This blog is being updated by Jonas Forsberg, author and founder of 
When it comes to the way we plan and setup our soccer practices, there is one important rule to follow:
- Never perform 2 High Intensity Soccer Training days in a row.
No matter what age or level you are coaching, adding in 2 high intensity days in a row will in the long term only lead to the players getting sore and possibly even injured.
There is an exception to this rule, and that is when you coach older players at a higher level (age 16 and older) during pre-season. Through a shorter period during the pre-season you might be able to go a little harder a few days in a row, much like the European clubs who only have a few weeks to prepare for the season.
But cycling (alternating) between high intensity and low intensity training days really is effective. I believe that you should be able to go hard at least once a week, even during soccer season. If there’s a game every 6-7th day, then you might even be able to add in 2 high intensity workouts during the week, but make sure to keep these workouts during the middle of the week, as far away from the games as possible.
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A Sample High Intensity Training Session for Soccer
A high intensity workout can be a training session where you work a lot through small sided games, for instance: Read More→
1 Great Soccer Agility Drill
By · CommentsSoccer agility is a very important part of speed and movement on the soccer field. There are a lot of different ways you can do this, and some say that simply playing soccer is the only way to improve soccer agility.
I wouldn’t agree with that, since I believe soccer players certainly can benefit from true agility exercises, even without a soccer ball at their feet. The reason I believe in “closed agility exercises”, where the players are following a pre-determined track, is because it teaches the players to accelerate, decelerate, change a direction and then accelerate again (reacceleration).
It is important to work on soccer speed and agility through pre-determined tracks and drills, where they know where to change a direction, but it is also important work on it through a more random track, where they change directions based on the movement of their opponents for instance, as in a soccer game.
I don’t believe in simply just choosing one way of improving soccer speed, I believe there should be different ways of doing it in order to maximize a players potential. You need to look at everything as a part of something bigger, and that’s why soccer agility can and should be trained in both closed (with cones, pre-determined) and open drills (random, react to movements). Read More→
Core Training for Soccer
By · CommentsCore training is a rather discussed topic today, and here’s my take on the subject.
What research are showing today is that too many situps and crunches certainly can lead to lower back pain and injuries. Therefore I like to build my core training around movements that are healthier on the lower back, but still gives you a strong and functional core.
I don’t believe in situps and crunches as the main methods for building a strong core, but I don’t mind if my players do include some variations of them from time to time.
The main methods and exercises I use for developing a strong and functional core are:
- Regular Planks
- Side Planks
- Bird Dogs
There are variations of these exercises that you can progress to once you can handle the traditional versions.
Once they handle these exercises I then start to move into exercises that include 1 of the following 2 tools:
- Stability Balls
- Valslides
The stability ball is a little easier with most of the exercises, and the Valslide is a little tougher. If possible, then invest in both of them, but if you are looking for a tool that will develop a strong and functional core, while at the same time is easy to bring with you, then Valslide is your option any day of the week.
With the Valslide you are able to perform a large number of strength training exercises that not only trains your core, but also your lower body as well as your upper body.
In the Youth Soccer Speed program there is a complete Strength Training Program with 35 different exercises, and where 7 of these are performed with the Valslide.
I don’t make a single dime recommending the Valslide, it’s just an honest recommendation. I use the Valslide both personally and with my soccer players, and keep seeing great results!
Start off with the 3 exercises I recommended above, and then once you ready, move onto more advanced exercises!
Let me know your thoughts!
/Jonas Forsberg
The Soccer Speed Blog
PS. What about you guys, have you ever tried the Valslide?
4 Simple Steps to Soccer Speed (Part 2)
By · CommentsHere’s the 2nd part of article serie “4 Simple Steps to Soccer Speed“. In the previous post we discussed the importance of a proper warm up and speed training at the beginning of/before soccer practice.
Click on the link here to read Part 1 of 4 Simple Steps to Soccer Speed
In today’s article we’ll go over the topics strength training and conditioning.
3. Strength Training on the soccer field
When it comes to strength training for soccer players, there are a lot of different philosophies out there on how this should be performed.
Some say you only should Squat and Deadlift, some say you only should do Single-Leg Training, etc. My view on this debate is that it all start with the basics of true bodyweight training.
The benefit of starting with bodyweight training is that it all can be performed on the soccer field, without a lot of equipment. Once you have gone through the basics, that’s when I recommend players to increase the load.
