Proactive Neck Training For Footballers
When I broach the topic of “neck training”, I get a wide range of responses from my athletes, usually along the lines of “but I don’t want a thick neck”, “won’t that give me a headache"?”, and “I’m not a(n American) football player!”. While I can understand the sentiment and how athletes draw these conclusions about the elusive concept of “neck training”, I can only encourage all contact-sport athletes, especially footballers who very often put their heads on high-velocity balls, to integrate neck strength exercises into their weekly program.
The truth is, football is an incredibly physical sport. Soccer athletes experience contact during gameplay, such as collisions with other players, heading the ball, or falling hard and sometimes unexpectedly against variety of ground textures. These impacts can cause forces to transfer through the neck and head, leading to potential injuries and, dangerously enough, concussions. Therefore, it is important for footballers to develop neck strength and stability to reduce the risk of injury.
Research specifically around concussion prevention and rehabilitation demonstrate that neck strength is positively associated with a reduced risk of sports-related concussions in soccer athletes. As we know how incredibly dangerous (especially in the longterm!) one or more concussions can be, no matter how small, we should strive to do anything we can to lower risk of occurrence and speed up recovery where possible and helpful.
Increased neck strength can help absorb and dissipate forces that are transmitted to the head during collisions. When an athlete experiences a blow to the head, strong neck muscles act as a shock absorber and distribute the forces across a larger area, reducing the impact on the brain (Eckner et al., 2014). A stronger neck can help stabilize the head and reduce the movement of the head during collisions, which can minimize the rotational forces that lead to concussion or other head injuries (Becket & Moody, 2017). Studies conducted with collegiate players found that athletes with greater neck strength had a lower rate of concussions compared to those with weaker neck strength, while other papers conclude that neck-specific training improved head acceleration and neck muscle activation in soccer players, which may not only reduce the risk of injury but also improve physical performance on the field in actions such as heading (Tjarks, Rogers & Ginn, 2015).
Demonstration/explanation of a neck plank against wall
Therefore, I strongly recommend neck training as an essential component of a footballer’s weekly training regimen - not only as an proactive injury risk management tool, but for performance enhancement! We integrate 1-2 exercises weekly in our youth academy on-pitch strength session.
Exercise Selection
Neck Planks to Wall
The major perk of neck planks is that they are simple and possible to do almost anywhere, as well as very simple to scale and progress in difficulty. You need a wall and a bit of space to stretch your legs in front of you. In a strong “standing plank” position with an activated core, glutes, back and completely extended neck, spend 5-15sec leaning with the back of the head against the wall. Then turn to one side, placing the side of the skull against the wall, and repeat the time interval in this position. Next, lean the forehead against the wall, again assuming plank position… you get the idea. Complete 1-2 rounds of 5-15sec holds per position.
Swiss Ball Neck Bridge
This is another favorite for neck and upper back strength-building, although largely focused on the flexors and extensors in the back of the neck. Spend 10-20 seconds in a hip thrust position with the back of the skull against a physioball. Again, the whole body should be active in holding this position, and don’t forget to breathe! Widen the feet to make your base more stable, and narrow them for a challenge.
Partner Neck Training
While all of these exercises have their pros and their difficulties, the partner version of neck training allows for not only isometric holds, like the planks and neck bridges, but an actual range of motion in all four directions.
The difficulty is, of course, that the partner has to automate the resistance for the training athlete. This requires attention and feeling for resistance, and is not the best exercise for young athletes who find it hilarious to not allow their partner to move or attempt to break each others’ necks.
If a coach or experienced athlete is able to manage the manual resistance, this progression is awesome! Although it can be done with a band or cable, I am not the biggest fan of this setup, but it is possible. Adapt as needed.
Recommended Reading
Beckett, K. R., & Moody, J. M. (2017). The relationship between neck strength and head impact biomechanics in football. Journal of Athletic Training, 52(3), 175-180. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-52.1.01
Eckner, J. T., Oh, Y. K., Joshi, M. S., Richardson, J. K., & Ashton-Miller, J. A. (2014). Effect of neck muscle strength and anticipatory cervical muscle activation on the kinematic response of the head to impulsive loads. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 42(3), 566–576. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546513517688
Tjarks, B. J., Rogers, R. J., & Ginn, K. A. (2015). The effect of neck strength on head acceleration during soccer heading. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 25(6), e558-e564. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12388