A rather common phrase I get from readers is something like “we are planning on starting with the speed training later this Spring”.

To me, this is not a good way of doing it.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to critize you for the way you currently are doing things. I admire that you guys have a plan to follow, but I simply don’t agree with the plan.

And I am very well aware that other factors are involved, such as the number of days you train, time on the field, etc, but in a lot of cases I believe that with a slightly better plan, you can solve this problem.

The philosophy (at least in Sweden), has been that you should build an aerobic base at the beginning of pre-season, and when the real season approaches, you start going into more of high-intensity runs with shorter rest period. Here’s where a lot of coaches believe that soccer speed training should be added as well.

Today, we know there are better ways of doing it.

Since soccer speed is a lot about reaction, it means that the central nervous system is highly involved when it comes to improving soccer speed (or in any other sport for that matter).

In order to train this together with stimulating your fast twitch muscle fibers, you simply can’t perform speed training only during 1/4 of the year.

The solution: Soccer Speed Training should be performed year round!

However, that doesn’t mean you should perform 12 sets of acceleration drills – 3 times/week – year round. Not at all!

You could increase the volume during some parts of the year, and decrease the volume during other parts of the year, but no matter what, speed training should be included almost during the whole year.

During season, speed training should be performed 2-3 times/week, and it doesn’t have to take more than 5-10 minutes to perform. And after that, you could take a break after the season, and then start again after a few weeks.

A pretty good rule of thumb to follow is to perform speed training regularly for 3-5 weeks, and after that you take 1 week off from just the speed training portion (you train soccer just like you normally do during this week). After 1 week off from the speed training, you start again for another 3-5 weeks, take 1 week off, and continue like that.

By following that setup you make sure to train your body for speed and reaction, without overtraining or wearing yourself out.

With younger players, speed training can, according to my philosophy, include coordination drills performed in the agility ladder, line drills, short acceleration contests, etc.

Speed and movement training should just like any other quality in soccer (technical skills, passing, receiving, shooting, etc) be trained regularly. Training for speed and reaction only during March or April is not going to improve your players speed very much.

Speed during soccer today is a critical factor for how long a player will go in his career.

But remember, soccer speed is not about straight ahead speed for 60 meters. Soccer speed is about reaction, 10-20 meters accelerations, deceleration, change of direction, etc. Therefore you need to expose your players to that type of training if you want them to improve their speed and performance on the soccer field.

I hope you found this post interesting. Let me know if you have any comments!

Cheers,
Jonas Forsberg

Related posts:

1. High Intensity Soccer Training vs. Low Intensity Soccer Training
2. The First 3 Steps To Soccer Speed

- Never perform 2 High Intensity Soccer Training days in a row.

No matter what age or level you are coaching, adding in 2 high intensity days in a row will in the long term only lead to the players getting sore and possibly even injured.

There is an exception to this rule, and that is when you coach older players at a higher level (age 16 and older) during pre-season. Through a shorter period during the pre-season you might be able to go a little harder a few days in a row, much like the European clubs who only have a few weeks to prepare for the season.

But cycling (alternating) between high intensity and low intensity training days really is effective. I believe that you should be able to go hard at least once a week, even during soccer season. If there’s a game every 6-7th day, then you might even be able to add in 2 high intensity workouts during the week, but make sure to keep these workouts during the middle of the week, as far away from the games as possible.

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A Sample High Intensity Training Session for Soccer

A high intensity workout can be a training session where you work a lot through small sided games, for instance:

- Warm Up (10 min)
- Speed Training (10 min)
- 2 v 2 Tournament (40 min)
- 6 v 6 w/ 2 min work (20 min)
- Agility/Conditioning Drill (5 min)
- Cool-down (5 min)

2 v 2 and 6 v 6 together with an agility drill that focuses on the conditioning aspect really is a high intensity workout session. Performing this session several days in row will probably lead to the opposite effect of what you are looking to accomplish.

Similar sessions as the one above can (and should) be performed 1-2 times/week, throughout the whole year.

