The Ball Control/Turning part of this workout is designed to get you "1,000 Touches a Day" and should take no more than 15-20 minutes. It's fine to change the sequence of activities or add/change things to emphasize a weak area or a particular skill but don't hide! Don't avoid a particular turn or move because it's not comfortable. Challenge yourself to do many of these activities at speed and with both feet.

 Always stretch a bit first and between sections as needed.

I. Ball Control:

Warm up for 5 minutes by dribbling the ball with quick touches changing direction and speed. Use all parts of the foot and stay in a small space where lots of touches and turns are required.

Do each of these touches and turns for about 1 minute each:

1. Inside Roll:

-- Roll the ball across your body from outside one foot with the sole of that foot and stop the ball with the inside of the other foot. (think "roll and stop")

2. Outside Roll:

-- Roll the ball across your body by reaching across your body with the outside and sole of one foot and stop the ball with the inside of the same foot. (think "reach and stop")

3. Side to Side Push-Pulls:

--Tap the ball back and forth with inside of feet. Push ball forward with one foot and pull it back the sole of the opposite foot.

(Alternate dragging the ball straight back with one foot then across your body with the other foot.)

4. Pull-Push:

-- Pull the ball back with the sole, then tap ball forward with the instep or top of the same foot. You can turn a slow circle and alternate feet and direction.

5. Pull a V:

-- Pull the ball back the sole of the foot while turning, then take the ball away with the inside of the same foot.

6. Pull a V (Opposite foot):

-- Pull the ball back with the sole of one foot, then push the ball diagonally forward with the other foot.

7. Zig Zags:

-- Chop or cut the ball back and forth with your front foot as you jog forward using the inside then outside of the front foot. (Think: "inside/outside" or "big toe/little toe")

 II. Turns:

After you walk through each turn at the start, try to get the ball moving across a 5-10 yard space as you start the turn so you can explode out of the turn toward a line or marker. (Think: "slow-in, fast-out" of each turn)

1. Inside of Foot Chop:

-Chop down on the ball with the inside of the foot (big toe) taking the ball away in the opposite direction. (Use 2 chops with the same foot or push the ball away with the outside of your other foot.)

2. Outside of Foot Chop (or Cup):

-Same as 1 but chop the ball with the outside of the foot (little toe).

3. Pull It:

-Pull the ball back with one foot while turning toward new space at an angle pushing the ball with the same foot.

4. Stop Turn:

-stop the moving ball with the sole of your foot, run over the ball, then play it back in the opposite direction.

5. Cruyff:

-Fake kick with your instep, reach forward and chop the front side of the ball behind the standing leg.

6. Stepover Turn:

-Step over ball with one foot faking an inside of foot pass, take the ball away with the outside of the same foot or spin and use the other foot.

III. Juggling:

Do all touches with one surface: head, thigh, and feet only for 1 minute each. Always do some foot juggling with no spin on the ball. Then try to do juggling "ladders", go from feet to thigh to head, up then down each side of your body. How many ladders can you do? (foot-thigh-head-thigh-foot counts as 1)

IV. Passing/Shooting/Heading: (You will need to find a wall or a partner to complete this section.)

Spend about 5 minutes passing against a wall or with a partner. Alternate feet and use outside and inside of both feet. One touch then two touch.

Do each of these for about 3 minutes or 30 repetitions continuously:

1. Technique: Get 5-7 yards from the wall (10-15 for a partner), shoot the ball at the wall making sure the toe is down, knee is over the ball, the center of your instep is striking the center of the ball, and that the power is coming from the quick snapping motion of the lower leg.

2. First time shooting: Get 10-15 yards from the wall or partner. Continuously strike the ball hard at the wall first time regardless of its height, speed, etc. With a partner, one of you can be a keeper who will try to catch (or trap) every shot and return it to the striker a different way each time (roll, bounce, toss it up, etc.)

3. Trap and shoot: Same as the exercise above except now take 2 touches. You should try to receive the ball cleanly and quickly and shoot as soon as you can back at the wall or your partner.

4. Heading: 2-3 yard from the wall or partner, try to keep the ball alive with just headers.

5. Power Heading: Back up to 5-7 yards and now try to powerfully head the ball back against the wall or at your partner. Vary the height of your target-high, med, low.

6. Jumping Headers: Same exercise as 5 but now get up in the air to head the ball for power. Focus on timing your jump so you are heading the ball at the height of your jump. 

