Core Training For Soccer Players
By Rachelle Ilg - Personal Trainer, Kinesiologist

As an active young adult, I have already experienced episodes of low back pain. I grew up playing a variety of team sports including soccer, basketball, volleyball, and cross-country running. At the end of most practices, I was trained to strengthen my abdominal muscles by doing as many sit ups as I could consecutively. The knowledge and research on core training has since then shifted away from this approach.

Now in the sport and fitness industry, there is a strong emphasis on targeting the many muscles that make up the core, rather than focusing on the rectus abdominis (6-pack muscle). The core has been defined as the muscles that surround the lumbo pelvic-hip complex, thoracic spine, and cervical spine. It is considered the center of gravity, where all movements begin. The core is composed of both an inner and outer unit. The outer unit is primarily responsible for movement and has huge potential to generate force. The outer unit muscles include: rectus abdominis, the internal and external obliques, the quadratus lumborum, the erector spinae, the hamstrings, and the adductors. The inner unit is made up primarily of small, stabilizing muscles, which help to provide joint stiffness. These muscles include the transverse abdominis, multifidus, diaphragm, and the deep pelvic floor muscles. They work for extended periods of time with low levels of contraction. Together these two units work as a stable base platform base for your arms and legs to work off of throughout movement.

Why is core strength so important for soccer players?

The sport of soccer involves constant movement through many planes of motion. Actions such as sharp cutting from side to side, planting, turning, jogging, and sprinting all place various demands on the stability of the spine. This system must be structurally sound in order to produce force, reduce force, stabilize against abnormal force and transfer forces. If the muscles surrounding the spine are poorly developed, these spinal structures can become irritated, injured or even damaged resulting to back pain. The core can become dysfunctional due to pain in the back, hip and/or abdominal region.

How do I train my core?

First we must learn the “Drawing in Manoeuvre”. This involves drawing in the abdominal wall from below the navel and narrowing in the waist. The primary muscle involved in this contraction is the transverse abdominals. Think of this muscle as a corset for your lower abdominals (below your navel). The goal is to properly engage this muscle and keep it contracted throughout all forms of movements. In fact even when sitting, in addition to establishing proper posture, you want to keep the transverse engaged.

The first phase of core training should involve stabilization exercises such as the plank, the two-leg floor bridge and the floor prone cobra. All these exercises help improve the function of the core stabilizing muscles that surround the spine. From there we can progress to doing strength phase, which involves using a variety of equipment including the Swiss ball, medicine ball, and cable pullies. And finally we can include a power training phase, which can be highly specific to the demands of the sport i.e. Overhead soccer throw with medicine ball. In each training session it is important to balance flexion exercises with extension exercises. Moreover, effective conditioning of the outer unit should include exercises that integrate the function of the inner and outer units, using movement patterns that are common to the sport environment.

When should I do my core training?

Generally speaking, core training should be left for the end of the workout. If we place high demands on this system prior to activity, it may lead to faulty movement patterns due to neuromuscular fatigue.

How often should I train my core?

The muscles that surround the spine are slow twitch muscle fibres, which means they are more endurance based and need to be trained more frequently. As a result, core training should be done most, if not all days of the week.

Summary

Sit-ups alone are inadequate for training the core. It is important to first learn to engage the transverse abdominis before beginning core stabilization exercises. From there, we can progress to building strength. Once we have safely progressed from the first two phases, we can incorporate power training into the core program.

Because we participate in multi-dimensional activities, it should be apparent that there is a need to effectively prepare the body for the many demands that is placed on it.

If you have any questions about core training, please feel free to contact me by email at info@fitba.ca.

To learn more about Fitness Training with Rachelle Ilg, please click here.

Happy training!

References:
Check, Paul MMS, HHP, NMT (1999) The Outer Unit
Jacques, Yvonne (2004) The Deep Muscular Corset. Edgepac
NASM Optimim Performance Training for the Fitness Professional. (pg 330-350)

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