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A Sample Low Intensity Training Session for Soccer

A low intensity training session may look like this:

- Warm Up (10 min)
- Landing Technique and Coordination (10 min)
- Technical drills (20 min)
- Finishing drills (25 min)
- Cool-down (10 min)

Technical drills may include dribbling at a rather low tempo, but it may also include different passing/receiving drills at a low tempo. Other great examples of low intensity drills are soccer-tennis or soccer-golf, which the players very often enjoy.

Finishing drills could be anything from dribbling the ball and then try to score, it could be a one-touch finish, finishing from crossing, etc. Just make sure the distance the players are running before they finish is relatively short, so the drill doesn’t turn into a conditioning oriented drill. Low intensity but with high focus and concentration is the key here.

If you coach older players then adding in some set pieces during low intensity training sessions is a really good idea if you want to work on the tactical components of the game.

Low intensity training sessions should be placed into the schedule the day after a game, or as the last training session before a game (1 day before the game). High intensity training sessions are best to add in during the middle of the week, as far away from a game as possible.

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A Sample Training Week

3 sessions/week

A sample week for those who practice 3 times/week may look like this:

- Sample #1 (Mo-Wed-Fri, game on Sunday/Saturday)

Sunday: Game
Monday: Low Intensity Training Session
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: High Intensity Training Session
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Low Intensity Training Session
Saturday: Game

—————————–

- Sample #2 (Mon-Tue-Thur, game Saturday/Saturday)

Saturday: Game
Sunday: Rest
Monday: High Intensity Training Session
Tuesday: Low Intensity Training Session
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: High Intensity Training Session
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Game

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Conclusion

This article is a good template to follow when it comes to planing your soccer sessions. If you work with younger players (up to 14-15 years old), then your training should be built around technical skills and a lot small sided games. Adding in a lot of conditioning drills at the end of a practice is not needed at this age.

If you work with older athletes (16 +), then this article really is THE template for you to follow.

Always make sure to ask your players for feedback on the training intensity, and how they feel in their bodies. If they are complaining and feel soreness/pain in for instance their groins and hamstrings, then take a step back and lower the intensity for a while.

Planning and setting up the training schedule is always tricky, and moderate is often best, but as long as the players feel fresh then adding in high intensity training sessions really shouldn’t be a problem, not even during the competition period.

Remember to always alternate between high and low intensity training session!

Feel free to leave a comment here below!

/Jonas Forsberg
Author of Youth Soccer Speed
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PS. The Youth Soccer Speed program comes with a conditioning guide called Energy System Development, which is a complete guide to getting your players fit through soccer training. Visit Youth Soccer Speed for more information!
_____________________________________________________________________________

Related posts:

1. How to Build a Soccer Conditioning Base
2. Soccer Speed Training – Only During Season?
3. Soccer Conditioning – How and When?

I wouldn’t agree with that, since I believe soccer players certainly can benefit from true agility exercises, even without a soccer ball at their feet. The reason I believe in “closed agility exercises”, where the players are following a pre-determined track, is because it teaches the players to accelerate, decelerate, change a direction and then accelerate again (reacceleration).

It is important to work on soccer speed and agility through pre-determined tracks and drills, where they know where to change a direction, but it is also important work on it through a more random track, where they change directions based on the movement of their opponents for instance, as in a soccer game.

I don’t believe in simply just choosing one way of improving soccer speed, I believe there should be different ways of doing it in order to maximize a players potential. You need to look at everything as a part of something bigger, and that’s why soccer agility can and should be trained in both closed (with cones, pre-determined) and open drills (random, react to movements).

And when it comes to a great soccer agility drill I use with my players, I like the T-pattern setup. You can also set it up in a setting where it becomes a competition between 2 teams, which is something the players really enjoy!

T-drill version 1

Instructions

Setup the track by placing the first and second cone 10-15 meters apart, and then set the cones up with 5-8 meters apart from the centre cone to the right and left cone.

