Workouts to Gain Speed & Agility for Soccer Players at the Gym

A gym offers plenty of space for soccer players to work on speed and agility. While acceleration drills typically require sprints over shorter distances, plyometric bounding drills can be done in contained spaces with minimal to no equipment. Because speed and agility exercises tend to be high intensity and executed with maximal effort, schedule them early in your soccer workouts when you're fresh. Avoid launching into speed and agility conditioning without a warm-up, which can include leg swings, carioca with long strides and high-stepping exercises.

  1. Acceleration Drills

    • Because soccer requires the ability to sprint from a standstill, you can perform drills to improve your acceleration and starting speed. Begin by marking off a distance of 11 to 16 yards -- the length of your practice sprints -- at the gym. The point of the exercise is to explode off the starting line in a series of sprints, using different types of starting positions. For example, do the first sprint from a staggered foot position, placing one foot in front of the other. On the next sprint, stand sideways to the starting line. Begin the run with the foot closest to the starting line, turning your head and upper body around rapidly and pumping your arms to pick up momentum. On the third sprint, use a diagonal start, stepping forward at an angle to the right or left with your back foot first. Face away from the starting line for the last sprint. Drop your right or left foot, pivot around and open your hips to sprint forward.

    Plyometrics

    • Plyometric training taps into the stretch-shortening property of your muscles to produce explosive movement, which can help you to accelerate, change direction quickly and leap during game play. Perform various hopping and bounding drills at the gym to develop speed and power. For example, execute a series of different types of jumps as if doing a circuit. Start with two double-legged jumps forward, a jump backwards and then sprint forward for 16 yards. Next, try four diagonal jumps, alternating between your right and left sides. Upon completing the fourth jump, sprint forward. To boost the challenge, perform a vertical jump and then a 180-degree turn at the top of the jump. As soon as you land, sprint forward to complete the drill.

    Resisted Speed Training

    • By adding resistance to speed drills, you can improve your stride frequency and acceleration. For example, you can run on different types of surfaces, such as water or sand. You can change the angle of the surface, such as running hills or stairs. A third type of resisted speed exercise is towing in which you attach one end of elastic tubing to a weighted sled or tire and attach the other end to a quick-release harness. As you sprint forward, tow the weight. If you’re at the gym, have a partner hold the tubing behind you for resisted speed runs. Keep your sprints short and brief but perform them at maximal effort. If your technique starts to falter, switch to elastic tubing with lighter resistance.

    Agility Exercises

    • You can develop your agility, or the ability to change direction, with a ladder and a jump rope at the gym. You have a choice of numerous footwork drills that you can do with a speed ladder. For example, you can begin by running through it, stepping in one square at a time with an alternating foot strike. A sideways shuffle through the ladder can help you to improve lateral motion. Jumping rope is another effective method to improve your agility. Use various jumping techniques, such as stride jumps in which you swap your lead foot on each jump to one-legged hops, to work on motor coordination and balance.