ACL Prevention Agility/Plyometric Program Day 1 ACL Agility/Plyo
ACL Prevention Agility/Plyometric Program The ACL Prevention Agility/Plyometric Program is designed to follow the ACL Base Strengthening Program. This 4-6 week workout is designed to accompany your preseason conditioning program 3x/week. The focus is sport specific, targeting muscles that protect your knees and at the same time, make you more explosive and agile on the soccer field. Let’s get started!
Day 1 ACL Agility/Plyo Squat Jumps (x1 min) Position your feet shoulder width apart. Begin with a motion as if you are sitting down into a squat with your weight on your heels. Lead with your tailbone, and keep your chest up as you swing your arms back past your hips. Explode up out of this squat position, reaching your arms overhead. Bring your arms back down in a swing motion as you land, absorbing all forces back into your squat, again leading with your tailbone. It is important that your landing is absorbed back down into another squat, calling on your glutes, hamstrings, and quads to slow your descent and explode back up. As you fatigue be sure to note the position of your knees. You do not want your knees to dive to the inside of your first two toes as this is a vulnerable position for your ACL Continue to work these explosive, repetitive squat jumps for a full min. **If working with a partner, they can watch your knee tracking to be sure your knees are staying over your first two toes, or if by yourself, you can get in front of a mirror for feedback. Tripod stance circle ball touches (x30 cw and ccw R/L) Stand on one leg, concentrating on 3 points of contact (big toe, little toe, and heel) with your opposite foot placed on a soccer ball. Place a cone or any object on the ground where your opposite foot would be if you were standing on both legs. Your goal in this exercise is to maintain single leg balance while you roll the ball clockwise around the cone with small touches for 30 sec. and then change the direction of your touches to roll the ball counter-clockwise x 30 sec. Keep in mind that your stance leg knee should not be locked and your big toe should be nailed into the ground. Pull your belly button up and in to cinch up your midsection and hold your body steady as you work the soccer ball around the cone. Switch your stance leg at 1 minute. Plank hold soccer ball rolls (x30 sec R/L) Position yourself in plank position, posting on your hands and your toes with a soccer ball placed just to the outside of your right foot. Lower your hips so that your body is in a straight plank position with your elbows slightly bent and pointing down toward your toes. Make sure your belly button is drawn up and in to stabilize your lower back as you lift your right leg off the ground, placing your right shin on top of the soccer ball. Holding this position, roll the soccer ball forward with your right foot, drawing your right knee toward your right elbow until your laces are on the ball, and then roll it back out, straightening your leg. Repeat this roll in and out with the soccer ball x 30 seconds with your right leg before switching to your left. Single leg bridge press (30 sec R/L) Position yourself on your back with your left knee bent and your right leg held out straight with your toe pointed and your foot rotated out. Your bent thigh and straight leg thigh should remain even throughout this exercise. From this position, press through your left heel, lifting your buns up off the ground, pressing up to a straight bridge position, before slowly lowering your buns back down to the ground. Repeat this single leg bridge x 30 sec on your left leg before switching to your right (with your left leg held out straight, toe pointed, and foot rotated out) for 30 sec.
Day 1 ACL Agility/Plyo Cont’d 3 Cone Agility (1 min) Place 3 cones approximately 2 feet apart and a soccer ball just outside of the first and third cones. Begin with the 1st cone just outside your Right foot. With your weight shifted forward onto your toes, work lateral high knees over the cones, touching both feet down between cones before working high knees over the next cone. Once you work your way to the right through the 3rd cone, pause in a right single leg ½ squat with your left foot placed on top of the ball. After a 2 count, work high knees back over the cones to your left. As you get over the 3rd cone, be sure to hold a 2 count ½ squat in your left single leg stance this time with your right foot placed on top of a soccer ball. ***If you are working out with a partner, they can pass you a ball and you can work a one touch pass back to them as you hold your single leg stance. Continue this drill x 1 min working quick feet and good balance holds! Prone Glute/Heel squeeze with ball (x10) Lying on your stomach, place your soccer ball between your ankles and bend your knees slightly, lifting your feet approximately 1½ feet from the ground. In this position we have a 3 step exercise. Squeeze your buns tight, then squeeze the ball between your ankles, and then make an effort to lift your thighs slightly off the ground for a 3 count. After the 3 count, lower your thighs back down and relax the squeeze on the ball. Continue slow and deliberate squeezes and lifts through 10 reps.