If you want to set it up as a competition between 2 teams, just place the “T” against each other (facing each other), and then have the goal line at either the right cone or left cone.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

/Jonas Forsberg
Author of YouthSoccerSpeed.com

PS. If you want other variations of the T-pattern setup, and a total of 24 different agility drills (includes a bunch of different patterns that are easy to setup and follow), then visit YouthSoccerSpeed.com

Related posts:

1. Agility Drill for Soccer
2. What is Soccer Speed?
3. Soccer Footwork and Coordination

What research are showing today is that too many situps and crunches certainly can lead to lower back pain and injuries. Therefore I like to build my core training around movements that are healthier on the lower back, but still gives you a strong and functional core.

I don’t believe in situps and crunches as the main methods for building a strong core, but I don’t mind if my players do include some variations of them from time to time.

The main methods and exercises I use for developing a strong and functional core are:

- Regular Planks
- Side Planks
- Bird Dogs

There are variations of these exercises that you can progress to once you can handle the traditional versions.

Once they handle these exercises I then start to move into exercises that include 1 of the following 2 tools:

- Stability Balls
- Valslides

The stability ball is a little easier with most of the exercises, and the Valslide is a little tougher. If possible, then invest in both of them, but if you are looking for a tool that will develop a strong and functional core, while at the same time is easy to bring with you, then Valslide is your option any day of the week.

With the Valslide you are able to perform a large number of strength training exercises that not only trains your core, but also your lower body as well as your upper body.

In the Youth Soccer Speed program there is a complete Strength Training Program with 35 different exercises, and where 7 of these are performed with the Valslide.

I don’t make a single dime recommending the Valslide, it’s just an honest recommendation. I use the Valslide both personally and with my soccer players, and keep seeing great results!

Start off with the 3 exercises I recommended above, and then once you ready, move onto more advanced exercises!

Let me know your thoughts!

/Jonas Forsberg
The Soccer Speed Blog

PS. What about you guys, have you ever tried the Valslide?

Related posts:

1. 4 Simple Steps to Soccer Speed (Part 2)
2. High Intensity Soccer Training vs. Low Intensity Soccer Training

Click on the link here to read Part 1 of 4 Simple Steps to Soccer Speed

In today’s article we’ll go over the topics strength training and conditioning.

3. Strength Training on the soccer field

When it comes to strength training for soccer players, there are a lot of different philosophies out there on how this should be performed.

Some say you only should Squat and Deadlift, some say you only should do Single-Leg Training, etc. My view on this debate is that it all start with the basics of true bodyweight training.

The benefit of starting with bodyweight training is that it all can be performed on the soccer field, without a lot of equipment. Once you have gone through the basics, that’s when I recommend players to increase the load.

But before we start with that, we need to master the basics, and these are:

Lower Body

- Bodyweight Squat
- Split Squat –> Forward Lunge/Reverse Lunge – Walking Lunge
- Lateral Step Up –> 1 Leg Supported Squat –> 1 Leg Squat (standing on bench)
- Lateral Squat – Lateral Lunge
- Glute Bridge (2 legs) –> 1 Leg Glute Bridge
- 1 Leg RDL

Upper Body

- Pushup with arms elevated – Regular Pushups – Feet Elevated Pushups
- Bodyweight Rowing (using Gymnastic Rings or TRX)
- Chinups/Pullups

Core

- Regular Planks –> Plank with arm/leg raise
- Side Plank –> Side Plank w/leg raise

These are the true basics in my opinion, and I always make sure the players learn to master these movements first. Once they do, then we may move into the weight room. And when it comes to what exercises to choose in the weight room, it’s basically the same exercises, and the only difference is that we start to load up these movements with medicine balls, dumbbells, weight vests, barbells, etc.

Exercises that are being added in the weight room may be:

- A few more core exercises (Roll Outs, Hyperextensions, Stability Ball Jacknife)
- Perhaps a Military Press for Upper Body and Core Strength
- Conventional Deadlifts
- Barbell Glute Bridges
- Stability Ball Leg Curls –> Valslide Leg Curls for the Hamstrings and Glutes
- Glute Ham Raises (often with a partner) for the Hamstrings and Glutes.

