increasing speed for soccer

[ephs]

hey,

i got around 14-15% bodyfat, but i am very slow. i want to increase my speed of short movements (sidesteps etc. for dribblings and defensive play) and the acceleration + maximum speed at different distances (10m, 25m, 50m).

would a lower bodyfat % make me faster? what about whole body weight training (maybe more focus on legs)? what do you think of rope skipping to increase speed? or just focus on training sprints of the named distances?

[Jungledoc]

Yeah, being lighter would help. General strength training (that implies that legs are included), with some plyometric movements would probably help as well. Rope skipping would help you get better at rope skipping, which is OK, if you care about that. Ultimately, anything you do would need to include the movements that you are training to improve, so yes, sprints would be important.

[Oscar_Actuary]

mountain climbers

[ephs]

thanks!

but why do all the boxers train rope skipping all the time?

i also heard cristiano ronaldo used to run on high-angle roads (dunno if this is the correct english term) to increase his speed.

[Dub]

First off, we are talking about different issues. There is speed work that effects your maximal speed at short distances. On the same category there is acceleration. In short, the fastest you can run. It doesn't last long, and it shouldn't be trained as such.
Then theres speed endurance, which makes you run quite fast for long periods, like 25-50m or more. You also need explosive power to get your leg moving thick.

I could think of four important things to work on:

1. Lift heavy
Why? Heavy high intensity squats make you develop more force. More force means less effort on explosive action. You get faster.

2. Train for max speed and acceleration
These exercises have to be short. You shouldn't fatique too much. Take short sprints, like 15-20m. The purpouse is to train you max acceleration and top speed, not endurance. So I must emphasize that it shouldn't make you gasp for air. It's a very short sprint. You said you wanted sidesteps and other motoric skills better, this is one way to do them. Do very short sidestep sprint followed with a forward sprint for an example. Keep the distances short. This trains you to alter your movement and motoric pattern fast and hones your acceleration skills.

3. Intervals and sprints for speed endurance
These exercises are more for fatloss and anaerobic endurance. You get lactic acid (and then lactate and hydrogen). Your body learns to cope with the lactate levels and control them. It makes you long fast longer. Longer sprinting, interval, tabatha methods are all good. You could take rope skipping exercises along too. Rope skipping is also a great motoric exercise and good for coordination. Jump for x amount of time (a minute or under is preferred) as fast as possible, rest for 1.5-2 times the effort and go at it again. Running on hills and stairs is just a way to make this exercise more effective and ass whooping. It's harder on the muscles and you condition. Simple as that. Hill sprints are often recommended.

4. Plyometrics and dynamic effort
Explosive power, speed. Jumps are the easiest path. All kinds. Weighted or bodyweight, with or without boxes, every direction, with one leg or both. You name it. Dynamic effort work is doing weightlifting exercises like squats with lower weights as fast as possible. Like 2 to 5 reps for many sets. Every rep as fast as possible.

[ephs]

First off, we are talking about different issues. There is speed work that effects your maximal speed at short distances. On the same category there is acceleration. In short, the fastest you can run. It doesn't last long, and it shouldn't be trained as such.
Then theres speed endurance, which makes you run quite fast for long periods, like 25-50m or more. You also need explosive power to get your leg moving thick.

I could think of four important things to work on:

1. Lift heavy
Why? Heavy high intensity squats make you develop more force. More force means less effort on explosive action. You get faster.

2. Train for max speed and acceleration
These exercises have to be short. You shouldn't fatique too much. Take short sprints, like 15-20m. The purpouse is to train you max acceleration and top speed, not endurance. So I must emphasize that it shouldn't make you gasp for air. It's a very short sprint. You said you wanted sidesteps and other motoric skills better, this is one way to do them. Do very short sidestep sprint followed with a forward sprint for an example. Keep the distances short. This trains you to alter your movement and motoric pattern fast and hones your acceleration skills.

3. Intervals and sprints for speed endurance
These exercises are more for fatloss and anaerobic endurance. You get lactic acid (and then lactate and hydrogen). Your body learns to cope with the lactate levels and control them. It makes you long fast longer. Longer sprinting, interval, tabatha methods are all good. You could take rope skipping exercises along too. Rope skipping is also a great motoric exercise and good for coordination. Jump for x amount of time (a minute or under is preferred) as fast as possible, rest for 1.5-2 times the effort and go at it again. Running on hills and stairs is just a way to make this exercise more effective and ass whooping. It's harder on the muscles and you condition. Simple as that. Hill sprints are often recommended.

4. Plyometrics and dynamic effort
Explosive power, speed. Jumps are the easiest path. All kinds. Weighted or bodyweight, with or without boxes, every direction, with one leg or both. You name it. Dynamic effort work is doing weightlifting exercises like squats with lower weights as fast as possible. Like 2 to 5 reps for many sets. Every rep as fast as possible.

thanks for the detailed information! i think most of the exercises could be done during the season, but maybe lifting heavy is better in the offseason because of fatigue?

