scott Caulfield and Bryan Mann

Chapter 6. Lower Body Exercise Technique
Scott Caulfield and Bryan Mann

Chapter 7. Upper Body Exercise Technique
Ian Jeffreys

Chapter 8. Anatomical Core Exercise Technique
Cat Wade and Kevin Cronin

Part III. Program Design Guidelines and Sample Programs

Chapter 9. Off-Season Programming
Julia Eyre and Ivi Casagrande

Chapter 10. Preseason Programming
Daniel Guzman and Joey Harty

Chapter 11. In-Season Programming
Melissa Terry and Matt Howley

Chapter 12. Postseason Programming
Ryan Alexander

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is the world’s leading organization in the field of sport conditioning. Drawing on the resources and expertise of the most recognized professionals in strength training and conditioning, sport science, performance research, education, and sports medicine, the NSCA is the world’s trusted source of knowledge and training guidelines for coaches and athletes. The NSCA provides the crucial link between the lab and the field.

Daniel Guzman, MS, CSCS, is one of the most respected strength and conditioning coaches in American soccer. He started as the youngest head strength and conditioning coach in Major League Soccer with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2014; they went on to win the MLS Cup. In 2017 Daniel joined the United States men's national soccer team on the journey to the 2018 FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia. He served that team as they won the Concacaf Gold Cup in the summer of 2017. Lastly, he served the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) from 2018 to 2021 as the head performance coach. LAFC won the Supporters’ Shield trophy in 2019 and set a record for most points in a single season. In 2022, Daniel decided to leave the team side of professional sports and start his own business, Guzman Performance, which strives to train and educate soccer athletes and coaches using the top strength and conditioning strategies for the sport. Daniel wants to leave a legacy as a servant leader in the field of strength and conditioning who lived to lift others up. He lives in Orange County, California, with his wife and three kids. He enjoys spending time at the beach and playing sports.

Megan Young, MSEd, CSCS, SCCC, FRC, USAW SPC, is a lifelong learner of human performance optimization, health and well-being, strategic integration of sport science, human optimization technology, data systems, and cross-functional management to support winning organizations. She is in the process of obtaining her doctoral degree from Auburn University. With over 15 years of high-performance experience, she has applied these areas of expertise in various roles, including strength coach and high-performance director in collegiate athletics and women’s and men’s professional soccer. Coach Young ensures her coaching leverages data-influenced decision making, contextual compassion, and tactical empathy. She has been fortunate to train elite U.S. and international athletes, Olympians, and World Cup champions. She is often sought after as a thought leader, speaker, and expert in the evolution of the global coaching paradigm. Outside of her professional commitments, she elevates and educates others in awareness of leukemia, a cancer she survived in 2015. She also invests time in any activity in an ocean or lake, hiking, pickleball, and reading articles that challenge her current perspective. She resides in Seattle with her dear pup, Kilo, and her fiancé.

“In Strength Training for Soccer, leaders in the field lay out a revolutionary holistic blueprint for mastering soccer-specific strength training year-round. Strength Training for Soccer is a must-have tool for every soccer strength coach’s toolbox!”
—Kelly Dormandy, MEd, CSCS, USAW1, PN1, Director of Sports Performance for University of Georgia Women’s Soccer

“Strength Training for Soccer provides scientific evidence and practical ways to test, develop, and improve strength—a fundamental aspect of athletic performance—to meet the demands of the sport."
—Carwyn Sharp, PhD, CSCS, Head of Human Performance for AS Roma in Italy

“Strength Training for Soccer helps to reveal fundamental and key concepts that any strength coach, performance coach, or sport scientist should have a deep understanding of at all times. Gaining practical insight from professionals who are working with players and teams at the highest level is invaluable to all those working in our profession.”
—Adam C. Parr, MS, CSCS, Performance Specialist for Charlotte FC and Sport Scientist for U.S. Soccer

Countermovement jump for soccer strength
Identify athletes’ individual strengths and weaknesses
Sample training program for in-season high school soccer goalkeepers