From: navarrer@bionette.CGRB.ORST.EDU (Roy Navarre)
Subject: Re: Weight Training
Organization: Biological Computing Consortium, OSU, Corvallis, OR.
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 02:40:21 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.111838.2799@hellgate.utah.edu> twolf@cs.utah.edu (Tom Wolf) writes:
>
>Well, I have to admit I think this weight training arguement is a bit silly,
>especially the thought that weight training is an American innovation to
>sport. 30-40 years ago few Americans lifted (including few football players)
>and those that did were considered freaks. Then the East Germans and the
>Russians started beating us in the Olympics. After studying their methods,
>we found that they had their athelites in just about all sports undergo
>extensive training using weights and measured their training scientifically.
>We copied them. First for the bulk sports like football, shotputting, discus,
>ect... I am sure the US is not the only nation to do so.
>
>Yes, in our most visible sport, American Football, players do a lot of weight
>training generally with the specific goal of putting on a lot of muscle mass.
>Of the linemen, the ones that get really huge, some figures say 60-80% of them,
>take steriods to bulk themselves up to 300 pounds or so. But few of them can
>run a mile in less than 8 minutes. Basically, the linemen do the same type of
>training that shotputters do. It is better to compare a quarterback, or
>wide reciever to a soccer player. These players spend more of their training
>on skill work with a little weight training thrown in. The main reason
>wide recievers and quarterbacks weight train is so that when a 300 pound
>lineman tackles them, they don't break into a thousand pieces. Soccer players
>don't have to worry about taking the pounding a football player does.
>
>What I find is even sillier is that my fellow American is saying that our
>training methods for strengthening soccer players is going to make a
>difference. It didn't at the world cup. Our players were constantly muscled
>off the ball. We did not have the strength (or skill, or game sense, or field
>leadership) that teams like Italy possessed. 
>
>BTW, many sports use weights to train, but not to bulk up. Even the women's
>gymnastics team here at the University of Utah, which has won the national
>championship in 6 of the last 10 years, does weight training. But they sure
>don't bulk up. I doubt any of these women weigh over 120 pounds and from the
>posters they are selling to raise money for their team, these women do not
>look like huge muscle bound monsters. Quite the opposite judging from the
>attention the posters have recieved.
>
>
>Tom

Just because the American players played poorly at the last world cup has
nothing to do with weight training.  They played poorly for MANY reasons not
the least of which is that the level of talent in the US is much much lower
than any European country. Soccer is still in its infancy in the US. The average
European high school player is probably better than the average american 
college player and by a large margin. Until there is a Pro leauge and TV
contract there will be no outlet after the college game and soccer will fail
to draw the best atheletes.

The best US athletes are definitely not going into soccer. And why should
they? They aren't going to make any money or get any recognition. Shaquille
O'neal is leaving college to join the NBA. He will likely make 5 million 
a year and could get a 50 million dollar contract. Can any US soccer player
even dream about that?

Running backs would also make superb soccer players. Look at the physique
of any wide receiver or running back and what do you see? Rippling muscles.

Look at the physique on the majority of NBA players. They spent the whole
game sprinting up and down the court. Yet they, for the most part, have far
better physiques than most soccer players.

All I am saying is that in an increasingly competitive soccer world of the 
future nobody will be able to ignore the edge extra muscle mass gives ANY
individual--else they will be riding the pine.

Soccer players are excellent athletes, however, the current status quo has
made it possible for them to ignore weight training. 

:)
Roy