Advanced Mental & Physical Training

Research-based athletic development for athletes who want to excel in their sport. This is designed around principals integral to sports performance.

Explosive Power Learn the skills critical to jumping higher and running faster. Why does the NFL test the vertical jump? It is the truest measure of explosive power. I’ve seen athletes drafted based on their vertical jump numbers. However, this is not just a football number. Coaches and athletes of all sports look to this measurement as an indicator. This will provide measurable results in explosive power.

Speed and Quickness
Speed and quickness are defined as the time it takes you to go from point A to point B, change directions, and get back to point A. Some of us are naturally quick, and some of us must work hard for it. The bottom line is that to be the best on the court, you must have it. Speed and quickness are skills we can learn and develop. Through improved biomechanics and power development, this will provide measurable results in speed and quickness.

Muscular Endurance and Conditioning
Our bodies will respond during competition the way we have trained in practice. Most sports require bouts of intense running, jumping, and change of direction followed by intervals of lower intensity or rest. Believe it or not, basketball is not an aerobic sport. It’s almost entirely anaerobic. So if I wanted to train for basketball, why would I go out and jog five miles? I wouldn’t. I’d focus on training my explosive and anaerobic system because that is what is essential to becoming a great basketball player. This trains you to be the best athlete. This means being the best in the first quarter as well as the fourth quarter. This will 100% improve your muscular endurance and conditioning for your sport.

Injury Prevention
All previous components are combined in this last topic. Years of research and publishing on ACL injuries and sports performance training have led to the development of AMPT. This is the ONLY research and evidence-based implementing the latest protocols and techniques in injury prevention in Seattle.

Injury prevention is directly related to:
Improved Biomechanics- play lower, accelerate and decelerate with complete control
Improved Explosiveness and Power- being more explosive and stronger actually reduces impact forces on your body!
Improved Muscular Endurance- Injuries commonly occur when we are tired. An out of shape athlete is more likely to pull a hamstring or sprain an ankle (link to research). When we are prepared, we pay lower with better biomechanics and can play strong until the final buzzer.
Core Strength- A strong core doesn’t just mean being able to do a thousand crunches. Your core is not only your front side; it’s your backside as well! You’ve got to have strong glutes and hamstrings as well as lower back. Combine it with strong abs, obliques, and hips, and you are a powerfully injury resistant athlete.
Lifelong Benefits - If we can reduce injuries, we can have a positive impact on the healthy active life of all our athletes. We can reduce chances of chronic pain, arthritis, and improve outcomes by decreasing injuries.



The dynamics and fluidity of the game have changed the way we think about preparing and developing talented soccer athletes. Soccer is a great mix of aerobic and anaerobic athleticism, which a similar mix of , conditioning, and recovery. Our tackles the challenging issues of creating an athlete who is not only explosive and aerobic, but also resilient to injury, mentally three steps ahead, and tactically ready to compete at maximal capacity throughout the year. This a different approach to athletic development, coaching , and consistency in progressions.

The :

Our will cover the FOUR CORES throughout the year. Our FOUR CORES are:

Physical:
Biomechanics - Joint angles matter
Energy Systems - Anaerobic vs. aerobic, why it matters
Dynamic Warm-Ups - Don’t skip the
Plyometrics - and explosiveness before conditioning
Age/Gender - It is about , not age/gender
Technical:
Attention to detail - Speed/agility are related to processing, brain speed
Efficiency - Ease of movement equals first to the ball, time of possession
Think - Always be aware of where you are in time and space
Anticipate - Be at least 3 steps ahead of your opponent, don’t hesitate
Intensity - Know when to strike
Social:
Communication - A team must work as one
Positive Reinforcement - Connect, then correct
Problem Solving - It’s not up to one person, work together
Interact - Listen first, ask pertinent questions
- Everybody is integral
Emotional:
Consistency - Progress happens with consistency over time
Mindset - What the mind believes, the body achieves
Too High/Too Low - Maintain positive and controlled outlook
Strive - Do your best, regardless of circumstances
Respect - Yourself and other coaches, players, opponents. Always take the opportunity to get better.