But remember, before you even consider adding weight to your strength training routines, make sure you truly master the exercises explained earlier in this article. And how long that takes, well that depends on the individual, but I can tell you it doesn’t happen overnight. Maybe a few months, maybe a year. Be patient, there’s no rush!

4. Soccer Conditioning, what is it?

Working on soccer conditioning is something, in my experience, that a lot coaches tend to missunderstand. Conditioning methods are either based on the coach and his previous experience to conditioning (from the time he used to play), which often does include running long distance to “build a base”.

Conditioning methods can also be based on coaches who view the science of soccer (which is great), but truth be told, some of them are actually misinterpreting the science, and here’s why:

- The total distance covered during a soccer game is somewhere between 9-15 km (depending on age and level).

It is because of that reason coaches believe long distance running should be a part of the conditioning. The thing is, it is not the distance itself that matters, it is how we cover that distance.

And that distance is covered through a lot of different ways, such as:

- Walking
- Jogging
- Low speed running
- Moderate speed running
- High intensity running
- Sprinting

Movements such as backpedal run, side shuffling and jumping should also be added to this list, although these movements are rather low compared to the movements explained above.

And when it comes to long distance running, what research have shown is that qualities such as speed, strength and power actually decreases when you perform long distance running.

In soccer, do you think speed, strength and power is of any importance?

If you ask me, those qualities can definitely be the difference between an amateur player and a professional player. So performing long distance running is out the question for me, I never use it with my players, and neither should you!

So how should you improve a players soccer condition?

Primarily through different games on the soccer field. I believe that soccer conditioning always should be performed on the soccer field, and most of it should be performed with a soccer ball. Examples of drills are:

- 11 v 11 on a full size field
- 7 v 7 on half a soccer field
- 4 v 4 shooting games
- 2 v 2 tournaments

Some times you may use conditioning methods that don’t include a soccer ball, such as:

- Tempo Running (for “building a base”)
- Shuttle Runs
- Random Cutting Runs

Okay, there you have it – 4 Simple Steps to Soccer Speed:

1. A proper warm up
2. Soccer speed at the beginning of/before soccer practice
3. Strength training on the soccer field
4. Soccer Conditioning (primarily through different games)

I hope you enjoyed this mini-serie and learned some new things when it comes to improving soccer speed. Follow these 4 simple steps and I promise you – you’ll see great results!

Have a great weekend!

Jonas Forsberg
The Soccer Speed Blog

PS. If you want the complete system I use for improving soccer speed (includes exercises and video material for all of these 4 simple steps), then visit YouthSoccerSpeed.com

Related posts:

1. 4 Simple Steps for Soccer Speed (Part 1)
2. The Importance of Lower Body Strength for Soccer Speed
3. The First 3 Steps To Soccer Speed

However, we need to slow down a bit and make it less complicated and stick with the basics. You don’t need to invest several hundred dollars to become a faster and quicker soccer player.

Here’s exactly what you need in order to improve your soccer speed:

- Access to a soccer field
- Soccer shoes or running shoes

That’s really all you need (okay, you need to get your clothes on too, of course). Using sleds and resistance based running is great once you really reach that ceiling where you can’t seem to get any faster. For most young soccer players, this is not the case, not by far.

So what I recommend in this article serie is 4 simple steps you can use to improve soccer speed right away. You get the first 2 steps here today, and the other 2 steps in a couple of days.

1. Start with a proper warm up

Yeah, that really is 1 of the 4 steps, it’s that important. And when it comes to warming up, jogging a few laps around the field and then stretch does not count as a proper warm up.

No, what you can consider a proper warm up is to perform several exercises that will improve your mobility and flexibility, turn on your muscles and get your body ready for soccer practice.

A few examples to that are the following exercises:

- Jogging
- Heel and Toe Walk
- High knee run
- Butt kicks
- Backpedal Run
- Knee Hugs
- Side shuffle
- Hip Circuits
- Split Squats
- Lateral Squats
- Plank and Side Plank
- Carioca
- Frankenstein Kicks
- Defensive Shuffle
- Power Skips

If you perform each of the exercise for 15-20 meters or 4-6 reps/side and throw in some jogging in between some of the exercises, then you are most likely going to be ready for soccer practice. The warm-up should take approximately 10 minutes to perform.

