| Speed, Agility & Quickness |
Speed, Agility & QuicknessYou may hear many coaches say that modern day soccer is all about speed. Today's players are faster than ever and the game is played at high tempo from start to finish. But what exactly makes a quick player? In a sport like soccer it's not simply the ability to run fast... Players rarely, if ever get the chance to reach maximum speed in a game. Far more important is acceleration and speed off the mark. A player may be quick over 30-40 yards but lack the skill and dexterity to run quickly while in possession of the ball. And then there's speed endurance... Soccer is a high intensity intermittent game. Players must make several strong runs or sprints back-to-back with minimal rest. Their ability to maintain sharpness and power is a measure of their speed endurance. How about quickness of feet? Speed of thought and reaction time? And don't forget the ability to decelerate and change direction rapidly. All of these attributes combine to make what we would call a quick player. And the good news is that from this list of physical attributes most can be improved through proper training. Don't let anyone tell you being quick is solely down to the luck of the genetic draw! So how does a player (or a team) become quick? It takes a combined training approach. And the first type of training that will make a significant difference is something we've already covered... Strength & Power TrainingWhat determines running speed? It's not just the ability to move your legs rapidly. While this is important, the greater the force you can apply with each ground contact, the quicker you can propel yourself. Of course, it doesn't matter how much force you can apply if you can't apply it rapidly. So the ability to run fast is really a combination of strength and speed... also known as explosive power! A phase of maximal strength training will increase the amount of force that a player can apply. That's the first half of the equation taken care of. A subsequent phase of plyometric training conditions the body to apply that force very rapidly... the result is power development and a faster player! But remember, there are other elements to speed aside from the ability to run quickly... Speed, Agility & Quickness TrainingSpeed or sprint training will further help to improve you speed off the mark, acceleration and power. Agility training allows you to change direction without the loss of balance, strength, speed or body control. Quickness training will help to improve your foot speed and co-ordination. In reality there is a lot of overlap between these three types of training. From a practical point of view they can all be combined into one session using just a handful of drills. Sample Sprint Training Drill - Hollow Sprints Sample Agility Training Drill - Follow The Leader Mark out an area about 10 meters/yards by 10 meters/yards. In pairs, one player runs randomly within the marked area. The other player must follow maintaining no more the 2 meters/yards distance. The leader should be changing direction and pace constantly. Two sets of pairs can be added to the area so players must be conscious of what's around them also. Sample Quickness Training Drill - Ladder Runs
Please see Total Soccer Fitness for dozens of sample speed, agility and quickness drills and sessions. In fact you can use Total Soccer Fitness as the all-in-one resource for soccer conditioning. Here's what else it will help you do:
This is a sample lesson from Total Soccer Fitness Read more about Total Soccer Fitness here - Download Total Soccer Fitness here |
