Hi Folsom Lake Surf Families,

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We’re now into Week 8 of our summer training program with the ‘12–’15 group at Victory Performance, and the growth we’ve seen from these athletes has been incredible. The consistency and effort they’ve brought each week is showing up in how they move, sprint, and carry themselves in the gym.

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Sprint Work: Acceleration & Reactive Speed

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From the start of summer, this group has been focused on developing strong, technical acceleration through banded sprints, which help athletes learn how to project their hips forward, strike the ground forcefully, and maintain powerful posture through their first steps.

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Over the last several weeks, we’ve layered in more reactive elements—like ball reaction sprints and now partner reaction sprints—to simulate game-like unpredictability. These drills sharpen not just raw speed, but also the ability to process cues quickly and explode in response, just like they’ll need to do in matches.

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Special Strength: Reinforcing Key Sprint Mechanics

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Alongside sprint work, our Special Strength drills have helped reinforce technical aspects of sprinting that soccer players often lack.

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• Movements like PVC Overhead Marches and Overhead Skips target trunk control, knee drive, and foot placement, ensuring that athletes are applying force in the right direction with every step.

• Wall pushes and posture-focused movements have helped athletes build stiffness and alignment, particularly in their ankles and hips—two of the most important areas for acceleration efficiency.​

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These aren’t just warm-ups—they’re strategic tools to fix sprinting habits and build sound movement mechanics from the ground up.

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Power Development: Preparing for Game-Speed Movement

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We’ve continued building power through broad jump variations and medicine ball work, with a focus on improving both force production and movement control.

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• In June, the emphasis was on landing technique—especially with broad jumps and single-leg broad jumps—to build body awareness and teach safe, effective deceleration, a critical part of multidirectional play.

• In July, athletes progressed into repeating broad jumps and single-leg variations, where the focus is now on timing, coordination, and smooth transitions between landings and takeoffs. These transitions are key to developing fluid reacceleration, which shows up in real-game scenarios like changing direction, recovering into position, or pressing.

 

We’ve also included med ball slams and rotational throws to teach athletes how to generate force through the core and hips—transferring strength into speed and movement precision.

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Strength Training: Stability, Strength & Movement Control

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The strength program has been all about creating athletes who are durable, balanced, and technically sound in their movement.

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Each week has included:

• Lower body strength: DB RDLs, goblet squats, and split squats with eccentric or isometric tempo

• Posterior chain: Glute bridges, single-leg RDLs, cone reaches

• Upper body: TRX rows, push-up variations, and isometric holds

• Core: Side planks, dying bugs, and anti-rotation work to reinforce posture and balance

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Every movement is chosen to support sprinting, change of direction, and resilience in contact—all essential for long-term athletic success.

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This group has brought steady effort and attention to detail all summer, and it's paying off. Whether it's cleaner mechanics, quicker first steps, or greater confidence in the gym, the improvements are clear.

Thank you for trusting us with your athletes—we're excited to finish strong! As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or feedback.

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Best,

Robert Gray, MS

vpscrobert@gmail.com

916.346.6286

Victory Performance S&C LLC

CEO/Director of Performance