Sport Specific · Program 57

Soccer Return to Play

Coming back from a concussion or neck injury is a progression, not a date on the calendar. This program rebuilds movement confidence with minimal load, reintroduces light resistance and directional control, and finishes with the specific tolerance heading demands. Complete it only after medical clearance, and let each phase earn the next.

Focus · SoccerFrequency · 2-3x per weekSession · 10-15 min
Soccer Return to Play cover art
The goal

Restore neck strength, control, and confidence following concussion or cervical strain for a safe return to contact and heading.

Who it is for
  • Soccer athletes medically cleared for reconditioning
  • Players returning from concussion or cervical strain
  • Athletes rebuilding confidence before returning to heading

Reintegration & Movement Confidence

Re-establish comfortable, symptom-free movement with minimal load. This phase is about proving to the nervous system that the neck can move and brace gently without any threat.

01

Protraction / Retraction

2 sets of 10 repsFront & Back

Gentle gliding rebuilds basic front-to-back control and confidence in the exact motion heading will eventually demand.

How To
1Glide your head straight forward, reaching your chin outward, then glide it straight back as though making a double chin.
2Keep your eyes and chin level the entire time and move smoothly along a horizontal path.
Coaching Cues
Slide your head along an invisible shelf
Make a double chin
then get rid of it
No nodding
keep your eyes level throughout
Think forward and back
not up and down
Muscles Activated
SCMAnterior scaleneDeep neck flexorsSemispinalis cervicis
02

Look Left, Look Right

2 sets of 10 repsAny direction

Easy rotation restores the scanning movement of match play, rebuilding range without provoking symptoms.

How To
1Stand tall with your chest up and your chin level.
2Turn your head slowly to one side as far as you can go comfortably, hold for a moment, then return to center and repeat to the other side.
3Only your head moves.
Coaching Cues
Chin stays level as you rotate
Eyes lead the movement
Do not tilt your head
it is a turn and not a lean
Move with control and not momentum
Muscles Activated
SCMSplenius capitis/cervicisLongissimus capitis
03

Nod Yes / No (supine)

2 sets of 10 repsNone

Supine nods activate the deep neck flexors with almost no load, reintroducing head movement to a recovering vestibular system.

How To
1Lying on your back, nod your chin gently toward your chest and return, then turn your head slowly side to side.
2Keep the movement small, slow and pain free.
Coaching Cues
Keep the movement small
Move only as far as feels comfortable
The chin glides and never jams
Stop if you feel dizzy
Muscles Activated
Deep neck flexorsSuboccipitals
04

Wall Isometric Press

3 holds of 10 seconds at forehead, left, and rightWall

Pressing gently into a fixed wall rebuilds bracing confidence before the neck faces any moving resistance.

How To
1Place your forehead, then each side of your head, lightly against a wall or a folded towel.
2Press gently for the prescribed time, keeping your neck long and your jaw relaxed.
Coaching Cues
Press lightly
this is not a maximum effort
Keep your neck long
Relax your jaw and shoulders
Ease off if symptoms increase
Muscles Activated
Deep neck flexors/extensorsSCM

Advance whenAdvance when all movements are completely symptom-free during and after sessions for a full week.

Light Resistance & Directional Control

Reintroduce band resistance at very low tension and rebuild control in every direction. Load stays light while the neck relearns its full directional vocabulary.

01

Isometric Hold

3 sets of 10 second holds at center and sidesFront

Very light multi-directional holds rebuild the static brace that stabilizes your head in a crowded penalty box.

How To
1Set your head in the working position and hold it there against the band.
2Keep your chin level, breathe normally, and resist any drift for the full time prescribed.
Coaching Cues
Brace your neck without clenching your jaw
Keep breathing through the hold
Nothing moves but your ribs
End the set when your position starts to drift
Muscles Activated
Deep neck flexors/extensorsSCMSplenius
02

360 Spin (small circle)

2 sets of 3 reps each directionFront

Slow, partial-arc spins restore head-body dissociation in a conservative range, rebuilding rotation tolerance gradually.

How To
1Stand tall with your shoulders stacked over your hips and fix your eyes on a point straight ahead.
2Rotate your body in place, hips, torso and feet, while your head stays completely still.
3Move slowly through a full clockwise turn, then reverse and complete a full counterclockwise turn.
Coaching Cues
Head still
body turns
Move like a tank turret with your upper body rotating under a fixed head
Do not let your nose drift from its anchor point
Feel the resistance wrap around you as you rotate
Muscles Activated
SCMSplenius capitis/cervicisSemispinalis capitisMultifidus
03

Look Left, Look Right

2 sets of 8 repsAny direction

Low-tension rotation adds gentle load to the shoulder checks and ball tracking you will resume in training.

