About the Program

Developing healthy athletes who have the tools to succeed at their chosen level of play is a key part of creating "A Lifetime of Soccer". The Jackson Clinics and Explosive Performance are excited to continue evaluating our travel players' physical development, to measure improvements from the previous year.


Through this collaboration, the club aims to identify risk factors for injury and specific targets that will impact athletic performance.

Medical Assessments

with The Jackson Clinics

Foot Posture

The tests used to screen your athlete’s foot posture are described in the video below. If your athlete’s summary report suggested that they need improvement, the following ideas might be helpful to try at home or with your team!


Video Explanation →

  • Barefoot Games

    Barefoot is great because it helps YOU really see their foot position


    • For 8-year-olds and younger here are some fun activities that might help them with foot posture training:

    1. Who can balance on one foot for the longest (make it a competition, and you can do it with them)? -this works on foot muscle strength and forces your athlete to use a full foot strategy rather than going on their toes
    2. Who can balance on one foot for the longest if you bend your knee (make it a competition and you can do it with them)? -this adds the challenge of knee flexion, which replicates soccer positions and the squat pattern more realistically
    3. Who can stay in a 2-legged crouch position (squat) the longest (can also be a fun competition that you can participate in)? – for this one, you can also walk around them and gently pass a ball between their feet while they hold the squat so they get the cue to keep their feet/knees apart.  Your athlete gets the added benefit of calf/quad/glute endurance training!
    4. Can your athlete do a little jump, then land in the same crouch position you just practiced in #3? – this might be difficult for them.  The jump takes their mind off of the technique you practiced, so they might struggle.  The focus should be on a good starting position and a good landing position (should be able to pass a ball between their feet/knees like in #3)

    • For 9-year-olds and older, you can step up the challenge some. Some things that might help them:  

    1. You can do all of the same activities we suggested for the younger athletes, just make it more challenging (have your athlete pass a ball with the free leg during the balance game, or have your athlete keep their balance despite you gently disrupting their balance with distractions like head turning, having them catch a ball, etc.)

  • Toe Yoga | U9+

    Toe Yoga: barefoot in standing (should make the arches of your athlete’s feet burn) 


    1. Keep toes 2-5 on the ground and lift the big toe off the ground 30 times
    2. Keep the big toe on the ground and lift toes 2-5 off the ground 30 times
    3. Progress to single leg stance (doing the same exercises) if double leg stance is too easy

    • *For 9-year-olds and older

  • Slack Banded Squats | U9+

    Double leg squats with bands around their knees (band should be barely tight enough to keep from falling down) – this forces them to keep tension on the band throughout the squat or the band will fall. You could have them see who can complete an obstacle course without letting the band fall down


    • *For 9-year-olds and older

  • Squat Training | U9+

    Normal squat training and conditioning (squat variations, monster walks, side steps with bands, etc.)


    • *For 9-year-olds and older

Hip Strength

The test that was used to screen your athlete’s hip strength is described in the video below. If your athlete’s summary report suggested that they need improvement, the following exercises might be helpful to try at home or with your team!

Video Explanation →

  • Side Plank Variations

    In order from easiest-hardest.  Click HERE for a video on this from Explosive Performance.


    1. Elbow side plank from knees
    2. Elbow side plank from feet

    • Add an arm lift on the top arm
    • Add a leg lift on the top leg
    • Add a leg lift AND an arm lift
    • Add a slow running motion with the top leg
    • Add slow rotation of the top shoulder toward the ground

  • Thrower's Squat

    Slow movement that looks like a baseball pitcher following through in the pitching motion in super slow motion (must keep single leg balance the whole time) -will make the plant leg hip VERY tired if done correctly

  • Bowler's Squat

    Slow movement that looks like a bowler following through in the bowling motion in super slow motion (must keep single leg balance the whole time) -will make the plant leg hip VERY tired if done correctly

  • Hip Airplane

    Balance on one foot with arms out like and airplane THEN bend over at the hip THEN turn entire torso to the right and left (like an airplane turning) while maintaining plant leg balance.

Assessing Injuries

How do you know if an injury is readily manageable or if medical assistance is needed?


