course modules

   Warm Up's
  Isolation Training
  Speed Development
  Strength Training
  Stamina Training
  Flexibility Training
  Rhythm Training
  Mobility Training
  Cool Down's
  Fitness Testing

sPEED - menu
Speed Development Intro
 Team Speed
 Pure Speed Drill
 Over and Under Drill

 Segment Training 1
Segment Training 2

 Speed/Agility Circuit Intro
 Circuit 1 - Forward Ladder
Circuit 2 - Zig Zag Runs
 Circuit 3 - Mini Hurdle Hops
 Circuit 4 - Four Corner Drill
 Circuit 5 - Lateral Ladder
 Circuit 6 - Traffic Runs
Circuit 7 - Recover Sprints
Circuit 8 - Agility Drill

Fast Feet Drill 1
Fast Feet Drill 2

The Running Tree Drill
 Scotland Runs
Flag Running
Acceleration Running
 The Brazil Run
Sprint Sets 1
 Sprint Sets 2
Half Field Runs
Liverpool Runs
Shuttle Runs
The "T" Test

Speed Endurance
High Intensity Shuttle
Pyramids
Cruise and Sprint
Hollow Sprint
 Cross Drill

Speed Training
Sprinting Technique
Sample Speed Drills

Speed of Reaction
 Reaction Drill1
 Reaction Drill2
 Reaction Drill3
 Reaction Drill4
 Reaction Drill5
 Reaction Drill6
 Reaction Drill7
 Reaction Drill8
speed development

Sample Soccer Speed Drills

Use these sample soccer speed drills to improve your speed off the mark, acceleration and agility. Speed training should not be physically exhausting.

A slow jog or walk between each sprint or drill should be long enough for full recovery. Your focus must be on quality and form. A typical speed training session could consist of 3-5 sets of 10 repetitions in total (a repetition being a sprint or drill).

As long as you allow enough recovery period in between sets and reps the soccer speed drills can performed the day before a game. They are a nice "loosener" and help to brush up your sharpness ready for the game at hand.

Alternative Starts

The basis of these soccer speed drills is a 10-20 yard sprint. You start focus on accelerating as quickly as possible by powering away with your arms and legs. If this is a team session, make it more interesting by have 2 or 3 players sprint against each other. Alternate the start to make it more soccer-specific. Here are some ideas...

  • Do 1-3 push ups, squat thrusts or burpees and sprint
  • Start be kneeling, lying face down, sitting on your hands (which you're not allowed to use to get up) and sprint
  • Do 5 keep ups or 5 ball touches and sprint
  • Have some one throw or pass your the ball for you to control and lay off and sprint
  • Run backwards for 5yards and turn and sprint
  • Touch left hand down, touch right hand down, jump to head the ball and sprint

Speed Ladder

Speed ladders are simple pieces of equipment that allow athletes to develop fast feet and co-ordination. Drills include...

  • High-knee running with very short strides (short enough so both feet touch the ground in each section)
  • Side steps in and out of the side of the ladder
  • Bounding from one section to another

Stepping Strides

1. Place a series of markers on the ground about 1 yard apart for a total of 10 yards.
2. From a standing start run the length of the markers as fast as possible but making sure to take one stride (one ground contact) between each marker.
3. Move the markers closer together and repeat. Now move them further apart and repeat. Each time focus on taking only one stride between each marker.

Over Speed Training

Rather than working on power, these soccer speed drills develop leg speed movement and co-ordination. A simple drill to promote over speed is to run down hill. It should be a very slight hill, anything more and form is lost and the injuries are gained!

A small, grassy embankment is ideal. Again keep sprints to 10 yards.
You can buy a speed harness - rubber bungees that pull you along. But you really don't need it for soccer.

Resistance Speed Training

This is the opposite to over-speed drills. Here the emphasis is on developing leg power over the first few yards. An incline (again grassy embankments are good) of about 30 degrees is ideal. You may need longer recovery between reps as these drills are more intense.

Resistance parachutes have the same effect but they are expensive and not practical for group training.

Some pro soccer teams train on sand dunes - uphill and down hill. This is ok for pre-season work and will build muscular endurance. But they are not suitable for speed sessions as you can imagine.

Course Contributor Phil Davies