Soccer Speed Training Exercises
Soccer Speed Training
Exercises To Increase Speed and Acceleration
It is my opinion that you need to have a solid strength base of soccer speed training exercises. There are a couple of exercises that I strongly believe will do that for you.
1. Front Squat.
2. Single Leg Squat
3. Hamstring / Glute.
1. Front Squat
This is an excellent exercise for base strength of the lower body. This exercise may be completed with body weight, sandbags or medicine balls, dumbbells or barbells.
Front Squat
The front squat gives a simple basic yet effective exercise for building "ground based" strength. This is necessary for developing speed. It is a starting exercise that any young soccer player may learn with proper instruction.
Be aware of gimmicks that start you on unstable objects immediately. They do have their place and may be integrated with any program; however start on a stable surface and progress from there. Remember your focus is developing a base of strength for speed; therefore you want specific soccer speed training exercises.
Indirectly it helps to build "core" strength. It is important that the glute (buttock) muscles take most of the load as compared to the quad muscles. The glute muscles are the power muscles for speed. Just look at any sprinter. This is why I prefer teaching or giving a body weight front squat.
Soccer players that learn to use the quads to develop lower body strength eventually develop knee and foot pain.
It is important that young soccer players learn to squat with a focus on the glute (buttock) muscles. Glute (buttock) muscles are power and strength muscles.
2. Single Leg SquatAs we all know in the game of soccer the majority of movement occurs on one foot. Thus it is important to have at least one exercises that involves standing on one foot. Below is an example of a single leg squat.
Single Leg Squat
The single leg squat is arguably one of the best exercises for a soccer player to learn and complete successfully. There are several reasons why I like this particular exercise.
A. In soccer most of the game is played on one foot. It makes sense to build single leg strength.
B. The single leg squat is the base for more advanced single leg exercises such as single leg hopping.
C.It forces the body to use the "deep" stabilizing muscles of "core" and hip muscles (glutes) that control and stabilize movement at the hip. It is for this reason that it is a good exercise for ACL injury prevention.
D. It is a good exercise for balance and coordination.
3. Stability Ball Glute and Hamstring It is important for both the hamstring and glute muscles to lengthen under load. This soccer speed training exercise balances the exercises for the thigh muscles and helps in preventing hamstring strains.
Stability ball glute and Hamstring
The stability ball glute and hamstring exercise is excellent for developing "functional" strength for both the hamstring muscle group and glute muscle group.Most exercises given for the hamstring muscle group place players into either a seated or lying face down position and train the muscle to shorten. This type of exercise isolates the hamstring muscle group and does not include the glute muscles as well as the deep abdominal muscles for stability. Placing the athlete on his or her back asking them to raise the body and move at both the hip and knee joints forces the athlete to tighten the abdominal region. Further more this exercises forces the hamstring muscle group to lengthen under load. This "mimics" running and allows players to develop speed with the ability to slow down under control. In this exercise the soccer player starts with both legs moving the ball back and forth. Once the athlete finds it easy with both legs moving they then progress to single leg. These exercises are basic in nature to build or increase lower body strength.
Click here for specific strength exercises for speed
Click here for power exercises for speed development
however... are all these soccer speed training exercises
practical for younger players??? The squat is definitely appropriate for younger players (solid base for speed); however both the single leg and glute/hamsrting exercises might be too advanced.
Thus we need to find alternative soccer speed training exercises that will give us a base to building a foundation for more challenging exercises. I like implementing the "split squat" as an alternative to the single leg squat for a soccer speed training exercise for younger players. Split Squat
1. Stand with feet shoulder width apart.
2. Take a step forward. This is the starting position.
3. Drop the back knee down to almost touch the ground.
4. Straighten both legs.
5. Repeat.
The hands may be placed behind the head, to the side or in front of the body at/or just below shoulder height.As the technique improves the players may be loaded with dumbbells, medicine balls or sandbags. Next there are a few exercises that younger players can do to work up to the glute/hamstring exercise. These exercises build a foundation for more challenging or intense speed exercises. This exercise is also good for soccer speed training as it forces the glutes to work with the hamstring muscle .
Finally, have fun with your soccer speed training.
Instructions for this exercises are fairly simple.
1. Lie on your back with both feet flat on the ground and knees bent.
2. Tighten your stomach muscles and squeeze your buttocks to raise your body from the ground.
3. Once you get your body in a straight line from your knee to your shoulders hold for a count of 5-6.
4. Slowly lower back to the ground and repeat four more times.
These beginner exercises are more appropriate as a build up to more challenging exercises for the young soccer player. They help build a solid "core" for speed training.
Both exercises are the same except for the base of support.
The first picture has the arm out to the side to create a wider base of support as compared to the second picture that has the arms in the air.
Soccer Speed Training Exercises for "Specific" Strength
Soccer Speed Training Exercises Specific for Power
Unleash your youth soccer power at home!
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