Soccer Speed Program Design [ARTICLE]

Soccer Speed Program Design

by Rob Rose - TrueAP - www.TrueAP.com

What does every coach say? "Speed Kills!"

This was very evident in the recent World Cup Match between the US and China. The speed and quickness of both teams was amazing and clearly a key aspect to what brought them to the championship.

In my last article, I discussed how to properly design a strength training program for soccer. We focused on a periodization model and emphasized adding as much variety to the program as possible.

We are going to stick with a very similar model of periodization for soccer speed training, but we will be adding an emphasis on training the proper soccer speed dynamics.

Soccer Speed Dynamics

Dynamic Flexibility:	This dynamic is critical to each and every workout or competition your athlete's perform. Dynamic flexibility is proven to properly warm up the muscles needed to perform, reduce the likely hood of injury and of course increase flexibility.
Linear Speed:	Straight ahead speed. Soccer players have notoriously poor running mechanics. If we can properly teach the athletes to use their arms, drive their knees and stay efficient, they will get faster.
Agility:	Being able to change directions, quickly and efficiently. These drills will emphasize how to properly accelerate, decelerate and cut on a dime. Soccer is a game of angles and agility drills will help us get to the ball before our opponent.
Reaction & First Step:	We combine these dynamics together, because a lot of the drills overlap. Reaction training is the ability to improve the "interval between the stimulus and a response." While First Step training is the emphasis on improving the quickness and power of an athlete's initial 3 steps. Both are key components in the game of soccer.
Power:	Power is strength x speed. We utilize jumping or plyometric drills to improve an athlete's total body power.
Core:	We define an athlete's core as anything from the neck down to the ankles, all the way around to body. We do not just do abdominal exercises to strengthen the core. We incorporate balance and stabilization drills also. An athlete needs a strong and stable core to be able to properly sprint, cut, jump or react.

Below are some tables that will recommend the best way to set up your pre-season program design for speed.

SOCCER SPEED PROGRAM GOALS

SOCCER SPEED PROGRAM DESIGN OUTLINE

SAMPLE PRE-SEASON PHASE BREAKDOWN

Sets: 4-8
Repetitions: 2*
Rest Between Sets: 20 seconds *Value only applies to speed training exercises. Core and balance exercises range from 10 to 20 reps*

If you follow the guidelines set forth in the tables above, you and your athletes will benefit from a very effective and efficient pre-season speed program.

To learn more about Soccer Speed and the best drills to add for each dynamic, contact
Rob Rose and the experts at True Athlete Performance.

For more information on this or any of Rob's TrueAP Articles, contact Rob at rrose@trueap.com.

For Soccer Specific Training DVD's Exercise Manuals and Tailor Made Program Designs for Speed and Strength, be sure to visit: www.TrueAP.com.

TRAIN HARD...
TRAIN SMART...
TRAIN TRUE... www.TrueAP.com