Repeat list 2x through to complete Day 1
Day 2 Agility/Plyometric Program V cuts to ball (1 min) Place two balls 10 feet apart and a marker in a V position approximately 5 foot deeper than the 2 balls. Begin at the left ball and run back to cut around the marker and burst forward to the ball set up on your right. Stop with your left foot planted just to the inside of the ball as if you were going to strike the ball. Stop short of touching the ball (unless you have several balls set up) and break back to your V marker and burst forward back to the ball set up on your left. This time plant with your right foot to the inside of the ball, and bring your left foot through as if you were going to strike the ball. Again stop short of touching the ball and break back to your V marker. Continue your quick V cuts to a solid plant foot x 1 minute. ***Take care to plant your foot with a bent knee and work to find that balance before you break your single leg stance. Tripod Single Leg Volleys (20 volleys) Stand on one leg, concentrating on 3 points of contact (big toe, little toe, and heel). Drive your big toe into the ground to help hold your balance as you drop a ball down to your opposite foot and kick it back up to your hands. Maintain this single leg balance through 20 volleys before switching legs. ***If you have a partner, he/she can toss the ball to your foot and you can volley the ball back to them. Your goal is to work stability on your stance leg while working controlled touches with your opposite foot! Mountain climbers (x 1min) With your body in plank position, posting on your hands and toes, draw a knee up toward your chest, tapping your toe, and then straighten your leg back out as fast as you can. Alternate legs quickly in this running motion through 1 min. Note: this is a toe “tap” so you should not bear any weight on the foot as you draw it forward and tap the toe! All weight should be on your extended leg and hands. Continue x 1 min as quick as you can to get your heart rate up! Straight leg bridge on soccer ball (x 1min) Position yourself on your back with your legs straight and both feet on your soccer ball. Tighten your buns and press through your heels on the ball to lift your hips up off the ground. From this straight bridge position, lower your body slowly to a count of 3-2-1. With this 3 second lower, you will look to complete approximately 20 bridges in the minute. **You can progress the difficulty of this exercise by positioning your arms up and out to the side in a goal post position or straighten your arms toward the ceiling with your palms facing each other. Single leg hop and hold (x 1 min) Start on your right leg and hop forward landing in a half squat on your right leg. Focus on holding your right knee in line with your first two toes (you are developing an awareness of knee positioning directly over your first two toes!) Continue on for a total of 3 forward hops on your right leg, holding for a 3 count on your final landing. Switch to your left leg and work 3 forward hops with your left leg, holding for a 3 count on your final landing. Continue to alternate legs x 1 minute. **Remember to land in a half squat, even as you fatigue! Prone Glute Lift (x 20 R/L) Position yourself on your stomach with your right knee bent at 90 degrees so that the bottom of your foot faces the ceiling . Place your left leg straight out with the laces of your left foot resting on top of your soccer ball. From this position, lift your right leg up so that the bottom of your foot presses up toward the sky. Hold for a 2 count and relax your leg down. Repeat x 20 reps before switching legs.
Repeat exercise list 2x/through to complete Day 2
Day 3 Agility/Plyometric Program Power Jack (x 1min) Begin with your feet positioned wider than shoulder width apart with your toes pointed out at a 45 degree angle. Squat down with your weight on your heels until you feel a good stretch in your inner thighs. Your arms will open up and lower until they touch your knees. Take note of your knee position and be sure they are tracking in the plane of your 1st two toes and that they are not crashing in. Jump up from this lower position, bringing your feet together and your arms straight up over head. Your feet will touch at midline and then bounce right back out to your wide leg Power Squat with your arms fanning wide again until they touch your knees. Continue these Power Jacks x1 min. Plank Hamstring Curl (x 30 sec R/L) Position yourself in plank position, posting on your hands and your toes. Make sure your belly button is drawn in tight to stabilize your lower back and maintain a slight bend in your elbows, pointing them down toward your toes. Lift one leg off the ground and curl your heel toward your glute. Hold this hamstring curl for a count and then straighten your leg for a count, never allowing your toe to touch the ground. Perform 30 sec of hamstring curls on one leg before switching to the other. Maintain your plank throughout. Diagonal single leg hops ( x 3 diagonals trips R/L) For this drill, place 5 cones or markers approximate 2 foot apart on the diagonal so that you have 3 cones on front of you on the right and 2 cones on your left. Begin on your right foot and hop forward and diagonal to the first cone, then on to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th all on your right leg. Hold on the 5th cone for a 3 count in your single leg ½ squat and then return to your starting position, hopping diagonally backwards through the cones again. Repeat these single leg diagonal hops on your right leg two more trips down and back before switching legs. Please note that you are paying attention to the position of your knee throughout this exercise. Your knee should track directly above your first two toes = not to the outside or inside of this vertical plane. Use your big toe to help achieve the correct muscle activation to help hold your knee stable! ***If you have a partner, you can work a one touch pass when you reach the 5th cone on your single leg hops. Bridge on Soccer ball (x 20 reps) Position yourself on your back with your knees bent and both feet on your soccer ball. Tighten your buns and press through your feet to lift your hips up off the ground. Squeeze your buns tight at the top of your bridge and then lower slowly to the count of 3-2-1. Repeat bridges x 1 minute or approximately 20 reps. **You can progress the difficulty of this exercise by positioning your arms up and out to the side in a goal post position, or even more difficult, straighten your arms toward the ceiling with your palms facing each other. Jump Lunge (x 1 min) Standing in a split stance with your left leg forward and your right leg back, perform a lunge, taking care to keep your weight on your front heel. From this left leg forward lunge, explode up, switching legs in your jump to land with your right leg forward, once again in lunge position. Be sure to land with your knees bending into another lunge so that you absorb all impact with your muscles and not your joints. Continue to perform your lunge jumps x 1min. It is important to focus on your form with this exercise – weight on your front heel, chest up. When and if you lose form, slow your jumps or take a quick break to shake out your legs and then continue when you are ready! Again, your front knee should track directly above your first two toes – not inside the vertical plan of your first toe! Supine head lift (Repeat 5 sec lifts x 10) Position yourself on your back and pull your belly button in and up under your ribs. Hold your belly in like this as you tuck your chin and lift your head slightly off the ground. Hold your head in this position while continuing with a regular breathing pattern x 5 seconds before resting for a count. Repeat head lifts x 10. **Excellent strengthening for heading the ball!
Repeat exercise list 2x/through to complete Day 3
