Soccer Speed Training

Soccer Speed Training

Soccer can be a tough sport to train for. Soccer athletes must have not only an endurance base, but also the ability to sprint at full speed for short distances. Training for soccer speed requires a mix of aerobic conditioning (i.e. distance running) and anaerobic power (sprinting).

A solid soccer speed training program should include speed-endurance, which is the ability to run at top speeds for extended periods of time.

Here is a sample three-week pre-season speed training program to help your athletes improve their speed before the season begins:


Week 1

Monday and Friday (sprint speed)
3X30m (45 second rest between reps)
3X60m (45 second rest between reps)
3X90m (45 second rest between reps)
Wednesday (speed-endurance)

Use a 3:1 Rest Ratio (ex. if it takes 30seconds to run 150m, then rest for 1:30 before the 200m)

50m-100m-150m-200m-150m-100m-50m
Repeat the pyramid one more time

Week 2

Monday and Friday
5X30m (45 second rest between reps)
5X60m (45 second rest between reps)
5X90m (45 second rest between reps)
Wednesday (speed-endurance)

Use a 2:1 Rest Ratio (ex. if it takes 30seconds to run 150m, then rest for 1:00 before the 200m)
50m-100m-150m-200m-150m-100m-50m
Repeat the pyramid two more times


Week 3

Monday and Friday
6X30m (30 second rest between reps)
6X60m (30 second rest between reps)
6X90m (30 second rest between reps)


Wednesday (speed-endurance)
Use a 2:1 Rest Ratio (ex. if it takes 30seconds to run 150m, then rest for 1:00 before the 200m)
50m-100m-150m-200m-250m-200m-150m-100m-50m
Repeat the pyramid two more times


General Warm-up
(To be used before each workout)
1/2 to 1 mile jog
Full Body Stretch
Warm-up Speed Drills
High Knees (3X30m)
Heel-Glutes (3X30m)
Carriocca (3X30m)
1/2 Speed Striders (3X30m)

Ryan Lee, MS, CSCS
For more information on soccer speed and strength training methods visit: Sport Specific.com

Skill Training for Sport

Skill training is essential towards any athletes training plan. Obviously, if your athletes aren’t getting any better skill and technique-wise for their particular sport, then all of the other exercises that they do are pointless.

Speed training, power, conditioning, strength, etc. can be similar in the types of workouts that different speed and power sports perform but position and sport specific skills are what differentiate the sports athletes.

Skill training should be worked on each workout. It can be blended and mixed into each weeks workout plan. These exercises and drills act to bridge the speed, agility, and strength that were acquired during training into a more functional activity and performance for the particular sport.
When planning an actual training program for your sport, the strength and conditioning part are extremely important but will not help you if you do not focus on the skills required to excel and perform at your position and sport.

It might sound basic, but you would be surprised to see how many coaches actual under-estimate the value of skill development and do not spend a lot of time working on the tools, techniques and skill sets required to become better at their sport.

Training for Quickness

Quickness training is on of the most underlooked areas of training - and often ignored.

Coaches often times feel that an athlete is either quick or not so they do not think they need to train this area. Although there is a certain genetic predisposition to how fast and how quick some can be, but it does not at all mean that that ability can't be improved.

Quickness is how fast someone reacts to a stimulus. Reation time is a part of someone's quickness and can be trained. Agility training is already in your sports training program so start adding some quickness training drills to enhance your program.

Here are some training drills you can use for quickness development:

-Ball Drop
Your partner holds a tennis ball out in one hand. You start in an athletic stance and when the tennis ball is released/dropped, you sprint to the ball and snatch it before it bounces more than once. This is a great drill for first step quickness training.

You can change the distance that you partner stands away from you, you can hange the height of their arm (how high it is raised), and also change your starting position stance. All of these can help you change the difficulty and challenge of this drill.


- Dodge Ball
The old american game of dodge ball is a great game to work of quickness and reaction time. This game can be played with all ages and levels of athletes.

-Partner Mirror Drill
This is like the shadow game that you use to play as kids. This drill is performed between partners. One partner starts moving and the other partner follows and doesn't allowed to be juked. You need to try and mirror the movement and match each reaction.

These quickness training drills with help your athletes become faster and should be added to every sports speed training program.