How a Soccer Player Can Get Faster Feet

Getting your feet to move faster for a soccer player, as you can imagine, is pretty important. It allows them to be more dangerous offensively on the field, but it can also help mitigate injuries to themselves by getting out of the way of sliding tackles.

Here are several skills to develop and also several drills to do to help any soccer player get faster feet and increase their speed.

Ground Contact: The quicker your feet are, that usually means that the less time the foot is in contact with the ground. The less ground contact the better. It also probably means the soccer player is landing on the front part of their foot which produces the best results.

Arm Drive: The faster a soccer player moves or pumps their arms. the faster their feet will go as well. You can try it by just jogging in place, then start to pump your faster, and then as fast as you can and watch what happens to your feet....they get really fast too.

One drill I like to have all my soccer players do everyday is called, appropriately enough, "Fast Feet"! To do this exercise, a soccer player stands up nice and tall, with their hands open and relaxed and arms at a 90 degree angle. The player starts to pump their arms quickly by flicking their hands back and forth (envision swiping the side of their shorts). The soccer player then moves their feet forward quickly as they take little steps (about 6-8 inch steps) moving themselves forward. A player should go like this for 10 yards. They should repeat this exercise 2-3 times.

A progression for this exercise is to have them go 5 yards in fast feet mode and then start to gradually open up their stride length, all the while keeping their arms moving quickly and their legs too until they have opened their stride length up and they are running at top speed.

Another drill that I like that works very well also is simply doing fast feet in place for a short period of time (like 5-6 seconds). Have the soccer player count the number of times their feet touch the ground during this period of fast feet. The next time, they should try and beat this mark. This personal challenge forces a player to maximize their potential each and every time. A player can chart their progress and they will see how their feet will get faster and faster very quickly.

While doing this exercise, it is important to maintain good running form as well.

I hope this helps all soccer players get faster feet and increase their speed on the soccer field.

Have great day!

Gary

www.soccerandspeedcoach.com

What One College Soccer Coach Is Saying About Today's Game.

A small excerpt from a longer conversation I had with the Head Women's Coach for the University of Pennsylvania, Darren Ambrose.

Gary: Well, you know speaking of that if you look at players now and as they enter into the college ranks they sometimes get a bit, a bit pigeon hold to what they can or cannot As you were saying, you tend to recruit some players to fit a specific position. But if you look at, at players now even on the youth side, like what are some of the specific things that you might be looking for athletically and technically for certain positions.

Darren: I can tell you right now that the problem with the game in this country and this is a big discussion amongst a lot of coaches. And I’ve just read the under 20, the under 20 National Team Report from the team that won the world cup in Chile this year, is we lack technique in this country. And China and Brazil have caught us. And if you’ve watched any of the games you’ll see, the U.S. we’re athletic and more athletic than most other teams that we play against. But from a technical standpoint and a creative standpoint, we lack development in those areas. So any kid that handles a ball properly under pressure, can beat players one on one, can receive balls out the air, can take balls down under pressure, they’re the kind of kids that we’re looking for. Because to be honest, in college we don’t have the time to spend on developing players technically.

Gary: Right.

Darren: Its three practices a week, mainly in regards to fitness and tactically preparation, a little bit of technical repetitions. And so we need that, kids have got to be technically proficient and how they receive a ball, how they pass a ball. And as basic as that sounds, I think there aren’t any secrets and we often try and complicate it. Their skills are the foundation of the game. So you know watching these games, a lot of the time we’ll sit and there’s a lot of good athletes and there are kids that are pretty fit or they’re fast. But their first touch is a mystery a lot of the time. And you know so I think they’ll be technically proficient would be the kids, that’s what we’re looking for.

Gary: Okay. So if you’re looking, so that’s across the board.

Darren: Across the board, there’s got to be a standard technically to be able to compete in the college level.

Gary Christopher
www.soccerandspeedcoach.com

Active Dynamic Warmup for a Soccer Team

A proper Active Dynamic Warm up for a soccer team is critical for them to do to prepare themselves for a soccer game. There are three components to a proper active dynamic warm up; a) Increasing the body core temperature of the player b) stretching the muscles dynamically (active muscle stimulation) versus statically and c) mimic game movements

Lets take a look at each of these three components:

Increasing the body core temperature of a player:

The days of having players jog a lap around the field and believe that this has warmed the player up properly should be taken out of your practice planner. This jog has done very little to prepare a soccer player for a game or a practice. Have your players go through a series of quick exercises that incorporate all muscle groups. You could have them do jumping jacks, skips, quick feet, and a whole host or movement exercises like this. Have them go through movements quickly and explosively. This component may take 5-8 minutes to perform. This will raise the core temperature of the soccer player up. If a player's core temperature is raised even one degree, they will have 1-3 percent more power at their disposal for the game. Studies have shown that increasing the core body temperature of a player will also help to minimize injuries on the soccer field. Injury prevention for soccer players should be one of the most important things that a coach is concerned about.

