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How To Develop Soccer Speed

The document discusses the development of soccer speed, emphasizing that speed can be taught and improved through systematic training rather than being solely a genetic trait. It highlights the importance of multi-directional speed training over straight-line sprinting and outlines key age periods for optimal speed development. Additionally, it details the components of speed relevant to soccer, including quickness, reactive speed, active speed, and complex speed, while stressing the need for integrated training approaches that connect technical and tactical skills.

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Lindani
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22 views5 pages

How To Develop Soccer Speed

The document discusses the development of soccer speed, emphasizing that speed can be taught and improved through systematic training rather than being solely a genetic trait. It highlights the importance of multi-directional speed training over straight-line sprinting and outlines key age periods for optimal speed development. Additionally, it details the components of speed relevant to soccer, including quickness, reactive speed, active speed, and complex speed, while stressing the need for integrated training approaches that connect technical and tactical skills.

Uploaded by

Lindani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to develop soccer speed

Categories: Player development

How to Develop Soccer Speed?

Many coaches and trainers believe that speed is something you are born
with rather than a skill you can develop. Genetics is a very important factor
and does make a difference to the make-up and shape of athletes and their
capacity to become stronger and more powerful.

Strength and power are only two components of speed and will assist in how
fast you can run in a straight line. However, in a multidirectional sport like
soccer, being able to run fast in straight lines or having the capacity to lift
very heavy weights in the gym will not necessarily transfer onto the soccer
pitch.

Speed is a Skill and just like any other skill it can be taught, it can be
developed, and it can be improved through a systematic and progressive
training approach.

Many professional soccer clubs have used specialist sprint coaches whose
background is in track and field sports to improve the speed of their players,
but the biomechanics of straight line sprinting is different to multidirectional
speed, required in soccer. Practicing straight line sprinting continuously will
improve a player's conditioning, but it has very little functional benefit for a
sport like soccer.

Why? Because full-out sprinting in a soccer game only makes up about 1% of


the total movement in a 90 minute game! You may ask, is the ability to run
fast over 50 metres not important? Of course it is, but let's put it into
perspective.

Soccer is a multi-directional, explosive sport where there is a change of


movement every 4 seconds. There is little benefit in soccer players spending
too much time on drills which develop maximum velocity when they would
benefit more from shorter multi-directional explosive drills. Focusing on
these basic movements and individual skills is far more advantageous.

Did you know?

 Research has show that a majority of senior players in tests


were slower turning on one side than the other by up to 0.78
of a second
 Many soccer players can improve their speed and quickness
just by correcting their running biomechanics
 Reactive Speed can be improved by up to 30% with the correct
training in just four weeks
 If youngsters don't acquire the basic movement skills by the
age of 12 then they will very rarely make professional soccer
players

How do you Coach Soccer Speed?

In most clubs, whether youth, amateur or professional speed is treated as


part of fitness and specifically as part of speed strength and speed
endurance.

But this is actually counter-productive to the development of speed.

Scientifically it has been proven that strength is determined by developing


the muscular system. Endurance is determined by the cardiovascular
system.

Speed is determined by the nervous system and coordination.

The Optimal Training period - Who, When, Why & How

Age is a particularly important factor in the development of speed. As we


grow up we go through a number of biological development stages, and
several 'sensitive' stages that are the best periods in which to train.

Although motor development should begin at a very early age and does
occur naturally, there are three Key stages where speed and movement
learning should begin:

The period between the ages of 10 -13 years old is ideal for movement
training and establishment of motor engrams. This is due to the high
excitability and elasticity of the central nervous system, which allows us to
teach the correct movement patterns.

Many scientists believe that the distribution of fast twitch and slow twitch
fibres is not complete until the beginning of puberty. So it makes sense to
continue to work on speed during the pubescent years when there are
naturally increasing levels of testosterone or oestrogen, i.e. in boys 13-17
years old and girls for 11 to 15 years.

Does this mean that speed cannot be trained at any other time? No, of
course not, speed can be improved at any age, with the right training
systems for the sport. But this is the age bracket that we can make the most
possible difference.

The Neural Stimulus - Training the Neuromuscular system

The foundation process should begin at an early age, the earlier the better.
Formal movement training and motor skill development should begin at the
age of 8 and continue throughout the lifetime of the athlete. Speed in soccer
is a skill, and coaches should coach it as a skill.