But before we start with that, we need to master the basics, and these are: Read More→
4 Simple Steps for Soccer Speed (Part 1)
By · CommentsWhen it comes to improving soccer speed today, there’s a lot of different experts out there telling you different things on how to do it. Some recommend parachutes, sleds, medicine balls, etc, and trust me, they can all be very useful for improving soccer speed.
However, we need to slow down a bit and make it less complicated and stick with the basics. You don’t need to invest several hundred dollars to become a faster and quicker soccer player.
Here’s exactly what you need in order to improve your soccer speed:
- Access to a soccer field
- Soccer shoes or running shoes
That’s really all you need (okay, you need to get your clothes on too, of course). Using sleds and resistance based running is great once you really reach that ceiling where you can’t seem to get any faster. For most young soccer players, this is not the case, not by far.
So what I recommend in this article serie is 4 simple steps you can use to improve soccer speed right away. You get the first 2 steps here today, and the other 2 steps in a couple of days. Read More→
Plyo Step for Soccer Speed and Acceleration
By · CommentsA very common discussion today regarding soccer speed and acceleration is the topic on first step explosiveness, and where this first step should take place.
It does of course depend on what position the player is in, but in this example I am going to use the Athletic Stance position as an example (feet next to each other).
What coaches have been saying (and still are saying) is that the first step always should be forward during acceleration. A very common situation during the Athletic Stance position is that players take the first “backwards”, what often is referred to as a “False Step”.
The reasoning behind this, and why the False Step shouldn’t occur is because if you want to travel forward, then why would you ever take a step backwards?
Like with most things here in life, we can’t agree on everything and I can’t say that people who are coaching a step forward is wrong. What I am presenting here is my view and my belief, and I am not picking on coaches who does the opposite of what I am doing.
Anyway, if we look at soccer, we know that it is a sport full of movements that require quick reactions from the players. In some sports, players always start in a predetermined starting position, but this doesn’t happen in soccer. Sometimes the players are in an athletic stance, sometimes in a split stance, sometimes they need to accelerate from a lateral position, a position where they need to go in the opposite direction, and so on. Read More→
Soccer Footwork and Coordination
By · CommentsProbably the most common question I get from coaches, parents and players has to do with soccer footwork (quick feet).
For some time now soccer speed has been the same as quick feet for a lot of people, but let’s be honest and say that soccer footwork does not EQUAL speed on the soccer field.
BUT, being able to move your feet quickly is PART of the whole equation, and with younger players an agility ladder for instance is a great investment.
The agility ladder is a small investment, it is easy to bring and incorporate into the regular soccer training, and best of all, the players love it!
When I use the agility ladder I mostly use it to improve coordination and body awareness. The drills I tend to use most often are those that include some type of “multi-directional pattern”.
I do use the regular “2 step forward” on occasion, but this is not my favorite exercise. The reason is that “2 step forward” in each square does not necessarily transfer over to running and teach the players the correct mechanics. During acceleration you want your first steps to be big and explosive, while doing “2 step forward” in an agility ladder teaches you the opposite.
So therefore I tend to stay away from that exercise, although I sometimes include it or at least variations of it (which you can see in the video below).
Okay, so on to the video clip. In the video you are going to find 11 exercises I use to improve soccer footwork and coordination with my players. What you’ll notice is that the exercises cover all planes of motion performed on a soccer field. Forwards, backwards, lateral and movements performed in the transverse plane are also included. Read More→
What is Soccer Speed?
By · CommentsI am currently sitting in front of the TV watching the Netherlands against Denmark in the World Cup.
What comes to mind is the way the players move on the soccer field.
Both of these 2 teams have a lot in common, and sometimes Denmark is referred to as “Little Netherlands”, mainly because their way of playing the game is highly influenced by the way Netherlands are playing the game.
If you have watched the World Cup so far, you know that speed is of extreme importance, even at elite level. Players like Ji Sung Park and Lionel Messi are both small players, but their way of moving on the field is what really matters.
So what exactly is soccer speed? Read More→
Play to Improve Your Soccer Fitness
By · CommentsWith the World Cup approaching, there’s a lot of discussions in the media on how the different teams are preparing for the tournament.
And when it comes to improving soccer fitness, and especially soccer conditioning, there are some different schools of thought.
On one side you have those who say that in order to improve your soccer fitness and soccer conditioning, you need to play the game of soccer, not just run for the sake of running.
