The circuit consists of 8 soccer specific speed, agility and quickness drills. Each drill is done for: 45 seconds
then a: 30 second rest is given for rotation and recovery. As the conditioning level of the players increase
decrease the rest time to 15 seconds and increase the work time to 1:00 minute.
Guidelines
 All speed work must be performed when the body is fully rested.
Proper sprinting techniques must be taught and mastered by the player.
All sets and reps must be followed by adequate rest.
Speed workouts should be varied between light, medium and heavy.
Acceleration
Most important component of speed development .
The highest rate of acceleration is in the first 8-10 strides taken by a player.
Close to 75% of max running velocity is achieved within the first 10 yards (8 metres).
As mentioned earlier true max running speed is seldom attained in most sporting situations.
The two things that will improve soccer speed is stride frequency and stride length.
Stride Frequency
Stride frequency is the number of strides taken in a given amount of time or distance.
By improving stride frequency the player will be able to decrease the time between strides, while at the
same time maintaining or improving stride length. This will result in overall increased speed.
Traditional methods of improving stride frequency are downhill running or towing.
Stride Length
Stride length is the distance covered in one stride during running.
Stride length can be developed by improving the players elastic strength.
There are numerous ways to improve elastic strength including resistance training, plyometrics and resisted running, weighted vests and uphill running.
Coaches should be careful not to get carried away with some of these methods. The decision to use these methods depends on the training level of the player, time available to train the player and familiarity of the method.
Don’t know, Don’t teach it!
Sprint Mechanics
Sprint mechanics is just another term for sprint form or sprint technique. Proper technique allows the athlete to maximize the forces that the muscles are generating so the highest speed predicted by the players genetic
potential and training can be achieved. There are three main elements to concentrate on regarding proper sprinting mechanics. Posture, Arm action
and leg action.
Posture: Forward lean in acceleration, as player approaches top speed the posture should be more erect.
Arm action: Vigorous and coordinated arm movement is necessary in all phases of sprinting. The arm swing counteracts leg and hip rotational forces. This counterbalance allows the body to stay aligned in the intended direction.
Leg action: Relationship of the hips and legs relative to the torso and the ground.
Proper Sprinting Technique
Head Position: should be inline with the body.
Body Position: a slight forward lean during acceleration. At max speed the torso should be tall.
Leg Action: weight should be on balls of the feet.
Agility
Agility is the ability to accelerate, decelerate and change direction quickly while maintaining good body control. Soccer is not performed straight ahead, it is all change of direction in which lateral movements are used in several planes. Agility doesn’t tend to dissipate as quickly as speed, strength and endurance training. Players that
develop the ability to change direction quickly and efficiently will be the better prepared for competition.
Players need agility to increase their speed of movements, manage injuries and improve athleticism.
Quickness
The successful performance of a player relies heavily on their ability to react quickly. The quicker player will
maintain the competitive advantage. Quickness in of itself seems simple enough to explain. A player is either quick or not. Although genetic potential plays an important role in a player’s physical ability, many biomotor skills that depend on quickness can be improved.
Reaction Time: Reacting to a stimulus with speed. The time it takes for a player to react to a stimulus can be the difference between winning and losing. Improving quickness has major implications for the enhancement of speed acceleration and reaction time. The faster one can teach the brain the movement patterns required, the faster one can concentrate on improving the quickness with which the movement is performed. How to be quick? Perform successive repetitions of technically correct movement patterns as fast as possible.
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