Active muscle stimulation:

Now that the players core temperature is sufficiently raised, you will want to stretch them out through dynamic stretching. The difference between dynamic and static stretching is this...dynamic stretching will stretch the muscle through a wide range of motion through a specific movement stretch. Static stretching is stationary stretching.

As an example, if you wanted to stretch the hamstrings of a soccer player, "Toy Soldiers" dynamic stretch is where a player is standing upright with their arms extended out from them and as the player walks forward they lift their right leg up and try and touch their right hand, then their next step they lift their left leg up and try and touch their left hand and so on. This movement will stretch out the players hamstrings and prepare them well for a game. To stretch the hamstrings statically, a player could bend from the waist and try and touch their toes and hold that position for 10-15 seconds as an example. Static stretching is best used after a game or practice instead of before hand.

Mimic game movements:

Just before a game get started, having players go through a series of quick feet movements, high knee drills, shuffles and quick bursts of 10-15 yards will do several things for the player. First of all, it will reestablish the core temperature of the player and secondly it will prepare the players body for the movements that they will be doing on the field while playing the game.

The active dynamic warm up is extremely important as it will help to prevent injuries, it will help with a players speed and agility, and it will make sure that a soccer team is ready to play when the whistle blows.

Proper active dynamic warm ups for soccer players will make a difference in the success of the players and the team.

Have a great day!

Gary

www.soccerandspeedcoach.com

Excellent Pre Season Speed and Conditioning Program for Soccer Players

Any soccer player who does these 6 exercises will increase their soccer fitness and their soccer speed in less than 21 days. It is a great pre-season soccer conditioning and soccer speed program. This soccer conditioning program will make any soccer player fast and fit very quickly.

Because soccer is such an explosive sport where players are expected to have great speed and agility too, designing a conditioning and speed program that focuses on these needs is quite important. So with that said, here are the 6 speed and conditioning exercises soccer players should be doing. Also, I have included a brief explanation of the exercise and why it is important.

These 6 exercises should be broken up into 2 groups of three. I have also included suggested groupings. One group of three exercises should be done 2 times in one week and the other group should be done one time during the week. On the following week, switch it up so that the one group of exercises that was done just once the previous week is done twice this week, and the group of exercises that was done twice the previous week is done just once this week. Keep this similar rotation for the three weeks. Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday training days work best.

It is also recommended for the soccer player to warm up their body and stretch themselves out sufficiently to do these exercises. Any player considering this program should consult with their doctor before embarking on it.

All of these exercises are done as fast as a player can go.

The First Group of Exercises are:

5-10-15 Yard Shuttle: This 60 yard shuttle is designed to enhance a soccer player's acceleration speed and change of direction performance. The game of soccer is a game of quick bursts of speed and quick change of direction. This shuttle will help all soccer players gain this edge. Players should do 4-6 repetitions of this exercise with a one minute rest in between.

20-40-60 Yard Shuttle: This 240 yard shuttle now taxes the soccer player's fitness with short and medium distance explosiveness. This exercise will help all soccer players gain excellent conditioning. Players should do 3-4 repetitions with a 2 minutes rest in between.

200 Yard Shuttle: Here a soccer player runs 100 yards, stops and runs back to their starting point. The player is working under one minute starts. That means if it takes a player 40 seconds to complete this shuttle, they have 20 seconds of recovery (rest) time before they run the next 200 yard shuttle and so forth. A player is working on building up to 10 runs in 10 minutes. This is an excellent exercise to gain a solid conditioning foundation.

The Second Group of Exercises are:

10-20-30 Yard Shuttle: This 120 yard shuttle is a beefed up version of the 5-10-15 yard shuttle. It presents training at an anerobic level making any soccer player explosive and powerful throughout the course of the game. Players should do 4-6 repetitions of this exercise with a 90 second rest in between.

30-60-90 yard Shuttle: This 360 yard shuttle not only adds great conditioning for a soccer player but is also adds mental toughness as well. This exercise is excellent for many players but especially for midfielders. Players should consider doing 2-3 repetitions of this exercise allowing for a 3 minute rest in between.

300 Yard Shuttle: This shuttle is a staple in many soccer conditioning programs. Place two cones 25 yards apart. The soccer player then runs out to one cone and then runs back and repeats this (up and back) 6 times to complete the 300 yards. It is an excellent conditioning and change of direction exercise. Players should consider doing 2-3 repetitions with a 3 minute rest in between.

This program is an excellent pre-season program for any higher level soccer players (U15 and above). It will help them become very fit and very fast which will make them a valuable player to their team.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this speed and conditioning program for soccer players.

Have a great day!

