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Speed Training For Soccer Football Game

So you want more speed in your soccer (football) game to out run your opponents and are at odds at how to go about it. Well, to develop speed to play soccer well is very much different from developing speed say, for a track and field race. Why is this so? That is because you have to develop various types of speed instead of just sprinting speed.

The types of speed you need to develop are:-

• Thinking speed - You must think fast on your feet (pun not intended) and adapt to the furious pace of the game. You are running and thinking at the same time. How to feign a movement, how to create space, which position to run into, who to pass the ball to, to shoot or to dribble...etc. The flow of thoughts are endless until the final whistle is blown.

Thinking speed can be developed with a good football coach and by playing competitive football game often.

• Acceleration speed - Acceleration speed is crucial to play good soccer. You need to suddenly pick up speed very quickly when your opponents are closing in on you. This sudden burst of speed will catch your opponents unaware or caught them flat footed if your acceleration includes a sudden change of direction.

You can develop acceleration speed by developing strength in your entire lower body. All your leg muscles including your glutes (butt muscles) are recruited when you accelerate. Weight training with squats, lunges, stiff legged dead lift and calf raises are crucial to develop power in your lower body. When your lower body muscles are strong, you can also jump higher when you are going for a heading.

High Interval Intensity training and incline speed running up slopes will also help you to develop powerful acceleration speed as well as building up your endurance and power.

• Turning Speed - When you dribble, turn and feign fast, you need to have great body stability and strength. You can only turn fast and powerfully if you have strong and stable core muscles.

To develop powerful core muscles, do crunches, reverse crunches, bridge, plank, side crunches etc. These exercises are to be done slowly and deliberately compressing your core muscles hard every time you breathe out.

When you have physically developed these muscles well, coupled with good skill training and stamina, you will be one hell of a speed demon on the football field.

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JOE MONTANA’S NFL FOOTBALL SEGA CD (Gameplay)

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Football Speed Training – Acceleration

Football speed training is taking on more important role in football training; becoming king in football. It has become just as important as the weight lifting programs. Coaches and players alike recognize they need power to be faster and the need to incorporate football speed training in their football training regimens, whether it is in season or off season, learning how to run quicker and have explosive acceleration has become important to the game off football.

Coaches are recognizing offensive and defensive lineman need quick acceleration to explode on the LOS. Running backs need to accelerate to hit the holes and receivers to get that step on the defensive backs. Being fast is good, but colleges want more. They are looking for athletes with the most explosive acceleration from the starting position. This article will focus only on the acceleration aspects of speed training for football.

Successful speed training for football must include exercises that will focus on the fast twitch muscles. This muscle group determines your speed and reaction time. Most football speed training programs overlook this facet of training; instead they are focused on strength and power.

Fast Twitch Muscles

Fast twitch muscles are the muscle fibers responsible for speed and quickness and should be trained separately from the muscles you train for strength and power.

An example of fast twitch muscles is the thigh flexor muscles. Frequently this muscle group is overlooked in most football sped training programs. Yet the faster you can raise your thighs upward and forward, the quicker your muscles react and the faster you accelerate, hitting the open hole, getting that step, speeding past a defensive back or just exhibiting break-away speed from would be tacklers.

Exercising Fast Twitch Muscles

How do you effectively train this muscle group? Isometrics combined with resistance training.

Yes isometrics, they focus strictly on one specific muscle group. Resistance training gives them the strength needed for explosive reaction acceleration, whether you are a ball carrier looking for that break-away quickness or a lineman needing to move quickly side to side.

The resistance phase of the isometrics is applied using resistance bands, flexing the muscle fibers. Isometric resistance training develops important muscle memory for that explosive quickness, as you condition your muscles for speed and quickness: you will be training the muscle nuero pathways which create muscle memory.

In conclusion adding isometric resistance training allows you to focus on your fast twitch muscles for your football speed training. This will increase both your speed and reaction time. Fast twitch muscles train faster then the slow twitch muscles that build strength and power. When you are looking at sped training programs, make sure they include working the fast twitch muscles for your football speed training.

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George Carlin Baseball vs Football

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Five Simple and Effective Ways to Become a Better Football Player

These are tips that I developed from my playing days. These techniques worked well for me and I hope they can help others become the player they want to be.

1. Run every day

Running 3 miles every day is a great cardiovascular workout and will help keep you at your peak fitness. Run uphill as much as possible. At around 2 miles, find a steep hill and sprint up it for about 20-30 meters then turn round and walk back down. Repeat this 5 to ten times before finishing the run. If you do this every day you will find you can play at your best for longer because you'll be stronger and fitter.

2. Do exercises to increase your speed

Find a drop of around 150cm or stand on a barrel or safe object of a similar height. Jump off, landing on both feet in a squatting position and stand up straight as quickly as possible. Make sure you are well warmed up and stretched before doing this exercise to avoid injury. This exercise will strengthen quick reflex muscles in the legs, improving speed.

3. Learn to play with both feet

Most footballers play far better with one foot than the other, it's difficult to improve your touch with your stronger foot. Concentrating on your weaker foot is a quick win as bigger improvements can be made with less work. Kick a ball against a wall using only your weaker foot. Have a scratch game in training where everyone plays only with their weaker foot. It doesn't take much effort and you will notice results within a short space of time.

4. Learn a new trick

When you see a new trick by a professional, watch it closely, over and over again before attempting it. Online video is good for this purpose. Spend 10 minutes every day learning and perfecting the trick. Don't try it in a game until you can do it perfectly every time and don't overuse it or your opponents will figure you out.

5. Learn from the professionals

Watch professional footballers play and copy them. Sounds obvious but you'd be amazed how few players do this. Pick a player who plays in the same position as you and watch him closely, learn his tricks and pay attention to his positions when not on the ball. The player you choose should be someone you look up to and aspire to. The player I liked to learn from was Franck Sauzee, the ex-France, Marseilles and Hibernian midfield player. An excellent all round player who was always at the peak of his game.

Finally, don't be put off if you don't become Maradona over night. It takes time to become a great player and improving every part of your game gradually is the important thing. Sticking to a good routine and training properly are the key things to remember.