How to develop your soccer speed

An important part of your overall fitness is the soccer speed. Thus speed training will increase the skill at which you can perform on the field.

A fast runner is very useful during a contra attack but what is actually speed or running fast mean? Well, as you will notice later in this guide, speed is not just about running faster than light :-)

Having fast sprinting abilities is vital for an athlete. However soccer speed means much more than that.

For soccer we see speed as:

1. Fast accelerating abilities

2. Maintaining a high max speed

3. Your ability to act fast in different game situations

4. Your ability to twist

5. Your ability to turn fast

6. Your ability to change your direction quickly

7. Your ability of analyzing a game situation and anticipate

8. Your ability to control the ball at high speed during a soccer game

The first 6 points can be improved with specific training of speed. The 7-8 can only be improved by participating in regular soccer matches. Some of the key points you need to keep in mind when practicing on your speed (without a soccer ball) are following:

• You must warm up properly

• Try to practice on your speed at the beginning of the training session while you are fresh

• Don’t practice on speed training if you have an injury

How to gain more Acceleration
To increase your acceleration abilities you need to move your feet quickly and gradually increasing stride length as you drive forward. Drills for quicker feet (for example using speed ladders) will improve you acceleration greatly as well as your coordination. Using sprint drills and low intensity plyometrics will increase your strength. However, if you are younger than 13, don’t use these ideas because it may harm your development.

How to work on your maximum soccer speed
To develop good maximum speed you need to have strong legs and good leg speed. To gain strong legs and good leg speed you should participate in different sprint drills. One thing to keep in mind when working on your sprinting drills is to have your arms strong and relaxed. Here are some drills that you can use to gain better maximum speed:

• Bum kicks, your focus should be on your leg speed

• High knees, try to not lean back

• Height skips

• Length skips

• Length bounds (only for players 13+)

• Length Hops (only for players 13+)

Try to do at least two to four repetitions. To recover slow org jog back.

How to develop better reaction speed
Speed of reaction is vital in soccer. One drill you could use to develop better reaction speed is to have a buddy throwing a ball in different directions. Remember that your buddy should not tell you which direction he/she will throw the ball.

Change Direction
Being able to change direction in soccer is also important. One drill you could use to increase this ability is to sprint in different directions. Force yourself to run forward, then back, left to right and vice versa, then forward again, then back etc. Keep in mind that in a soccer match you will need to run in every possible direction.

Sustain Speed
Speed endurance is your ability to keep a maximum speed as long as possible (for example a good 800 m runner may keep his/her speed endurance during the whole competition. A good practice method for speed endurance is to use interval type training combined with high intensity and long recovering periods. Keep in mind that you need to have some base training first before starting to build on your speed endurance. Jogging is a great way to gain good base training.