The U18 Storm Girls’ soccer team is trying a new approach to training. Coach Neville Judd brought the team out to the Sunshine Coast Boxing Club in Gibsons to do some cross-training on Sept. 22 with boxers Randy Hollett and George Vourtsis, who run the boxing club.
“It doesn’t all need to be about touching the ball or drills. So we decided to have an evening there,” Judd said. “I spoke to Randy [Hollett] and George [Vourtsis], the two guys who run the club. They put on a really good, up-tempo 60 minutes of full-on exercise, really emphasizing the kinds of things that are useful for playing soccer – quick reaction times, quick feet, endurance, aerobic exercise.”
The team did some basic warm-ups and rounds of skipping, then got on the agility ladder, which is flat on the ground and used for training footwork. After that the girls got an introductory tutorial on boxing and then hit the bags.
“I played a lot of sports when I was growing up, and you ain’t in shape until you come and try doing this,” said Hollett, manager and head coach at the club. “The exercises that we go through and the pace you’ve got to keep, it’s another level. When we’re doing the agility ladder, it helps in every sport. The quickness, it gets you light on your feet. Getting those angles – especially for soccer – it’s quick, just go, stop, turn. It’s a bit like boxing, that’s all about the angles in the ring so you’re training some of the same things.”
Judd trains at the boxing club a few times a week and decided it could be beneficial for the girls’ soccer team.
“When I go three mornings a week, I’m absolutely drenched in sweat by the end of it, but it’s a really good feeling,” Judd said. “If you play soccer on the weekends, it definitely prepares you for a 90-minute game. You have a lot more stamina, you’re quicker on your feet – which when you get to my age is definitely a benefit.
“I think the girls loved it. They were pretty exhausted by the end of it. I know I was, because I did it as well. I think we’ll probably do it again, maybe once a month.”
Hollett said that the benefits of cross-training are starting to catch on, and he’s even looking at offering a regular cross-training program at the club.
“We’re going to start. We’ve never done it but Nev [Judd] trains here every morning, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and he knows how it is,” Hollett said. “I had another girl contact me [from another soccer team], so we’re definitely going to look into it and start doing some cross-training. It seems like there’s a lot of interest.”
As for the U18 Storm, the hard work paid off. Following their workout at the Sunshine Coast Boxing Club, they won 6-0 against Coastal FC in Surrey on Sunday, Sept. 25. The victory put the girls team at the top of their division.
“I’m absolutely thrilled by the girls, their commitment, their enthusiasm. They’re a real feisty bunch and it’s hard to coach that, but they all come by it pretty naturally,” Judd said. “They’re tough in a good way. Results-wise, no complaints. We lost one game in a pre-season tournament, won pretty much all of our games. So I’m really, really pleased.”
Their next game is this Sunday in Brothers Park, Oct. 2, kick-off at 2:30 p.m.
The Sunshine Coast Boxing Club is on Facebook. Randy Hollett can also be reached at 604-989-5180.
