DO YOU WANT TO BE SOCCER STONG?
If have any questions regarding our HSC Program read below, or contact Jim Dick at
[email protected]
The Foundation
Soccer is a contact sport that is physically demanding, requiring players to be strong and fit as well as possess skills. Heritage’s HSC program is designed to help prevent injuries and provide our kids with the foundation to meet the physical demands of soccer.
The acronym HSC not only stands for Heritage Soccer Club, but for our Health, Strength and Conditioning program as well. And coincidently, the order of the letters in the HSC program is very important…..
Health—Our highest priority for our kids. Without proper diet, athletes will not be able to build muscle or increase speed, stamina, agility and technical (ball) skills. In addition, without being injury free, athletes will not be able to play, let alone improve, in the sports they love. Our HSC program provides the tools for our kids to improve their nutrition and help prevent “preventable” injuries.
Strength—Strong muscles are also key to injury prevention and success. The forces that are exerted on joints and ligaments (especially at the knee) cannot be resisted by the ligaments themselves--strong muscles are required. In addition, without building a good muscular foundation, athletes will be limited in developing speed, stamina, agility or technical skills.
Conditioning—With good health and strong muscles, our kids can begin improving their conditioning, agility, speed, and technical skills.
The Program
Our HSC program is a multi-pronged approach that not only includes Friday HSC sessions, but:
Implementation at Practices: Our coaches and trainers will include strength, conditioning, speed and agility at their weekly practices. Some practices will be dedicated to this training. Obviously, these exercises will be adjusted for each age group. Warm-ups will be just that—warming up the body. Warm-ups will incorporate dynamic stretching (short duration stretches--3-5 sec--while moving) to optimize performance. Static stretching (long duration stretches--20-30 sec) will be saved for after practices and games to help with flexibility and mobility as well as reduce muscle soreness.
Additional Skills Training: To support those players and teams that are looking for additional training on top of their weekly practice sessions and Friday HSC training, Heritage’s staff is available to provide technical (ball) skills sessions. Please contact your coach or
Julio Borge, Heritage’s Director of Coaching, for more information.
Preventive Injury Focus: According to
FIFA, and our own Club’s experience, most injuries to soccer players are related to the ankle (sprains and tears), knee (ACL & MCL sprains & tears), leg (strains and tears), and head (concussions). Our HSC program aims to reduce these injuries by incorporating programs developed by:
FIFA F-MARC Program
Crossfit and
Cross fit kids(full body workouts focusing on high intensity “broad, general, and inclusive” exercises )
Nutrition: Our coaches and trainers will remind parents and players to incorporate a diet that is balanced in protein, carbohydrates, vegetables
and fruits and that reduces (or eliminates) processed foods, sugar, sugar substitutes, energy drinks, sodas, etc. Programs that emphasize balanced nutrition for the athlete include:
TiCaudron.com (Walnut Creek based “whole food” nutrition and wellness program)