Soccer Specific Strengths:
Aerobically Fit: Conditioned athletes ready to develop anaerobic components.
Mental attention to detail: Highly ed athletes ready to learn and work.
Adaptability/Coach-ability: We will set clearly defined goals for each session during our pre-workout “check-ins”.

Soccer Opportunities:
Anaerobic is usually underdeveloped vs. aerobic : Usually lower intensity tasks & skills can be performed very well, but performing explosive tasks can be very challenging Loading techniques were more joint oriented than musculature: Reversing this trend will allow them to perform with a lower center of mass which improves sports performance and landing/cutting maneuvers as well as reduce joint injuries Single leg dominance. While this is certainly typical and normal, we strive for symmetry between the legs from a performance measurement, this will reduce overuse injuries while improving and cutting maneuvers

Common Soccer Injuries:
Ankle Sprains
Patella Femoral Syndrome: Athletes who are not presenting as injured, but have non-descript knee pain. This is usually caused by continuous impact forces, improper running mechanics, and joint loading vs. musculature loading, or IT Band tightness.
Hamstring/Hip Flexor Strains. Presented as reduced Hamstring flexibility/mobility.
Overhead Shoulder Mobility. These injuries are usually driven by shoulder/postural and issues. Improper techniques on a variety of exercises throughout their careers and could be a cause. The push-up is one of the most abused exercises, and if done improperly, can cause shoulder issues as it relates to running gait, overhead mobility, and total body in general.

In Summary:

We expect to see relatively high degree of aerobic , their ability to do extended work over time in a consistent pattern. While this is typical of our young soccer players who are predominantly aerobic, the anaerobic component of their is significantly lagging behind their aerobic development. In conversations with many soccer coaches we have worked with, the most common shared goal is that their athletes be more explosive fluid and ful.

Anaerobic /explosiveness a on intensities and modalities, incorporating a dynamic protocol that can be implemented consistently via trainers and coaches, and through developing this protocol component using sports timing and durations.

Most, if not all, of these “injuries” can be alleviated if not prevented by designing a protocol with the following built in components executed consistently pre & post practices & games;

unilateral loading and balance exercises:
Foam rolling
Band stretching
A precise dynamic warm-up

Soccer is a balanced mix of aerobic and anaerobic , a complicated sport to condition and excel at; therefore, it is critical as we work to develop complete soccer athletes, we aim to structure protocols that on improving and explosiveness while maintaining their current fluidity.

How does this look throughout a Soccer Year!

Pre-Season :
Our number one priority is to implement a pre-season combine day. We must establish a baseline before we begin to measure and plot out path forward.

The purpose of the combine day would be to;
- Establish a baseline of numbers
- Give us the ability to compare with other athletes of similar ages
- Allow us to precisely track progress over time (re- every quarter)
- Measure the intangibles that make athletes resilient to injury
- Continuously improve performance on the field and know the factors that made this happen

This combine would measure;
- Explosiveness
- Speed
- Unilateral strength/ (injury predisposition )
- Anaerobic capacity

We would be able to accomplish this in one day, collate & analyze the measurements and provide a comprehensive plan for every individual athlete.

The pre-season would include but not limited to:
1.) Vertical Jump
2.) Broad Jump
3.) Single Leg Hop and Hold (Injury Predisposition)
3.) 30 second Hurdle Hop (repetitive lateral movement, lactic acid, production)
4.) 10 yard dash (first step explosiveness)

This component is foundational and integral to measurable progress and achieving our mutually agreed goals in partnership. Measurements also allows us to provide real data and progress over time to the coaches, players, trainers, directors, and parents, this combined with the on the field feedback will be a ful display of the protocols effectiveness.