What we want to do in the initial phase is create permanent motor engrams


or movement patterns. Movement patterns created at an early stage of a
Motor Programme are created and perfected as permanent motor engrams.
In the same way that a Positive Movement Pattern can be permanently
created, a negative or inefficient movement pattern can also be permanently
created, which will affect the speed and biomechanics of a soccer player at a
later stage. It is equally important for soccer players to have the ability to
move as efficiently and precisely as possible as it is to move fast as possible.

To add a new movement to your repertoire, it needs to be stored in your


muscle memory. When your body performs a motion, a series of nerve
impulses fire off in a specific sequence. You can think of the pattern of nerve
impulses as an electronic map that is stored in your neural system. The
problem is you can't simply perform the movement once and save it. You
have to repeat the sequence over and over until that particular motor
engram is permanently ingrained in your muscle memory.

In soccer as with many other sports you cannot coach speed in isolation.
When an engram is formed through learning a skill or movement pattern it
very quickly becomes a stable engram. The stable engram is very difficult to
modify. A good example of this is soccer players who when making a turn,
have a preference for on one side rather than the other.

In research carried out with over 900 players aged between 9 and 28 it was
found that 65% of over-10's were slower turning on their left side than their
right, and vice versa, by between 0.2 to 0.78 of a second. For a defender this
can mean a difference of 1-2 metres in distance when trying to catch or keep
up with an attacker, by which time the attacker has scored!

This is critical when setting-up a speed training programme. The structure of


the training programmes must be the same or similar to the sport and the
competition and therefore it is very important to teach the soccer player the
ability to move not only as fast as possible but also as precisely as possible.

Soccer Specific Speed Training Quality & Technique


In soccer we have to consider different components that make-up speed and
how we can integrate them into existing training. We then have to look at
the effectiveness of the way we train speed in our sport and analyse the
requirements and approach to training speed so we can develop
performances at youth, recreational and elite level.

There are four components of speed that we need to take into consideration
when coaching speed in soccer:

 Quickness
 Reactive Speed
 Active speed
 Complex Speed

Quickness

Quickness is any explosive movement that occurs within 1 metre of the body
in any direction. It has also been described as the first gear of speed, or the
first three steps of speed.

Reactive Speed

In soccer these are the responses to signals which are received optically,
acoustically or tactilely. Reaction performance is influenced by a number of
factors apart from attention and muscle pre-tension. Simple reaction times
can be increased by 10-15% and choice reaction times by 30% with correct
training within four weeks.

Active Speed

Active speed training needs to take into consideration the abilities and skills
that are responsible for movements executed at high speeds. The
methodology for improving active speed is based on high movement quality,
executed at high speeds with low loads.

Complex Speed

Complex speed is linked with the individual development of speed strength,


speed endurance and resistance to fatigue, acceleration drills and complex
locomotor movements and competition. The main objective is to carry out
complex movements at the greatest possible velocity and be as precise and
as technical as possible.

The most common mistake coaches make when coaching youngsters (7-16
years) is to isolate these skills and teach them in different compartments.
However, young soccer players need to constantly make connections
between technical execution, tactical and overall knowledge and other
important capabilities like vision, co-ordination, anticipation, determination
and speed.

Mike Antoniades

Mike is the Performance and Rehabilitation Director of Sport Dimensions, a


company he set-up, specialising in speed, power and rehabilitation training.
He is a qualified A licence UEFA Coach, Strength & Conditioning Coach,
Speed Coach and Rehabilitation Specialist. Mike works with a number
professional soccer clubs in the UK, Europe and the USA, developing Speed
and Conditioning programmes. He has worked with individuals as well as
teams including: Chelsea FC, Chelsea Academy, Crystal Palace, Blackburn,
West Ham, Fulham, Stoke City, Ipswich Town, Bath Rugby, Harlequins,
English Institute of Sport and winter and summer Olympians.

Mike runs coaching workshops and seminars on Soccer Speed and The Long
Term Development of Young Soccer players in the UK, Europe and the USA
and has also lectured at various universities on Rehabilitation and Injury
Prevention. He has developed a number of protocols for Performance and
Rehabilitation which are being used successfully in professional teams and
private practices.

He has just completed a DVD on How to Coach Soccer Speed called "Feel the
Speed". www.sportdimensions.com

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