Gary Christopher http://www.soccerandspeedcoach.com

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These 5 Exercises will make any Soccer Player Faster, Stronger and Explosive

Calling all soccer coaches: Being able to drive a ball farther on a goal kick is a matter of incorporating two things! The first has everything to do with technique. Refining proper ball striking skills for a player is key, but that is not what I want to focus on today.

The 2nd component to drive the ball farther has to do with strength....actually lower body strength. This is the topic for today! If you can get your players stronger, this will not only help them in other facets of their game, it will help them drive the ball farther too and maybe even add 10 yards to their goal kick. When I talk about strength, whether it is lower or upper body strength, I am referring to developing functional strength. You want to develop strength that allows your players to be stronger for the sport of soccer.

Below are some great lower body functional strength exercises that do not require any equipment and are appropriate for players 10 years and up.

Prisoner squats: have the player place their feet about shoulder width apart. Place their hands behind their head and squat down (like you are sitting down into a chair). Try and keep your heels on the ground and keep your head and chest up. Also, make certain when you bend your knees, that your knees don't go past your toes. 10-15 in succession equals one set. Build up to 2 sets.

Lunge walks: have your player take a long stride (like they are walking) and ask the player to drop their hips (back knee is an inch from touching the ground). Keep repeating this walking movement for 10-15 yards. Build up to 2 sets. Very important as well is to again make sure the front knee when it bends does not go past the toes of this front leg.

Lateral Lunge walks: Same concept as the lunge walk except now your steps are sideways, not forward. Again make certain that the player performs the movement with good form. Knee not flying past toes, hips are down.

Pogo Jumps for height: Imagine you are on a pogo stick. Start with legs open to shoulder width apart. Arms are placed in front of you at a 90 degree angle. Drive the elbows back (like you are reaching back for your back pockets with your hands) and then quickly drive them forward and up, propelling you upward. Land softly on the front part of both feet, bends the knees to absorb the jump and then repeat the process again very quickly. One set equals 10-15 pogo jumps for height. Work on building this up to 2 sets.

Prisoner Squat Hold: Have the player squat down and hold the prisoner squat for 30 - 45 seconds all the while maintaining proper form. Work up to 45 seconds or so and do that 2-3 times.

I hope you enjoy these functional lower body strength exercise for your players to work on.

For more information on soccer skills and speed tips, you can go over to my website http://www.soccerandspeedcoach.com and register to get soccer and speed tips delivered to your inbox every week.

Have a great day!

Gary
www.soccerandspeedcoach.com

Set Plays for Soccer Restarts are Key

Over the past year, I took an unofficial survey of the number of goals my team scored off of restarts. The percentage of goals scored off of restarts was almost 30%. This number actually surprised me somewhat. I didn't think we scored as many as we did.

In our 18 game season we scored 49 goals...14 by set pieces. I defined set pieces as corner kicks, direct and indirects. (but did not include PK's).

Conversely, we gave up only 17 goals all season, but 5 of them came as a result of the other teams set piece. This works out to close to 30% also.

I can tell we never really focused a lot of our training sessions on scoring or defending set pieces. That is changing however, we are now putting more time into set pieces with the hope of scoring more goals and defending them better.

My suggestion is for your team to consider putting more time too into your set pieces and I think you'll see good results as well.

Have a great day!

Gary
www.soccerandspeedcoach.com

Explosive Change of Direction for Soccer Players

In order to change direction quickly and explosively, a soccer player must learn how to stop properly, effectively and safely. The most dangerous soccer player on the field isn't always the fastest one, but the one one that can stop the fastest and then explode in a new direction.

There are several things to consider and do in order to achieve this success. In order for a soccer player to stop quickly, as a player approaches the spot where they need/want to stop, they will want to take smaller steps and start to drop their hips. By doing this, they are effectively lowering their center of gravity. By lowering their center of gravity, this will allow them to move in a new direction quickly.

To effectively stop however, a soccer player should step into that stopped position rather than jumping into it. When they come to a stop, their feet should be pointed forward and they should be in an athletic stance. (Athletic stance is their feet are about shoulder width apart). They will want their heels slightly off the ground (allow a piece of paper to go between their heel and the ground)and they are balanced on the front part of the feet ready to explode in a new direction.

So to summarize, as a soccer player approaches where they want to stop, take smaller steps, start to bend their knees and drop their hips and stop by stepping into an athletic stance with them balanced on the front part of their feet.

Work on this efficient and safe stop and then work with them on their next explosive first step in a new direction.

I have a new DVD coming out soon on change of direction, showing a coach or a player how to stop and explode properly and many drills to enhance that movement skill...keep your eyes open for it or go to my website www.soccerandspeedcoach.com and register to learn when this DVD is coming out.

Thanks and have a great day!

Gary
www.soccerandspeedcoach.com