[Dub]

thanks for the detailed information! i think most of the exercises could be done during the season, but maybe lifting heavy is better in the offseason because of fatigue?

Well...Yes and no. Means that there are many opinions and individuals. The hardest exercises for you Central Nervous System are heavy lifting and max speen training. On the other hand, intervals and anaerobic training may cause problems with recovery. It's a fine art to balance these things. It also depends lots on the type of exercises and training you have onseason.

Ben Bruno for one is supporter of inseason heavy resistance training, and I think it's appropriate also. From personal experience resistance training didn't cause any fatique issues with my ice hockey training.

I always recommend to use your own head and feel on things. Nobody knows your recovery and fatique levels better than yourself. Listen to your body. I personally think you can include all of these things to your inseason programming, but with regulations. Your training might include enough interval training as it is. Also I think the amount of max speed training should be kept relatively low for your inseason training schedule. You should do it, but not more than a couple of sets per week. Resistance training I find best to work 2 to 3 times a week.

[ephs]

i think my recovery is good enough to give heavy lifting a try during the season. if it doesn't work, i will focus more on it in the few offseason months.

i also got a big hamstring inflexibility. does this also effect my speed?

[Dub]

i think my recovery is good enough to give heavy lifting a try during the season. if it doesn't work, i will focus more on it in the few offseason months.
i also got a big hamstring inflexibility. does this also effect my speed?

Most likely yes. The more mobility you got, the better you can become at every skill aspect. Hamstring are an important part of hip and knee movement, and should be addressed. Even if it wouldn't make that much of a difference on speed, a mobile lower body is more than useful on many skills you'll need.

[robertscott]

but maybe lifting heavy is better in the offseason because of fatigue?

absolutely, hence why there are so many "off-season strength programs"

[Dub]

http://www.benbruno.com/2012/03/in-seas ... ing-myths/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's the post I was referring to btw.

[Stephen Johnson]

i got around 14-15% bodyfat, but i am very slow.

The other posters gave you good advice for improving your speed in soccer play. But if you're "really slow", it is not likely that training will make you really fast. There's hope for you even if this is the case:

Just because you haven't been gifted with the ability to run fast doesn't mean that you can't play soccer. In fact, most of the important positions on a soccer team demand other qualities for their mastery rather than pace. An astute tactical brain, a silky first touch, a cool head under pressure and an ability to keep the ball in tight situations are more highly valued than simple pace.

I don't know what position you play (or know much about soccer, to be honest), but mastering soccer skills and developing game strategies might make up for a lack of speed.

Good luck with your training, and keep us posted on your progress.

[ephs]

the article from dub is very interesting, im also doing a full body workout during the season and it shows some nice results, but a split program is not easy to use during the season, cause of 2 training- and 1 matchdays.

and about my soccer skills: i'm a defensive midfielder, also good at playing centre back and sometimes also playing offensive midfielder. i got a good technique, can make good passes and i'm strong at 1v1 situations in defensive. the problem of my lack of speed is just in running duels with other players. and because its my biggest weakness, i want to work on it. my trainer says i could easily play 2 leagues higher if i were a bit faster.

i'm goin to work on my speed til the next season, which starts at august. then you will hear if it works ;)

[KPj]

I would prioritise getting stronger. You already do sport specific speed work (soccer training). You need some work at the other end of the spectrum now.

This is a different sport but, I have a good comparison of an amateur basketball player that came to me to increase his vertical jump (the attributes needed for a good vertical jump are very similar to what's need to be faster). He had done some reading and had all these ideas about plyo based programs. I told him he needed to get stronger and he couldn't see how it would work. The first thing I done was test his vertical jump. Can't remember exact number but it was poor. He was about 6'3 in height, and i'm 5'7. Without taking height into consideration, I done the Vertical Jump test and got 1 inches higher than him (on one attempt... he was allowed 3, and i think i could of got higher).

He asked how a "short ar$e" like me could out jump him. I said, "well I don't jump, and I can out jump you but I squat, deadlift, and lunge regularly..... You jump all the time and that's all you can do... Now imagine if you were to squat, deadlift, and lunge regularly? What's that going to do to your jumping? What If I decided to start jumping?".

Anyway in 6 weeks he put 3 inches on his vertical jump. All he done was a basic strength training program. It actually temporarily ruined his jump shot, as using his previous technique with the added power, he kept hitting the top of the board or throwing it over the board completely.

That makes me look good but in reality he made it really easy for me. He's probably ready now for some more complicated programs.

In short, you need to build a base of strength, the key phrase is, "BASIC strength" then turn that strength into whatever you choose i.e. increased speed. I wouldn't complicate it just yet, particularly if you don't have the basics covered.

KPj

[ephs]

now, i'm focusing on loosing fat and stretching. when my bodyfat is around 10-12%, then i will start working heavy on legs. lets see if it works. pre season starts in 2 weeks.