| U.S. Soccer will bring world
famous SPARQ testing to the Force Club in Fall 2008 / Spring 2009
U.S. Soccer Partners With
Nike and SPARQ Training to Provide Training Expertise For Academy Elite
Youth Players / Clubs.
SPARQ Will Provide Physical
Testing and Training Component to Players on Youth National Teams and All
Development Academy Clubs!
As part of its commitment
to provide elite youth players with the best possible
environment and tools for
training and development, U.S. Soccer is partnering with Nike and SPARQ
to enhance training for players on the men’s and women’s Youth National
Teams and all clubs in the Development Academy. All athletes from the Youth
National Teams and the Development Academy will be tested and each athlete’s
test results and subsequent SPARQ Soccer Rating will serve as the foundation
for a comprehensive individual program to focus training and track progress
and improvement over time. The program will then focus on elite players,
girls and boys, from U12-U16 in the Force Club.
What is the Sparq Soccer
Rating?
The SPARQ Soccer Rating is
a proprietary, standardized method for evaluating match-relevant athletic
and functional ability. It is a single number derived from performances
on four soccer-specific physical tests of speed, power, agility and endurance
capacity. The results serve as the foundation for individualized training
programs.
“Partnering with Nike and
SPARQ is another step in providing the absolute best atmosphere to improve
the development environment for the elite soccer players in our national
teams and in the Academy Clubs,” said U.S. Soccer Development Academy Director
and Men’s National Team assistant coach John Hackworth. “We are excited
about SPARQ training because it is another tool players can use to achieve
their highest soccer potential.”
SPARQ stands for speed, power,
agility, reaction and quickness, and is a training resource that uses a
standardized method of testing to provide athletes with an assessment and
training tools to help them improve. The standardized testing environment
enables players to measure themselves against their peers and
international caliber soccer
players.
Nike Athletes Using SPARQ:
-
Landon Donovan (MLS)
-
Kevin Durant (NBA)
-
Steve Nash (NBA)
-
Adrian Peterson (NFL)
-
Lindsay Tarpley (U.S. Women)
-
LaDanian Tomlinson (NFL)
-
Hope Solo (U.S. Women)
-
Abby Wambach (U.S. Women)
SPARQ trainers will test
athletes at their local club and at the Development Academy Spring Showcase.
Once tested, players receive an individualized program designed to provide
meaningful training by addressing personalized areas of weakness and focus
on areas of strength. The physical training element is focused on developing
soccer athleticism, which is a major component of successful professional
clubs’
programs, along with tactical
and technical training.
Launched in the fall 2007
after a comprehensive review of the player development systems in the U.S.
and across the world, the Development Academy will provide the best possible
opportunity for players to develop. Teams in the Academy are required to
train a minimum of three times a week, eliminating the growing trend of
playing excessive games in lieu of consistent training patterns, while
also playing relevant weekly matches at a high level against other teams
in the program.
SPARQ SOCCER-SPECIFIC TESTING
Speed 20-Meter Sprint Linear
Acceleration and Speed (High-intensity Running Breakaway speed, recovering
from loss of possession)
Power Vertical Jump Lower-Body
Explosive Power Head balls, first step explosiveness, creating space
Agility Arrowhead Agility
Agility, Change of Direction, Postural Control, Speed Multi-directional
nature of game means agility may be most important factor in physical profile
Endurance Capacity Yo-Yo
Intermittent Recovery Test, Level 2 Endurance/Recovery Capacity Ability
to repeat and recover from high-intensity exercise
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For
the last 3 years, the