V. Speed with the Ball:

Rest by walking for 30 seconds between each exercise in this section

1.Dribble in a figure 8 around markers 10-15 yards apart alternating with the inside and outside of both feet. As you dribble around one marker, accelerate to the next as if you were beating an opponent. (Do 8 figure 8's, 4 w/each foot - twice)

2. Put a marker about 20 yards from a starting point:

-sprint-dribble to the marker and stop the ball, sprint back to the starting point, sprint back to the ball, collect it and sprint dribble back to the starting point (twice)

3. Toss the ball high up in the air. Collect it with different body parts (feet, thigh, or chest) and sprint away (10 times)

4. Put two markers down about 7 yards apart. Sprint from cone to cone using a specific turn or move (10 times with 4 different turns)

** Always try to end your workout by playing a small-sided game or even 1v1 against your partner with 2 small goals.

The Importance of a Healthy Diet:

The food you eat supplies much more than just fuel for your body to function properly.  It provides the raw materials from which your skin, hair, muscle, bone, and all other tissues are made.  Your diet provides nutrients that are necessary to manufacture hormones and enzymes that control the function of every cell in your body.  Your body also uses these nutrients to make neurotransmitters that regulate how you think and feel.  Therefore, ensuring a proper balance of nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals) is essential to your overall health, muscle development and performance.  You really are what you eat, and that’s why a balanced diet is SO important.

Eating three meals daily (starting with a hearty breakfast, as breakfast sets your metabolism for the day), and 2-3 snacks daily is the best way to keep you properly energized and satisfied.  Eating or not eating affects hormone levels that can cause muscle loss as well, so it is extremely important NOT to skip meals.  Healthy snacking, especially before practices or games, is also important.  This will provide the energy you need for optimal performance, and more importantly will help guard against injuries and help with recovery time.  You should develop good, consistent eating habits, even during the off-season, as this will provide a solid foundation during times of competition.  Remember, the best fueled athlete is the better athlete…

The quality and quantity of the food you consume is important.  The metabolic requirements for active teens can be as high as 3,500 calories a day, for example, which means your body requires this amount of calories to function properly.  Also, the less processed the food, the more nutritious it is.

Carbohydrates provide our main source of energy (they are the body’s preferred source of energy) and are found in unrefined whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.  They are also good sources of fiber (the indigestible portion of our diet that helps with the absorption of nutrients into the body), vitamins and minerals, and are essential for optimal health.

Nature provides many sources of good carbohydrates:

Organic fruits and vegetables

Beans and lentils (also known as legumes)

Unrefined whole grains (some examples include 100% whole grain bread, brown rice, unprocessed oatmeal such as steel-cut oats, and barley).

Foods that are high in refined (highly processed) carbohydrates or sugars should be avoided, as they do not provide the body with optimal nutrition and over time can lead to excess fat storage, low energy levels, muscle loss, and increased risk of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease as you age. 

These foods include the following:

Sodas (both sweetened and diet)

Baked goods (cakes, cookies, etc.) made with white flour

White bread

Sugary breakfast cereals (including instant oatmeal)

White rice and pasta

Junk food

French fries and potato chips

Strive to increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables (eating twice as many vegetables as fruits daily is recommended), whole grains and legumes, which will give your body the energy it needs for optimal health and athletic performance.

Protein is a key component of muscle, skin, hair, and other tissues of the body.  You also need protein to manufacture the enzymes and hormones that are involved in digestion, metabolism (how your body produces energy from the food you eat), tissue growth and repair, which is why protein should be added to every meal. 

Good sources of protein include:

Lean meats (beef, chicken, pork, lamb and fish)

1. Organic dairy products (such as cheese and plain yogurt)

Raw nuts (avoid peanuts)

Natural nut butters (peanut and almond butter)

Fermented soy products (such as miso, tamari and tempeh

Legumes (beans, peas and lentils)

Fats are needed for your body to function properly.  Besides being an energy source, fat is used in the protection of cell membranes and helps regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood clotting and the nervous system (especially important with proper brain functioning).  Fats also help maintain healthy hair and nails, and carry fat-soluble vitamins from the food you eat into your body.  There are two types of healthy fats:  Saturated (usually from animal fats such as butter and cheese) and Unsaturated (from raw nuts, seeds, fish and plant oils).  Look for foods low in saturated fats and avoid bad fats (trans fats or hydrogenated fats that are chemically processed), found in fried foods, junk food, and some cooking oils. 

Good sources of healthy fats include avocados, cold water fish (tuna, salmon, and mackerel), raw nuts (except peanuts), nut butters, seeds, and cooking oils (Coconut, Olive, Safflower and Sesame Oil).

