Importance of Arm Strength for Soccer Players

As a soccer player, it is obvious that leg strength and mobility is needed. It is required for proper leg swing, power in a kick, positioning of leg and body (which needs hip rotation) to be able to hit the ball appropriately, speed, and even the ability to get the height you need to beat someone else in a header. 

But something we never talk about as soccer players, or at least it wasn’t talked about when I was growing up, is the need for upper body strength. There are so many needs for upper body strength to be a good all around soccer player and

growing up during conditioning in the off season, we never worked on arm strength. We never warmed up our arms before practices or games. And from what I hear from my youth soccer team, this hasn't changed much. So it’s up to us to change it. And here’s some reasons why in no particular order…

1. Arm strength allows for a faster runner. When you look at a sprinter, you see big muscles. What you don’t see is big leg muscles and no arm muscles. That’s because sprinters train their upper bodies too. Arms work as a driving to help propel a runner forward. There’s a proper form to do this appropriately, but strength is a big key to this as well, so is upper body endurance. I used to have a coach that said “the faster your arms go, the faster your legs go” and therefore he would say “when your legs get tired, swing your arms harder.” That’s because of this idea that your arms can be a driver to the rest of your body. 

2. Arm strength also allows for higher jumps on a header. If you try and jump without using your arms, you won’t get as high relying on leg strength alone as you would if you used your arms to help propel you. Stronger arms are going to be able to push through the air with more force and guide you upwards easier than weaker arms.

3.  Arm strength helps give you more power in kicking the ball, especially with long passes, crossing the ball, corner kicks, and shooting. If your arms are strong, they help with both the rotation and stability of your body to assist in a powerful kick. 

4. Arm strength allows you to have better balance and control of movements. A lot of soccer is on one leg: running, passing, shooting, crossing… This means you need to have good arm strength to be able to help your body control these movements. 

5. Arm strength can help you be more aggressive. I have coached a soccer team of girls that are very talented, but a lot smaller than other teams they have played - they were physically just not as strong based on developmental age. And if they weren’t faster than the other team, they would be thrown off the ball so easily because girls on other teams were able to use their arm strength to control the other player. My girls would regularly get upset thinking the other team was being pushy, but in reality, my team was just not strong enough to go 1:1. As my team grows up, we will work on their arm strength to be able to be equally as aggressive against the teams they play against.  

All together, these things combine to prevent injury. If your arms are strong enough to control your body, to help you run, to help a player from being pushed off of the ball, and to assist your leg muscles in all activities of the game then your risk of injury will be much less.

Here’s some basic exercises I would recommend to get you started: 

1. Push-ups (modification example)

2. Pull-ups (modification example below)

3. Inch - worm crawls

4. Bicep Curls

5. Tricep Dips (example below)

Updated Jan 2, 2025 - VIDEOS ADDED!

But if you do not know how to perform these exercises, come in for a visit and I will teach you or your youth athlete how to do them appropriately without injuring yourself including modifications or progressions if things are too difficult or too easy. I will also get into more specific exercises to assist in the activities that relate to the game (or whatever you need arm strength for). Fill out the short contact form or email kelsi@dashphysio.com to see how we can help you or to set up an appointment!

DISCLAIMER that this website and blog is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered in substitute for professional medical advice or consultation with healthcare professionals.