Additionally, this pre- time is a very effective way to begin laying foundational work for our Nutrition for Sports Performance series. It goes beyond what the athletes probably already know, and talks about the science and the chemistry of how we repair, recover, and maintain health/performance through nutrition. We aim to give them the tools to make great decisions on recovering, refueling, and repairing from intense practice and competition. Nutrition is a component that is easily overlooked, but a component which incrementally can make huge differences in performance, recovery and health! Nutrition coaching is ongoing throughout the year.

is a core difference and where the rubber meets the road.

Measurable Goals and of Multi-Faceted ming Equals Performance and Prevention:
The rationalization behind the and phases I-II-III, is to create clear, measurable and definable goals and results within the various components throughout the year. From a and conditioning standpoint, every component of should be taken care of within our protocol for athletes. From Speed and Agility /, Strength/Plyometric components, Injury Prevention strategies, nutrition, as well as pre-habilitation and self-care techniques to allow for continuous adaptation and progress. This overview will provide the guidepost for proper planning and volumes, strategic goal setting, and a clear vision and mission as it relates to overall expectations and .

A Multi-Faceted Approach:
and Conditioning has become an integral component in most if not all competitive environments and team . It isn’t an easy plug and play system to just make the workouts hard, or punitive. Train with purpose. It is a thorough overview and the carefully coordinated of multiple components of and developing throughout the year...indeed multiple years. The following phases will provide an overview, taking into account, league & competition seasons, of volumes & intensity over a full year with a on performance and injury prevention, , measuring, and evaluating athletes. It is a sample only, as different teams and genders will be in different phases from the start, but it is a way to begin to think about a year long strategy for , volume progression, and how to begin to on strengths and weaknesses as it relates to a year of and competition.

PHASE I – Fast Twitch:
Summer – JUNE through Mid-August:
Primary :
Anaerobic
Fast Twitch Plyometric Development
Speed Movement Patterns
Higher Volumes, Higher Intensity
Pre-Test Data Sets
Nutrition for Sports Performance and Recovery

This is our biggest opportunity to make significant gains in and explosiveness. During this phase, we would like to work directly with the coaches, and train them on implementing a protocol that will augment the plyometric and components that we would implement once per week. Essentially, we are incorporating the speed, agility and twitch components into every single practice.

If we do this as a “less is more” pattern, we can get more out of our athletes every practice, instead of making it a separate event in their just one day a week. The best practice is to implement your anaerobic work as a priority, then carry over into practice. It is a much simpler process, and a much simpler design. This way there is crossover in messaging, consistency in patterning, and a comprehensive of each component throughout the week.

Our “Coaching Workshops” are integral to being able to scale and implement consistency in the . We would host a four hour workshop every quarter covering everything from Dynamic Warm-Ups to Injury Prevention and Mechanics. This would be an ongoing , add stability and consistency in the , and would ensure the proper of protocols which would be added to daily practice schedules. We would anticipate regularly floating onsite during normal practice to oversee proper technique and form and to answer any questions, as well as to help with ongoing progressions. By the end of the first year, your coaches will be certified in our Soccer and Conditioning . Keeping in mind the constraints of time and schedule, a sample week would consist of:

Day 1 – Practice on Field with Coach:
Dynamic Warm-Up with a on hip, hamstring, and ankle mobility (6 minutes)
Plyometric (8 minutes)
Soccer/Skills/Competition/Practice
Band Warm-Down with Coaches (8 minutes)

Day 2 – Practice On Field with Coach:
Dynamic Warm-Up with on Shoulder mobility, spine, knees (6 minutes)
Lateral and Sagittal Footwork drills based on Intensity AND Duration. is on decelerations and loading into the hips. Development of anaerobic , not conditioning. (12 minutes)
Soccer/Skills/Competition/Practice
Band Warm-Down with Coaches (8 Minutes)

Day 3 – Explosive Strength/Balance/Core with CT and JP (75 minutes):
90 minutes of Explosive, Strength, and Unilateral work.
Our goal is to improve:
Twitch response
Patterns, biomechanics, loading techniques
Strength
Postural/Core strength
Unilateral development providing symmetry
Tactical/Teamwork/Communication

We would also begin to implement:
“Self-care” routines including Foam Rollers, Pressure Point and Bands
The on the mechanics of Injury Prevention and the why, what, and how of the
Conditioning, running mechanics, decelerations
Transverse movements creating a sports tempo and pattern as well as increasing and improving components.