Minerals are critical to normal body function; they are not produced in the body and must be obtained through the food we eat and by proper supplementation.  The BIG 4 include calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium.  Calcium and magnesium help build healthy bones, especially important for stress prevention (such as stress fractures).  Sodium and potassium are important in maintaining proper fluid balance (electrolytes) and muscle functioning. 

Good sources of these nutrients include dairy products, green leafy vegetables, beans/lentils, fish, nuts/seeds, whole grains, bananas, potatoes, beets, oranges and peppers.

Vitamins play an important role in our overall health and nutritional status as well and also must be obtained through the food we eat and proper supplementation.  There are two types—fat-soluble (which are stored in the body) and water-soluble (which cannot be stored and need to be replenished often). 

Good vitamin sources include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats, nuts, dairy products and plant oils.

Water is also essential to proper body function.  It helps regulate and maintain body temperature, transports nutrients and oxygen to the bloodstream, removes waste products (toxins), and helps maintain proper fluid balance and muscle functioning, especially crucial during times of strenuous activity such as sporting events.  It’s important to drink water throughout the day, but especially before, during, and after periods of extended physical activity to avoid dehydration, which can zap strength, energy and coordination, and lead to other health problems and injuries.  Experts recommend that young athletes drink approximately 1 cup (240 milliliters) of water for every 20-30 minutes of physical activity.  Shorter competitions may not require drinking during the activity, but it’s important to drink afterwards to restore fluid lost through sweat.  Although many sports drinks are available, plain water is usually enough to hydrate the body.  Gatorade and other sports drinks available have added sugar, which should be avoided.

Game Day

It’s important to eat well on game days, but you should eat at least 2 hours before the event — early enough to digest the food before game time.  The meal itself should not be very different from what you’ve eaten throughout training. It should have plenty of carbs and lean protein and be low in fat, because fat is harder to digest and can cause an upset stomach.  After the game or event, have a well-balanced meal. Your body will be rebuilding muscle tissue and restoring carbs and fluids for up to 24 hours after the competition, so it’s important that you get plenty of protein, fat, and carbs in the postgame hours.  Also, don’t forget to drink plenty of water before, during and after games.  Most of all, it’s important to eat healthy meals and snacks consistently, even during the off-season, as this will provide a solid foundation during times of competition.

As well as adequate water intake pre and post activity, good healthy snacks should be encouraged—which provide the energy needed before and after sporting activities.  If it’s going to be a long practice or game, pack a healthy snack — a small tuna or natural peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread, a handful of nuts and a small piece of fruit are all good options.  Always avoid candy and soda; while the sugar may give you a quick energy boost, it will fade quickly, and you won’t have enough energy to finish the fourth quarter!

Instead of having a Power-bar or Gatorade, try some of these healthier snacks that will provide the nutrients you need to keep up your energy and have a great game:

Hard boiled eggs

Whole grain pita with hummus; raw veggies and hummus

Whole grain bread with natural peanut butter and banana

Whole grain crackers and cheese

Fruit and a handful of nuts

Plain yogurt with fruit and nuts

Fruit smoothies (blend 6-8 oz. of rice or almond milk with a medium banana, ½ cup berries and 1-2 ice cubes for a nutrient-rich and energizing snack).

Tuna sandwich on whole grain bread

Foods high in potassium are also recommended, especially post-exercise, to replace electrolytes lost from perspiration.  Bananas, yogurt, melons, oranges, strawberries, pears, peaches, grapes, sunflower seeds and walnuts are good choices and easy snacks to pack.

The Truth about Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are necessary to your health, because every cell in your body uses them for energy. In fact, your brain can only use carbohydrates for energy.  With the popularity of low-carb diets, many people are afraid to eat any carbohydrates, but it’s important to distinguish between the health-robbing effects of simple sugars and other carbs, and the health-giving properties of complex carbohydrates.

Complex carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are high-fiber foods, which improve your digestion; they help stabilize the blood sugar, keep your energy at an even level, and help you feel satisfied longer after your meal. The healthiest foods are high in fiber, and contain complex carbohydrates along with many other vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. They will also contain other nutrients, such as protein and fats, in moderation. These foods will not be highly refined.