On the other side, you have those who believe in running everywhere from 300 meter to 3 km, primarily without the ball.
I tend to be on both sides of this discussion, and let me explain what I mean by that.
Play Soccer to Get Fit
According to several studies, the most covered distance on a soccer field is 10-30 meters before a player have to change direction or change a type of movement. So that means that every 4-5 seconds a player changes a type of movement (from sprinting to walking, jumping, back pedaling, etc).
So what happens when you only perform linear runs without a ball (200 meter +), and then get out on the soccer field and perform let’s say a change of direction at least every 5-10 seconds?
A whole other type of fatigue occurs. Try to run 200 meter straight, and then perform a 200 meter shuttle (which involves change of direction) to see what I mean. Running with change of direction throughout the course of the run is way more difficult then just running straight ahead.
This is one of the reasons I believe in “playing to get fit”, since that prepares the players for the actual game with all of its different movements.
But probably the biggest reason I believe in this method of training is because what happens to the players at the end of a game, when they are getting tired both physically and mentally. Read More→
Sprinting for Soccer Speed
By · CommentsThe reason I got into primarily speed training for soccer players was due to my own experience as a young soccer player.
At the age of 15 I was extremely fast and explosive, and if I haven’t injured my ACL it could most likely have led to the Youth National Team.
But at the camp where they announce the first National Team Squad, I torn my ACL on the 2nd day. So my rehabilitation period after that was long, and it took me almost 12 months to get back on to the field.
I had been doing a lot of strength training and performed several hours in the gym each week to get back to the field. When I came back I was way stronger than I was before, but what about my speed?
It was gone.
This quality alone turned me into an average player, and it was extremely tough to go through this period, but I learned a lot.
Anyway, I was determined to get my speed back, so I asked all of my coaches on how to improve soccer speed. What they all said was basically to use the agility ladder, and trust me, I did.
Problem is, nothing happened with my speed. Sure, my feet were moving a little faster, but I didn’t get faster on 10-30 meters, nothing happened.
It wasn’t until 3 years later I started to put it all together. I played soccer for a Div.3 club here in Sweden, and next to it I played another sport called Floorball (which none of you have ever heard of). Floorball is a sport that’s related to ice-hockey, but you play it indoor with a ball instead of a puck, with softer type of sticks, and regular indoor shoes.
What you do in Floorball is basically a lot of sprints in different directions. You are on the field for 1-2 minutes, go all out and then you switch lines (as in hockey).
So what I noticed on the soccer field was that I did get faster on 10-30 meters, and at first, I was shocked. How could that be?
But today I know that sprinting was probably the biggest reason. During my rehab period I had been doing a lot of high rep training and long distance running to improve my endurance and get back into shape.
Big mistake!
That type of training will only make you slower, and that’s what happened to me. So when I started to change my training to a lot of sprinting, shorter and more intense conditioning type of work (intervals), I also noticed that my speed did improve.
And since that point I read all the time about the importance of sprinting for soccer speed. The thing is, I know I am not alone when it comes to the advice I was giving regarding the agility ladder for instance.
People want fancy stuff that looks good, but the truth is, you don’t need any equipment at all to improve your soccer speed. Just put on your soccer boots, hit the soccer field, perform a great warm up (like The MAP System), and then perform sprints.
Start with shorter distance for the first few weeks. This is how I would do it:
- Week 1-3: 6 x 10 meter sprints (rest at least 60 seconds between every sprint)
- Week 4-6: 6 x 15 meter sprints (rest at least 90 seconds between every sprint).
Perform that 2-3 times/week, and spread it out over the week (Monday-Wednesday-Friday, Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, etc). Remember to always sprint at the beginning of the workout, right after the warm-up.
If you are doing 10 meter sprints, you can work up to 8-10 sets if you want, but remember to rest long enough between sprints. If you feel that your speed is decreasing and you get very tired, then that’s it for the day.
It is always quality over quantity, remember that! If you sprint longer distances (20-30 meters), the total number of sets would be lower than if you were running 10 meter sprints.
As for starting positions, switch between the following:
- Athletic Stance (feet next to each other, don’t worry about your first step, just make it happen)
- On Stomach or Pushup Start
That’s it!
Follow this advice, perform the sprints 2-3 times a week and remember to go all out/full speed with enough rest in between each set.
No fancy stuff, just sprint!
Good luck!
Regards,
Jonas