With our self-care routines, our aim is to keep the girls healthy, giving them the tools to help alleviate soreness, IT band tightness, non-descript knee pains which happen with overuse and high volumes of running, and keeping all of their joints happy and healthy. We call it our Pre-Physical Therapy Checklist, easy to do, straight forward therapy so they can repair, recover, and rejuvenate.

Day 4 – Practice on field with Coaches
Dynamic Warm-Up with Coach (7-8 min)
Soccer/Skills/Competition/Practice
Warm Down with Bands (10 minutes)
Notes on the above schedule:

1.) We are working on the assumption athletes will be practicing 4 days a week. 3 on field with their coach, and one day with us. However, if it is 3 days total we can easily tailor to this arrangement.

2.) We will run clinics with coaches and we will be here to work concurrently with the coaches so we are speaking the same language to the players and setting expectations for our athletes. This a longer-term project which will add cohesion between teams and coaches.

3.) We will be in the gym 1 day a week during this timeframe. One workout solely with us, and we will periodically check-in onsite, coordinated with coaches, as it relates to of the on-field and progression of protocols.

4.) We will provide a warm-up cool down kit to each player and the coaches. This will include 3-4 items that will facilitate the dynamic warm-up and cool down as well as self-therapy modalities.

PHASE II – Reboot and Recover:

Fall (Post HS Season):

of this transition time would be to replenish their bodies after their HS season, begin to get their brains and bodies reconnected, address any injuries and therapy needed, and essentially reboot their systems.

4 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas:

once per week, in the gym, priorities as follows in this order:
1.) Mobility: Going back to a reboot idea, get their bodies back on track from a HS season. on opening up the musculature and joints, healing up and recovering from their season, and getting the system to start clicking again. Reconnecting their brains and bodies.

2.) Healing: Any chronic or acute injuries should be a primary during this time frame. Implement our mobility and therapy routines, implement a “complex” of exercises which will improve neuromuscular function, allow their bodies to repair, not create soreness, improve balance/core strength, and lay the foundations for PHASE III.

3.) Reassess; At the end of this process, most likely heading into their season, retest. Get more data collected, re-evaluate their goals and progress, and re on the upcoming season.

4.) Retest: With teams traveling and competing in January and February, this would be a good time to retest on “off” weekends or weeks, and prepare for the next Phase.

PHASE III – Strength:

Because of the competition/league schedule, I feel we should work with a flex schedule here. January and February are good times to on reducing impact forces, on strength, balance, and core, and overall keep their volume very low as it relates to explosive/dynamic , BUT it is also a good time to slow things down and really dial in our tempo and form as it relates to our .

While this is their competitive season, it is still advantageous to continue to work on the biomechanics in a deliberate way throughout this time frame. PHASE III is a perfect phase to outline our protocols, which will lay down the foundation for the return to PHASE I in June. This foundation would improve the functioning of biomechanics during high velocity maneuvers, reinforce neuromuscular pathways integral to the sport, and improve performance throughout their season, without the grinding patterns of continuous running, jumping, and cutting maneuvers.

PHASE III would be our Phase.
It would include, but not be limited to:
of Olympic Lifts
Total Body Core Lifts (Split Stance Deadlifts, Weighted Step-Ups, Sled , Rope , etc.)
Unilateral Development Postural and Core Work
Posterior Chain Development
Advanced Prehab Techniques
Homework Game plan

I see this as being our window into next season. A way to continue to lay the foundational components and taking the longer view on athletic development. This would lead right back into PHASE I which would begin with onboarding your younger teams, continuing the progress of girls in the system, and map a clear path forward which spans the course of their careers.