The warm-up will work both as a way of getting the body ready in the short term (for practice), as well as in the long term (improving mobility and flexibility).

Never skip your warm-up before practice, it really is your 1st Step to improving soccer speed.

2. Soccer speed at the beginning of soccer practice

When you are trying to improve soccer speed, the key really is to get warmed up at first (Step #1), and then perform some true speed work right afterwards, before your soccer practice starts.

- Why you want to perform speed training that early is because you really need your body and your central nervous system to be fresh in order to get most out of the speed training.

Soccer speed is improved in a state where you feel fresh, so trying to improve speed at the end of a soccer session simply is a waste of time.

- You need to focus on quality over quantity when it comes to speed training. Performing sprints for 20 minutes with short rest in between will not lead to optimal results.

What I recommend is 10-15 meter sprints, and a total of 6-10 sprints is often what most players can handle. Rest 45-60 seconds between every sprint, and if you feel tired and need more rest, then please add in some more rest.

In order to progress and get faster, you need to be able to perform your sprints at at least 90-95% of your maximum speed, and what that means is that if you don’t rest enough or simply run way too many sprints, then you won’t be able to keep that speed during your sprints.

So keep the total volume rather low, and make sure to rest enough between each sprints so you’ll be able to run really fast.

Okay, there you have it, the first 2 Simple Steps for Soccer Speed. The next 2 steps will be presented here on the blog in a couple of days.

Have a great day!

/Jonas Forsberg,
The Soccer Speed Blog
& Author of Youth Soccer Speed

PS. If you want more examples of what exercises to use in order to improve soccer speed, visit Youth Soccer Speed right now!

Related posts:

1. 4 Simple Steps to Soccer Speed (Part 2)
2. The First 3 Steps To Soccer Speed
3. Sprinting for Soccer Speed

It does of course depend on what position the player is in, but in this example I am going to use the Athletic Stance position as an example (feet next to each other).

What coaches have been saying (and still are saying) is that the first step always should be forward during acceleration. A very common situation during the Athletic Stance position is that players take the first “backwards”, what often is referred to as a “False Step”.

The reasoning behind this, and why the False Step shouldn’t occur is because if you want to travel forward, then why would you ever take a step backwards?

Like with most things here in life, we can’t agree on everything and I can’t say that people who are coaching a step forward is wrong. What I am presenting here is my view and my belief, and I am not picking on coaches who does the opposite of what I am doing.

Anyway, if we look at soccer, we know that it is a sport full of movements that require quick reactions from the players. In some sports, players always start in a predetermined starting position, but this doesn’t happen in soccer. Sometimes the players are in an athletic stance, sometimes in a split stance, sometimes they need to accelerate from a lateral position, a position where they need to go in the opposite direction, and so on.

So in soccer, a lot of it is based on natural reactions and instincts. You need to react quickly, and if you walk around thinking about where to take your first step, you are definitely behind.

When we are looking at acceleration, we are often saying that it’s important for the player to create a forward lean in his body during the acceleration phase, and that forward lean should optimally be at 45 degrees to the ground.

And when it comes to first step acceleration, we are always going to be faster when pushing ourselves in the direction we want to travel, rather than pulling ourselves.

Taking a step forward require more of a pulling motion, and taking the “False Step” is more of a pushing motion.

Okay, let’s sum it up. The False Step is something that Lee Taft took and turned into what he calls a Plyo Step. A Plyo Step is not a step backwards, it is a repositioning of the feet where the body is finding a better angle to travel forward.

A little further down this page you’ll find a video showing the Plyo Step, and these snapshots are taken from that exact video clip:

What you can see here is that from picture 1 to picture 4, the player is repositioning his feet to get into a better position for acceleration. And if you look at picture 4, that is a pretty decent picture demonstrating the forward lean acceleration position.