Soccer Specialists at The Jackson Clinics have developed a short video series outlining how to identify pain points for the following common soccer injuries along with the proper actions to take in order to prevent further damage:


Resources

The Jackson Clinics

Schedule an appointment for physical therapy with The Jackson Clinics.

Explosive Performance

Schedule a FREE Explosive Performance athlete training session.

Performance Testing

with Explosive Performance

Power

Speed

Change of Direction

Power Testing

Single Leg Broad Jump - Athletes jump off their right leg as far out as possible, and land on both legs. Repeat with the left leg.


This test demonstrates linear power, so athletes who perform well have the “speed off the mark” that we look for to react to a play. It is a low risk test to complete as our athletes jump with half their power (1 leg) and land with twice their power (2 legs). The Broad Jump test also identifies injury risk and performance deficits that research shows occurs in athletes with greater than a 10% difference in left to right leg power. Picture running with one of your legs wearing soccer shorts and the other wearing skinny jeans.

How to Improve

  1. Practice the test, as all you need is a tape measure. 
  2. 3 sets of 3-5 reps max effort per leg would be quick and effective. If the athlete has a large imbalance (6 inches or more), they should train the bad leg for more reps and sets. Bad leg gets 5 reps and good leg only gets 2 or 3 reps.
Power Training →

How to Improve

  1. Race! Run 20 – 30 yard sprints against your best friend or against the clock (stopwatch). 
  2. Speed must be trained every 3 days to improve. Your athlete will get speed training on game day, so we just need one other session to make an impact. Try 3-6 sprints of 20-30 yards with tons of rest between, as each sprint is trying to set a new PR for that distance. In 5 minutes you’ve impacted speed performance
Speed Training →

Speed Testing

20 Yard Dash - This test starts on the athletes first movement and ends when they cross the finish, just like the NFL 40 yard dash test. 


Soccer players constantly accelerate throughout the game and this test shows us who is good at building to max speed due to their power and coordination.  Even at the pro level, players usually don’t run the longer distance (like a 40 yard dash) more than 7 or 8 times a game.


There is an equation for how fast the 20 yard dash should be based on the 505 change of direction test, and vice versa. If the 20 is fast but the 505 is slow, then the athlete needs to work on deceleration. If the opposite is true, work on power/acceleration and coordination with running form.

Speed Testing

20 Yard Dash - This test starts on the athletes first movement and ends when they cross the finish, just like the NFL 40 yard dash test. 


Soccer players constantly accelerate throughout the game and this test shows us who is good at building to max speed due to their power and coordination.  Even at the pro level, players usually don’t run the longer distance (like a 40 yard dash) more than 7 or 8 times a game.


There is an equation for how fast the 20 yard dash should be based on the 505 change of direction test, and vice versa. If the 20 is fast but the 505 is slow, then the athlete needs to work on deceleration. If the opposite is true, work on power/acceleration and coordination with running form.

How to Improve

  1. Race! Run 20 – 30 yard sprints against your best friend or against the clock (stopwatch). 
  2. Speed must be trained every 3 days to improve. Your athlete will get speed training on game day so we just need one other session to make an impact. Try 3-6 sprints of 20-30 yards with tons of rest between, as each sprint is trying to set a new PR for that distance. In 5 minutes you’ve impacted speed performance
Speed Training →

Change of Direction Testing

505 Cutting Test - the test starts by sprinting from a start line through the 10 yard mark, and changing direction at the 15 yard mark. This means that you are only timed for 5 yards in, change direction, and then 5 yards out. Hence the name 5 0 5.


This test measures the athletes ability to decelerate turning left and then repeats the test turning right. 


If the athlete has a greater than 10% difference left to right, then this will impact performance and possibly lead to injury. If I can beat my opponent only if I turn one way with the ball, I will probably keep turning that way, so I win. This can lead to overuse and limit the players ability on the field to beat an opponent either direction.

How to Improve

  1. This test is easy to turn into a drill. Repeat 3-5 reps per side, max effort, and with ample rest. Try to set a record each rep.

Direction Training →