Speed & Strength Training for Soccer

The training pitch or the gym will provide adequate space to improve your running speed and build strength. You will naturally become stronger working on general fitness. Speed and agility helps your ball control and balance when you are running with the ball. Increasing strength and fitness levels will reduce the risk of injury and improve your performance on the soccer pitch.

  1. Acceleration

    • You must concentrate on improvement of acceleration when undertaking a speed and strength training program. The ability to accelerate quickly and powerfully is an important skill. Breaking away from an opponent and being first to the soccer ball or even chasing down a player can prove vital in a match. These skills require short bursts of speed to be successful. Practice acceleration by doing grid sprints on the soccer pitch. Jog for two minutes and sprint for 30 seconds in consecutive cycles.

    Direction Changing

    • You will not only be required to run in straight lines during a match. Drills and sprints should include changing the direction in which you are running. Quick reactions to changing direction can be practiced by running back then forward, side to side, then back, and diagonally, or running and turning on the sound of a whistle. There are no restrictions on the directions you will run during a match, so practice multi-direction runs as part of speed training.

    Cone Sprints

    • The use of plastic cones are a good way to improve both speed and agility. The cones are placed in a line at an equal distance apart. You will run between the cones on alternative sides, around the last cone and repeat the process in the opposite direction. The ball can be brought into the training technique to improve ball control. You dribble the ball around the cones in a limited time period.

    Weight Training

    • A light weight training session will help strengthen muscles and tone your physique. Five-kilogram hand held weights will suffice to tone the biceps and shoulders. You stand with your back straight and legs slightly apart. Hold the weight in each hand and alternate lifting the weight slightly under your chin with the palm of your hand turned inward, toward the body. Repeat 20 times for each hand. Push-ups and sit-ups are a good way to improve arm, shoulder and stomach muscle strength.

    Plyometric Drills

    • Plyometric exercise drills are when an explosive, fast-acting movement is used to develop muscular power and improve overall speed. It is an exercise that allows muscles to exert maximum force in the shortest amount of time possible. Jumping over the ball, backward and forward repeatedly is a basic exercise as is hopping from side to side with your feet kept together. There are various other plyometric exercises you can practice, such as a standing long jump, hopping or jumping with your feet together up a staircase, and tuck jumps--when you tuck the legs into the body when jumping. These drills can be practiced safely and easily, almost anywhere.