Speed Development
Introduction
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What is speed, and why is it so
important? Why does every coach,
want their players to be
faster?
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Speed of movement pure or limb speed.
It is
the maximum capacity of an individual to move from
one point to another. This type of speed is
primarily
genetic, and there is an old saying that ”the only way to be fast is to choose your parents”. Of
course this is an exaggeration but unfortunately to
a point is true. Every player can improve in
relative degrees their pure speed,
but in reality a
slow player is never going to be “lightning fast.”
There
are many components involved in improving a player’s
pure speed.
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Stride length.
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Stride frequency, or cadence.
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Plantar flexion and dorsi-flexion.
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Arm
pump action.
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Working on improving all of the elements, and
strengthening of the relevant muscle groups (quads,
hamstrings, calf, deltoids, abdominals, lower back
pectorals, etc.
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Plyometrics, jumping and bounding.
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High knee lift action, with a quick recovery
between phases.
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Dynamic flexibility.
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The ability to relax (to achieve maximum
explosion, a player must be able to “maximally
relax”.
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Mental focus.
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The balance between acceleration and
deceleration.
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Core stability.
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Posture.
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To develop maximum speed, short distances
should be used.
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Weight control. If the athlete has excess weight
losing it will speed them up. Lean body weight
should
be at least maintained.
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Downhill training (over speed work).
Every athletic
event by its very definition is, and has to be
linear, and measurable, and has a start and a
finish.
In a race every participant has the same starting
position, in soccer, a player has to overcome a
myriad of
possible starting positions.
Jogging
forwards, with a possible massive
acceleration
backwards.
Sliding
sideways, a maximum
explosion forwards,
followed by a maximum explosion backwards
again.
A maximal
jump (to head the ball) followed by a maximal
forward sprint.
From a
prone position (being on the floor after a
tackle) followed by maximal sprint forwards.
Hurdling
over an opponent, followed by a maximal
sprint.
All of these examples have another variable to
understand, the aggression of an opponent at the
starting
position trying to stop you.
These are a few
examples of the random starting positions required
in soccer, none of them linear, repetitive, or
predictable.
So whenever pure
speed training is undertaken, as many variables in
the starting position are absolutely vital. As can
be seen from the examples, the majority of the
starting positions, are very unbalanced and non
linear. Also the distances sprinted are random and
variable.
The average sprint
in modern soccer is 13/15 metres. No athletic event
has to run forwards at maximum speed, stop dead,
sprint backwards, fall over, jump, walk, jog, have
an “aggressor” hitting you at any angle, sometimes
with a ball, etc.
All of training has
to be totally specific to the needs of the game, and
reflect wherever possible, as many of the myriad
possibilities, within it.
Not to do so, is at
best counter-productive, and at worst very dangerous
as to put the players in injurious situations.