Some examples of healthy foods containing complex carbohydrates are:

Spinach

Whole Barley

Grapefruit

Turnip Greens

Buckwheat

Apples

Lettuce

Whole wheat bread

Prunes

Water Cress

Oat bran bread

Apricots

Zucchini

Oatmeal(steel-cut oats)

Pears

Asparagus

Oat bran

Plums

Artichokes

Muesli

Strawberries

Okra

Wild rice

Oranges

Cabbage

Brown rice

Yams

Celery

Multi-grain bread

Carrots

Cucumbers

Pinto beans

Potatoes

Dill Pickles

Navy beans

Soybeans (tofu)

Radishes

Rice milk

Lentils

Broccoli

Almond milk

Garbanzos (chickpeas)

Brussels Sprouts

Plain Yogurt

Kidney beans

Eggplant

Whole mealspelt bread

Split peas

Onions

Cauliflower

Tomatoes

Hummus

Simple carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates are more refined, are usually found in foods with fewer nutrients, and tend to be less satisfying and more fattening.  They can alter your mood, lead to cravings and compulsive eating, cause wide swings in your blood-sugar levels, and cause weight gain in most people.  In addition, a high consumption of sugar can lead to uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when you finally decide to improve your diet and forgo the sweets. Unfortunately, over-consumption of sugar and other highly refined carbohydrates has been associated with a higher incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even breast cancer.  Sugars and other simple carbohydrates are also a leading factor in the worldwide obesity epidemic.

Some examples of foods containing simple carbohydrates are:

Table sugar

Corn syrup (high fructose corn syrup)

Fruit juice

Candy

Snack foods

Bread made with white flour

Pasta made with white flour / rice mixes

Soda pop, such as Coke®, Pepsi®, Mountain Dew®, etc.

Junk food / Fast food

All baked goods made with white flour

Why Sports Drinks are a Bad Idea

 Most people believe that sports drinks are the best alternative to replenish lost fluids and electrolytes when exercising, but that’s simply not true. Many sports drinks contain as much as two-thirds the sugar of sodas. They also typically contain high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), artificial flavors and food coloring, none of which contribute to optimal health.

Sugar After Exercise

Furthermore, consuming sugar after exercise will negatively affect both your insulin sensitivity and your human growth hormone (HGH) production.  Ironically, while these drinks are often referred to as “energy” drinks, in the long run the sugar they contain does just the opposite. After causing a quick explosion of energy, your energy plummets as your pancreas and other glands do all they can to balance out the toxic stimulation to your blood sugar.

Too Much Sodium

Most also contain high amounts of sodium (processed salt), which is meant to replenish the electrolytes you lose while sweating. However, a far better option is to simply add a small amount of natural, unprocessed sea salt to your water. Contrary to processed salt, this natural salt contains 84 different minerals and trace minerals that your body needs for optimal function.

Coconut Water as an Alternative

Another excellent option when you’re sweating profusely is pure coconut water. It’s one of the highest sources of electrolytes known to man. Some remote areas of the world even use coconut juice intravenously, short-term, to help hydrate critically ill patients and in emergency situations.

And, if your sports drink is low-calorie and sugar-free, be warned that it likely contains an artificial sweetener, which is even worse for you than fructose.

The Importance of Proper Hydration

Water is life.  You need water to eliminate toxic substances, produce digestive enzymes, maintain healthy skin, hair and organs, and to help your body absorb essential vitamins, minerals and natural sugars.  Water also regulates body temperature, stimulates metabolism and helps promote regularity.  Fluids other than pure water don’t act the same as water in your body, and they don’t meet your needs for hydration like water does.  Most people are slightly dehydrated from relying on other fluids besides water for their fluid intake.  Coffee, tea, alcohol, sodas (or any other caffeinated beverages) don’t count; they’re diuretics, which means they actually remove water and nutrients from the body.

Chronic dehydration

Chronic dehydration has been linked to the following symptoms and disease processes:  Fatigue, constipation, headaches, indigestion, muscle and joint aches and pains, high blood pressure, depression, allergies, lack of mental clarity, skin issues and excess weight.

Whenever you’re thirsty or hungry, reach for water first to see if it satisfies you.   At Heritage IHC, we recommend drinking spring water—Evian or Fiji bottled water is preferred (due to proper pH levels).  Drink as many ounces of water every day as are equal to half your body weight in pounds (e.g., body weight 150 pounds = 75 ounces of water a day).  Use more water in hot weather or after strenuous exercise.  When you’re actually drinking enough water, your urine will be essentially clear.

Many digestive problems, joint and muscle issues, problems with fatigue and even your complexion will clear up with the use of more water, especially when you limit or eliminate fluids that actually dehydrate your body (sodas/caffeinated beverages/alcohol).