In order to effectively increase soccer speed for competition you have to focus on teaching your players the right techniques and correcting poor technique when it happens.  Here are several techniques and "rules" of speed training which are foundational to all sports, that when executed properly, transform your player's Efforts into Speed on the field.

Because there are so many variables when it comes to training soccer players and teams, it can be very challenging for soccer coaches and fitness training professionals to know where to start their program and which direction to go from there.

I've solved this problem for you by breaking things down into categories in a "done for you system" which takes all the guess work out of building faster soccer players and teams.  Weather you're a coach, a fitness professional or a serious soccer player with big goals this section of the website will be the most helpful to your athletic success.

Here are a few "Speed Rules" that will get into the right mindset to build efficient, effective and faster soccer players.  Follow them and you can accelerate results for your athletes; break them and your result will be marginal at best and frustrating for sure.

Rule #1:  TECHNIQUE is MORE IMPORTANT than SPEED!

Soccer Coaches:  Let me hammer Rule #1 home for you in a way that's easy for you to understand.  OK, imagine that you have a player on your team who has the hardest shot in the city; I mean no one else in this age group can hit the ball as hard as this player and his/her shooting power is known throughout the league...   But everytime he/she shoots, they never hit the target, I mean hardly ever, never.  In fact, the fans are more scared of getting hit than the opposing GK.  Get the picture?

So what do you do?  Do you tell the player "Try Harder!", You've got to want it more than the other team!" or "You are just not a goal scorer..."?
No, decrease the speed, power and opposition and you work on Proper Technique and then work your way back into shooting drills.

Fitness Professionals:  Don't focus so much on technique that you lose sight of the number one reason why you players are with you.  They want to be better on the field.  Don't get so caught up in technique training that you never progress the activities towards more soccer like games and drills; you don't want your sessions to be exciting for you and dull for your athletes.  Try and balance your technique training with games and activities that encourage/require good technique.  Check out the Soccer Speed Systems department on this website for a detailed system for keeping your speed sessions fun and effective.

Rule #2:  You've got to Slow Down to Speed Up!
Leaning any new technique is always done most effectively at slower speeds.  I know some coaches who put a speed ladder down and tell their players to "go faster" - and that's it.  It's a good start to use a speed ladder but you as the trainer/coach now need to teach the techniques that coorespond to the footwork pattern you are asking them to do.  I will teach you how to do this in this section of the website.

Rule #3:  Speed = The Proper Techniques Done Quickly...
Plain and simple, every athletes body is just like the next person and when they apply the proper form and coordination while accelerating, changing directions, decelerating, etc., the result is an increase in speed, control and effectiveness.  These there's no magic to this statement, just trust the techniques we have in this section and apply your efforts to them for the best results.

Rule #4:  New Speed is Hidden in the Techniques
The more you explore each technique the more speed you will discover.  It's like shooting or striking a ball, there are so many ways to strike a ball and get all differnt sorts spin or action on it.  The techniques for soccer speed are the same - the more time you spend with them the faster you will become.  Master any technique and you will start to realize the ninja like powers inherent in each one...  Our Level #3 club speed training program focuses on developing this ninja soccer speed mindset and will be outlined in the Soccer Speed Systems section of this website in the future.