How To
1Stand tall with your chest up and your chin level.
2Turn your head slowly to one side as far as you can go comfortably, hold for a moment, then return to center and repeat to the other side.
3Only your head moves.
Coaching Cues
Chin stays level as you rotate
Eyes lead the movement
Do not tilt your head
it is a turn and not a lean
Move with control and not momentum
Muscles Activated
SCMSplenius capitis/cervicisLongissimus capitis
04

Protraction / Retraction (tempo 3-1-3)

2 sets of 6 repsFront & Back

Controlled-tempo gliding builds eccentric control front to back, the quality that dampens forces when heading returns.

How To
1Glide your head straight forward, reaching your chin outward, then glide it straight back as though making a double chin.
2Keep your eyes and chin level the entire time and move smoothly along a horizontal path.
Coaching Cues
Slide your head along an invisible shelf
Make a double chin
then get rid of it
No nodding
keep your eyes level throughout
Think forward and back
not up and down
Muscles Activated
SCMAnterior scaleneDeep neck flexorsSemispinalis cervicis

Advance whenAdvance when all light-resistance work is symptom-free and every direction feels equally controlled.

Sport Prep & Heading Tolerance

Prepare the neck for the specific demands of contact and heading. Diagonal paths, minimal perturbation, and end-range work close the gap between cleared and truly ready.

01

Diagonals (shallow range)

2 sets of 4 reps per directionFront or Back

Shallow-range diagonals reintroduce the angled loading of glancing headers in a range the recovering neck fully controls.

How To
1Start by looking down toward one armpit.
2Trace a diagonal path upward with your eyes and nose until you are looking above the opposite shoulder, then return along the same path.
3Finish your reps on one side before switching to the opposite diagonal.
Coaching Cues
Draw an X in your field of view with your nose
Follow a diagonal line with your eyes
Use full range but keep it smooth
Feel your neck twist and lengthen
Muscles Activated
SCMSplenius capitisScalenesSuboccipitals
02

Isometric Hold (with perturbation)

2 sets of 15 second holds per directionFront

Minimal taps during holds are the first controlled rehearsal of unexpected contact before any real aerial challenge.

How To
1Set your head in the working position and hold it there against the band.
2Keep your chin level, breathe normally, and resist any drift for the full time prescribed.
Coaching Cues
Brace your neck without clenching your jaw
Keep breathing through the hold
Nothing moves but your ribs
End the set when your position starts to drift
Muscles Activated
Deep neck flexors/extensorsSCMSplenius
03

360 Spin (slow tempo)

2 sets of 3 reps each directionFront

Slow full-range spins confirm the neck can control complete rotation, a milestone before returning to full training.

How To
1Stand tall with your shoulders stacked over your hips and fix your eyes on a point straight ahead.
2Rotate your body in place, hips, torso and feet, while your head stays completely still.
3Move slowly through a full clockwise turn, then reverse and complete a full counterclockwise turn.
Coaching Cues
Head still
body turns
Move like a tank turret with your upper body rotating under a fixed head
Do not let your nose drift from its anchor point
Feel the resistance wrap around you as you rotate
Muscles Activated
SCMSplenius capitis/cervicisSemispinalis capitisMultifidus
04

Protraction / Retraction (end-range hold)

2 sets of 6 slow repsFront & Back

End-range emphasis builds strength in the extended positions a header demands, the final physical box to check before contact returns.

How To
1Glide your head straight forward, reaching your chin outward, then glide it straight back as though making a double chin.
2Keep your eyes and chin level the entire time and move smoothly along a horizontal path.
Coaching Cues
Slide your head along an invisible shelf
Make a double chin
then get rid of it
No nodding
keep your eyes level throughout
Think forward and back
not up and down
Muscles Activated
SCMAnterior scaleneDeep neck flexorsSemispinalis cervicis
Get the gear

Train this program with the Iron Neck 3.0 Pro

The 360 degree resistance head unit this program is built around, with the anchor and bands you need to train every direction from day one.

Shop the Iron Neck
Iron Neck 3.0 Pro
Iron Neck 3.0 Pro $599.00
Set your resistance

Light, medium, or heavy?

We call for an effort level instead of a specific weight, because the right resistance depends on you, the movement, and where you are in your training. For the sets and reps listed on each exercise, pick the resistance that makes the last few reps feel like the level shown.

Light

You finish the set with several clean reps still in the tank. The work stays easy and fully controlled from the first rep to the last.

Medium

You could manage a few more reps at the end, but not many. The final reps take real effort while your form holds.

Heavy

You reach the last prescribed rep with little or nothing left. Completing every rep with good form is genuinely hard.

These are starting points, not rules. Everyone is built differently, so adjust to fit you: size down if your form breaks before the final rep or a movement aggravates a symptom, and only size up once every rep feels smooth and pain free. When you are unsure, choose the lighter option.