soccerNM.com

By Glen Rosales
soccerNM.com Editor

Jennifer White already had a lot going for her athleticly before being introduced to the regimen at the Southwest Sports Institute.

Now she's got an even greater advantage over the competition.

SWSI is not a traditional gym. Sure, there are weights and exercycles and medicine balls and even mirrors on the walls. But much of the 6,100-square feet of training space is open area where trainers put athletes through a series of exercises.

SWSI was founded in 2008 by Angel Fire native Adam Halpern who has a background in athletic training and exercise physiology and has worked with the U.S. Ski Team and Stanford University, producing training programs tailored to the needs of individual athletes and their specific sports.

“Everybody is different,” said Adrian Gonzales, SWSI’s director of curriculum. “When we get young athletes in here, we make sure everything is results based.

White took advantage of the soccer-specific training to increase her speed, her endurance and her leg strength, all vital aspects as she prepared for college ball at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where she’s a freshman.

“I’ve noticed a big difference,” White said.

A defender, the program has helped her produce more power to kick the ball, and gave her the ability to deal with the heavy air in Texas.

“Compared to the other freshmen coming in, I was much better prepared for the fitness level that you need at the college level,” White said.

White first learned of SWSI when her Albuquerque Academy team went in for a group session and she was so impressed that she continued the training even after the Chargers had won a second straight state championship in her senior season.

Trainers at SWSI put newcomers through a rigorous series of tests to determine strengths and weaknesses then develop a program that not only fits the individual but also the sport, Gonzales said.

For soccer players, increasing agility and vertical leap are imperative, but there are also subtle areas that soccer players in particular need to strengthen. The hips, for instance, need to be strong and flexible to be able to swing the leg and body properly through the ball and drive it with power in the proper direction.

“There’s a skill involved in everything,” Halpern said. ‘The problem is, if you don’t have the proper technique, you lose the ability to produce at a high level.”

Surprisingly, many soccer players haven’t developed proper running techniques, depriving them of speed and quickness that can make a big difference on the pitch, he said.

“Soccer is a very demanding sport,” Gonzales said. “It’s like lacrosse or rugby. You have to make sure the athletes are well trained. You need to have high-intensity, individual training to give you your best performance at all times.”

“There’s a skill involved in everything,” Halpern said. ‘The problem is, if you don’t have the proper technique, you lose the ability to produce at a high level.”

Surprisingly, many soccer players haven’t developed proper running techniques, depriving them of speed and quickness that can make a big difference on the pitch, he said.

“Soccer is a very demanding sport,” Gonzales said. “It’s like lacrosse or rugby. You have to make sure the athletes are well trained. You need to have high-intensity, individual training to give you your best performance at all times.”

SWSI has done training with a number of youth soccer teams already and White was one of the first individual soccer athletes to continue with SWSI. It’s already paid off for here as she’s one of the few Trinity freshmen to see action in both games the team has played so far.

Kristin Graczyk of the Golden Pride in Women’s Professional Soccer, also trains at SWSI when she’s back in the Duke City, among other professionals from other sports.

The thing about SWSI, however, is that it’s not just sport-specific and it’s not just for elite-level athletes. The trainers can tailor a program to any level and for any shape of person. What’s more, many of the training methods are designed to be carried out away from the site so that individuals can improve on their own.

“New Mexico has always been able to produce athletes but they haven’t always had the opportunity to improve themselves,” Halpern said. “We want to help give them that opportunity.