The following Graph roughly outlines the Phases and intensities as it relates to the calendar year:

This graph would drive the season through phases of increasing / decreasing intensities, with being placed on intensity and the goals and objectives for each phase.

Phase I begins in June and runs through mid-August. Phase II begins after the high school season and wraps up before Christmas break. And their final Phase III begins in the beginning of the year wrapping up before the end of May, setting up a return to Phase I.

We appreciate your review and consideration of this comprehensive outline for your teams. We feel that this outline and plan would be a ‘best and industry leading practice’ to create healthy athletes who are ful, explosive and more injury resistant; also, foundationally giving them the tools, Physical, Physiological & Nutritional, which would serve them well the rest of their soccer career & lives.

Soccer Clubs, Parents and Athletes are demanding more in terms of holistic injury reduction and ensuring athletes are healthy throughout their sports career and later in life. Every day we see injured youth athletes and many of these injuries are avoidable. A healthy athlete is a win for all parties involved and we are seeing the trend towards putting this approach as the foundation from which to build great Athletes, Teams, Clubs and deliver Championships.

We believe strongly in this . Our aim is to create a valuable tool for SU athletes, a clear plan for goal setting and development, and a feedback system for all involved with your athletes.

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to the next steps in this process!



STEP ONE
We are going to implement our dynamic warm-up. Most of the athletes and kids we come across haven’t been taught how to move! We lay the foundation for movement, playing strong and safe. The key component is gross movement patterns critical for sports and activity, proper form and volume, and safety. Everything we do is based on movement patterns, the assessment of these patterns, and then the progression to higher intensities and movements. One step at a time, we improve biomechanics, flexibility, and have fun.

STEP TWO
Let’s learn how to jump. Plyometrics are the most effective way to develop young athletes from Day 1. Our first step is learning how to land, and from this simple pattern, we have developed and entire series of plyometrics that we have tailored to our youth athletics. From learning to land and stop, to repetitive patterns, to explosive multi-directional patterns and movements, the AMPT series covers all of our bases involved in most sports. We adhere strictly to NSCA guidelines on volume and we’ve created a consistent and powerful which can easily be implanted with minimal equipment.

STEP THREE
. I know, you’re thinking squats and bench press, dumbbells and kettlebells. We do not use any of this, instead, we’ve developed a body weight minimalist approach to our s. We will bring anything we need to augment our , and it could be something as simple as a towel to do our work. We implement similar movement patterns in line with our dynamic warm-up and plyometric series. All of our patterns are repeatable, but will not get stale or boring. We are constantly changing our within the template of AMPT. This way we can tailor it to our groups, and ensure we are safe and strong.

STEP FOUR
Balance and Core is essential. It can be a simple single leg exercise or plank, and can get pretty intense with additions of games and a little friendly competition. All of our balance and core work is done towards the end of our workouts, when everybody is tired, we ask to slow down and re. This incorporates some mental toughness while performing an exercise that isn’t as technical as our warm-up or plyometrics, but still equally important. Improvements in balance and core will absolutely lead to a reduction in injuries and improvements in biomechanics. This is also a time when we like to play some games and have some fun with everybody working as a group.

STEP FIVE
Conditioning. We call is Work Capacity, but it’s a way to describe doing a given amount of work over time. It’s like measuring how long I takes you to run a mile, but we aren’t running miles. We set up competitions and games that involves groups working as teams. Some days are more mental than physical, but they are all definitely challenging.

STEP SIX
Warm Down and Homework. We will always work on flexibility at the end of the workout, and during this time, it gives us a chance to talk to our athletes. We talk to them about nutrition, school, sports, just about anything they have questions about. We always find, kids may come in not knowing what to expect, but by time they’re done, they are smiling and sweating. It’s always a good time to ask and answer questions, and also a time to give recommendations on nutrition, sports, sleeping, and any topic related to the . Then we wrap up and send them on their way!