Squats and single-leg control
Transcript
FIFA's injury prevention programme builds up to squats on one leg. Here's how. Warm up first, with an adult watching. You need flat ground and a chair behind you. Feet hip width apart. Watch. Sit back slowly to touch the chair, then stand tall. First, keep your chest showing the badge. Not this, chest to the floor. Now on one leg, holding the chair, foot behind, as low as you can control. Then, knees follow your laces, never caving in. Do ten squats, then ten each leg. Rest a minute and repeat. Two or three days a week, never back to back. Then take the free test at footballreach.com.
What it trains
Leg strength and knee control on two legs, then on one. Squats and one-leg squats are part of FIFA's injury prevention warm-up (FIFA 11+); the evidence is for the whole warm-up, not squats on their own. FIFA 11+ is built for players 14 and up, and one-leg squats are its hardest squat level. We show this from 12, the age the FA adds strength work, with an adult watching.
Set up
- An adult watching
- Flat, non-slip ground
- A sturdy chair behind
- Feet hip width apart
How it works
- Warm up first, every time: the FIFA 11+ Kids warm-up (ages 7-13) or FIFA 11+ from 14 (episode 2 shows it), about 15-20 minutes, or your club warm-up, with a coach or parent watching.
- Stand just in front of a sturdy chair on flat ground, feet about hip to shoulder width apart.
- Squat: sit back slowly until you just touch the chair, then stand up tall, a little quicker. Do 10.
- Move on to one-leg squats only when every two-leg squat is clean; until then, do the Easier option (single-leg balance). Stand side-on to the chair back and hold it lightly for balance (FIFA's version holds a partner). Lift one foot just off the ground, behind you.
- One-leg squat: bend slowly, only as low as you can control, keeping your hips and upper body in line, then stand up a little quicker. Do 10, then switch legs.
- Rest 1 minute, then do the whole round once more.
Coaching points
- Chest showing the badge. Sit back as if onto the chair, chest up so someone in front of you can still see the badge on your shirt. Lower slowly, stand up a little quicker.
- Knees follow your laces. Your knee travels the way your laces point, never caving inwards. The video is side-on, so check this front-on in a mirror or phone video.
Not this
Folding forward so your chest faces the floor. Keep the badge showing and sit back to the chair instead.
Dose
- 10 squats, 10 each leg, x2
- 2-3x a week, not in a row
Our target: Our pick, not a rule: 2 rounds of 10 squats, inside NSCA's range (1-3 sets of 6-15). The one-leg dose, 2 sets of 10 a leg, is FIFA 11+'s own.
Harder / Easier
Harder
Add reps only when every rep is clean: build two-leg squats from 10 to 15, then do them without the chair behind you, at the same depth.
Easier
If the one-leg squat wobbles, swap it for single-leg balance: 30 seconds on one leg, twice each leg. Or step up through FIFA's order: walking lunges (about 10 a leg) come before one-leg squats.
Safety
- Do this with a coach or parent watching. Bodyweight only: no weights, no jump squats.
- 2-3 times a week, never two days running.
- A sturdy chair that cannot slide, on flat, non-slip ground.
- Under 16: if your knees or heels hurt when you squat, run or jump, stop and tell an adult. Knee and heel pain is common while you are growing, and a GP or physio can help. 16 and over: if something hurts, stop rather than training through it, and get it checked by a GP or physio.
Sources
- FIFA - 11+ injury prevention poster (opens in a new tab)
- FIFA - Injury prevention (opens in a new tab)
- PubMed - FIFA 11+ injury meta-analysis (opens in a new tab)
- NSCA - Youth resistance training (2009) (opens in a new tab)
- England Football Learning - developing movement skills (strength from 12+) (opens in a new tab)
- The FA - Youth development phase and the physical corner (opens in a new tab)
- NHS - Knee pain (opens in a new tab)
- NHS - Heel pain (opens in a new tab)
Not sure which skill to work on first? The free Football Reach test gives you a Player Development Score and shows which of the four corners of your game to work on next, in about two minutes.
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