If something happens so naturally that almost 20 out of 20 players do it if you line them up next to each other in an Athletic Stance Position, then why should we try to coach that away from them?

Wouldn’t it be better to try to make the players faster in that position, by training the Plyo Step instead, and making them faster and quicker at that movement?

I really believe so, but hey, I could be wrong.

Lastly, take a look at the video clip here below:

Worth mentioning, this is the first time this player performed the Plyo Step, with actually knowing it was a Plyo Step. He hasn’t done any speed training before, and I didn’t do any coaching at all when he performed this exercise. I just told him to get into an Athletic Stance Position, and then react upon a signal.

Players I am working with on a weekly basis performs the Plyo Step even more efficiently than this player, and it is all because of the fact that we are trying to make them faster and quicker at this movement.

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know by posting in the comment field below!

/Jonas Forsberg

Related posts:

1. How to Improve Your Soccer Acceleration
2. Soccer Footwork and Coordination
3. Sprinting for Soccer Speed

For some time now soccer speed has been the same as quick feet for a lot of people, but let’s be honest and say that soccer footwork does not EQUAL speed on the soccer field.

BUT, being able to move your feet quickly is PART of the whole equation, and with younger players an agility ladder for instance is a great investment.

The agility ladder is a small investment, it is easy to bring and incorporate into the regular soccer training, and best of all, the players love it!

When I use the agility ladder I mostly use it to improve coordination and body awareness. The drills I tend to use most often are those that include some type of “multi-directional pattern”.

I do use the regular “2 step forward” on occasion, but this is not my favorite exercise. The reason is that “2 step forward” in each square does not necessarily transfer over to running and teach the players the correct mechanics. During acceleration you want your first steps to be big and explosive, while doing “2 step forward” in an agility ladder teaches you the opposite.

So therefore I tend to stay away from that exercise, although I sometimes include it or at least variations of it (which you can see in the video below).

Okay, so on to the video clip. In the video you are going to find 11 exercises I use to improve soccer footwork and coordination with my players. What you’ll notice is that the exercises cover all planes of motion performed on a soccer field. Forwards, backwards, lateral and movements performed in the transverse plane are also included.

You can find a short description about the exercises below the video. Enjoy!

Exercises

1. Hopscotch. Your regular hopscotch from school. Shift your feet in and out by jumping and landing on the balls of your feet.

2. Zig Zag Jumps. Start next to the ladder, and jump diagonally through the ladder.

3. Icky Shuffle. Start next to the ladder, and instead of jumping diagonally, move through the ladder using quick feet. The foot that “stays” in the ladder last will be the foot that moves the drill forward.

4. 2 In 2 Out. Start right behind the ladder, and begin by putting your right foot followed by your left foot into the ladder. Next step is to put your right foot followed by the left foot outside the ladder. Try it the opposite way as well, starting with your left foot.

5. Crossover Step. Start with both feet next to the agility ladder. Every step you take in the ladder is going to be a crossover step, where your legs crosses in front of your body.

6. Crossover Step Backwards. The same as previous exercise with the exception that you are moving backwards.

7. Icky Shuffle Backwards. Same as icky shuffle but backwards.

8. 3 Forward 1 Back. Move straight forward and take 2 steps in each square, and when you pass 3 squares, by using quick feet, move back 1 square and continue the same pattern.

9. Lateral 2 Step. Move from side to side by taking 2 quick steps in each square.

10. Lateral Scissors. Move laterally by performing a scissor movement with your legs.

11. Lateral In Out. Move laterally while moving your feet in and out of the ladder.

Okay, there you have it, 11 drills that will help your players improve soccer footwork, coordination and body awareness. Remember to work on all the patterns, in all of the different planes of motion.

Pick 2-4 exercises per workout, and have fun with it. Some exercises are harder than others, so be patient with the players. Start them off by walking the pattern slowly through the ladder, and once they understand it, then it’s time for them to increase the speed a bit.

Don’t rush it, take it easy and be patient. Let the players have fun with it!

Good luck!

/Jonas

Related posts:

1. 3 Drills for Improved Soccer Quickness
2. Plyo Step for Soccer Speed and Acceleration
3. What is Soccer Speed?

