Speed | Fitness for Football

Speed

In football, speed refers to how fast the player can move in a straight line. A player must be able to continually chase opponents, lead for the ball and accelerate away from the opposition at a fast speed for four quarters. The development of speed is best achieved by the following activities:

1. Technique Training
The principles of basic speed technique include:

run on toes
high knee lift
slight lean forward
use arms to drive forward
take longer strides
run in a straight line

2. Acceleration Sprints
A 150 metre run through may be split into 3 sections:

the first 50m to gradually build up speed
the middle 50m to maximum speed and
the final 50m to gradual deceleration

3. Reaction Drills
This type of speed training involves the player reacting as quickly as possible to a call from the coach and to accelerate from a standing position, running on the spot or while striding out in a run through.

Testing for Speed

10 / 20 / 40 metre sprint

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