What comes to mind is the way the players move on the soccer field.

Both of these 2 teams have a lot in common, and sometimes Denmark is referred to as “Little Netherlands”, mainly because their way of playing the game is highly influenced by the way Netherlands are playing the game.

If you have watched the World Cup so far, you know that speed is of extreme importance, even at elite level. Players like Ji Sung Park and Lionel Messi are both small players, but their way of moving on the field is what really matters.

So what exactly is soccer speed?

By looking at a game in the World Cup, you can easily find what type of movements players are using on the soccer field, and to mention a few:

- Linear acceleration from standing, walking, jogging (from 5-40 meter, mostly in the range of 5-15 meters)
- Side shuffle (a lot in defense, especially in 1 v 1 situations)
- Cutting (running at high speed an performing a quick and rather “small” change of direction)
- Back pedal (backing out to create space for your team-mates)
- Deceleration (from high speed to a rapid stop, often when applying pressure in defense)
- Change of direction (can be both with an without the ball, in defense and offense)
- Jumping (to win a header)

These are just some of the many movements that occur on a soccer field, and when it comes to soccer speed, just learning how to run straight ahead like a Track & Field sprinter won’t get you faster on the soccer field. Sure, it would help you when running 40-100 meters, but how often does that occur in a soccer game?

Not that often.

You need to be able to accelerate from different positions (straight, in angles, from the side, etc), learn how to decelerate rapidly and change a direction, and so on.

The most common distance in a soccer game is between 10-20 meters, and you play the game for 90 minutes. So when trying to develop soccer speed with your players, remember the importance of teaching them how to move effectly in all types of directions. And some of this training should be done with the ball, and some of it without the ball!

Multi-directional is what really soccer speed is all about, don’t forget that!

The 2nd half is about to begin. Have a great day!

/Jonas

Related posts:

1. How to Improve Your Soccer Acceleration
2. 1 Great Soccer Agility Drill
3. Play to Improve Your Soccer Fitness

And when it comes to improving soccer fitness, and especially soccer conditioning, there are some different schools of thought.

On one side you have those who say that in order to improve your soccer fitness and soccer conditioning, you need to play the game of soccer, not just run for the sake of running.

On the other side, you have those who believe in running everywhere from 300 meter to 3 km, primarily without the ball.

I tend to be on both sides of this discussion, and let me explain what I mean by that.

Play Soccer to Get Fit

According to several studies, the most covered distance on a soccer field is 10-30 meters before a player have to change direction or change a type of movement. So that means that every 4-5 seconds a player changes a type of movement (from sprinting to walking, jumping, back pedaling, etc).

So what happens when you only perform linear runs without a ball (200 meter +), and then get out on the soccer field and perform let’s say a change of direction at least every 5-10 seconds?

A whole other type of fatigue occurs. Try to run 200 meter straight, and then perform a 200 meter shuttle (which involves change of direction) to see what I mean. Running with change of direction throughout the course of the run is way more difficult then just running straight ahead.

This is one of the reasons I believe in “playing to get fit”, since that prepares the players for the actual game with all of its different movements.

But probably the biggest reason I believe in this method of training is because what happens to the players at the end of a game, when they are getting tired both physically and mentally.

A lot of us can keep pushing ourselves when running suicides or 200 meter shuttles, but what happens at the end of the game, when you have the soccer ball at your feet?

Not only do you have to have the strength and power to make a decent play, you also have to “be fresh” in your head, and your concentration needs to be high. And what happens when you get tired?

It’s more difficult to make good decisions.

That’s why you see (in general), more passes and shots being missed at the end of a game. It’s easy to be on the side and complain when a player misses “a simple” pass at the end of the game. But if you play yourself, you know why this occurs, and it is because of the fact that your head is not in the game, your mental status and concentration is decreasing, and it’s getting more and more difficult to make good decisions.

This is where “playing soccer to get fit” really beats the other side of thought if you ask me. If you condition your players in different types of soccer games, they’ll then learn to keep the quality high even during the last period of a game, and they learn to handle that fatigue.

So why would you ever want to train the players soccer fitness or soccer conditioning without the ball?

Primarily because not all players at all levels can keep a high enough pace in order to work on their conditioning with the ball. The reason for that is because not all players possess the technique required for certain drills.

An example of that is technique and dribbling drills/tracks, where they have to dribble through and around different obstacles. If your technique is “average”, then your speed with the ball won’t be high enough for you to improve your soccer fitness.

If you perform the same drill/track without the ball, then that pace and speed would be a lot higher, and therefore, doing conditioning without the ball can sometimes be of importance.

Here’s what I recommend for improving soccer fitness, both with and without the ball:

With the ball

1. Play 11 v 11/10 v 10/9 v 9 on a 4/5 sized field (penalty box to sideline).
2. Playing 7 v 7/6 v 6 on half a soccer field.
3. Playing 5 v 5/4 v 4 in a 20 meter x 20 meter/30 meter x 30 meter area. This variation can also be played with extra players along the sidelines that support the team with the ball. To make it more difficult, have the players in the box play man-man defense, where they have to follow their man everywhere in defense.
4. 2 v 2/3 v 3 in a smaller area, 15 x 15 meter/10 meter x 10 meters).

For these variations, playing for 4-8 minutes down to 2 minutes is what I recommend.
- Up to 8 minutes without a break is recommended when playing 11 v 11 for instance,
- 5-6 minutes when playing 7 v 7/6 v 6,
- 3-4 minutes when playing 5 v 5/4 v 4,
- and 1-3 minutes when playing 2 v 2/3 v 3.

Remember that this is just general guidelines, primarily used with older players (17-24 year olds). If you work with younger players, make decisions based on your own observations and experience.

For more sprinting and high intensity running, these are the type of methods I recommend:

1. 2 v 2 Counter Attacks. You play with 2 goals at a distance of anywhere from 15-40 meters apart. You divide a group into 2 teams, and the players within each team pair up 2 and 2. You start the drill by having one team attacking against the other team. When the defending team either wins the ball or the ball is “dead” (after attacking team has finished), the next 2 players standing on each side of the post behind the defending team starts a counter attack. So the team who was attacking, now has to run back towards their own goal to prevent the other team from scoring.

The drill goes on like that without a brake for 2-4 minutes. Having a total of 6-8 players per team is a good recommendation, but you may use more or less depending on level.

This is a fantastic drill where the players have to sprint for 10-30 meters, sometimes with the ball, and sometimes without the ball, and they have to make good decisions even when they feel fatigue.

2. “Football Sprints”. This is something Raymond Verheijen uses a lot with his players in South Korea when preparing for the World Cup.

It is basically a duel between 2 players who sprint for 10-30 meters competing for the ball (who has been delivered by the coach), and the one who gets to the ball first have the opportunity to score.

This is a fantastic way to implement sprint training in a soccer based environment. Just use your imagination with this one!

Without the ball

1. Agility track. As I said, some drills are better performed without the ball, especially at a “lower” level. Set up a set of cones in some type of pattern (T, L, Arrow Head, etc), and have the players sprint through the track as fast as possible. If you are working on conditioning, have them repeat the track several times with pretty short rest.

2. 10-40 meter sprints. Sometimes I implement 10-40 meter sprints in a type of interval setting, without a ball. This is primarily done because players sometimes ask for it, and it does have a psychological impact on the players.

Summary

To improve soccer fitness and soccer conditioning, I really do recommend you to focus most of your efforts on actually playing soccer. I’d say that 80-90% of the conditioning I do with my players is with the ball in different “game-situations”, and 10-20% is without the ball, mainly with different agility drills and sprints.

And last but not least, if you work with kids (8-12/13 years old), don’t think about conditioning. Just play and have fun, and work more on developing movement skills and coordination.

Let me know your thoughts on this!

/Jonas

Related posts:

1. How to Build a Soccer Conditioning Base
2. What is Soccer Speed?
3. Soccer Conditioning – How and When?