Velocity athletes Cat Whitehill and Leslie Osborne

By Executive Sports Performance Director Ken Vick

Over 16 years of working in the field of sports performance as a coach, I have often heard from players, parents and coaches; “Soccer players need speed, not strength.” This is a conclusion that comes from watching the game where speed is such a crucial components to success, and comparing it to a sport like football or wrestling. It comes from the idea that “strength” means bulky bodybuilders.  Here’s the trick though, your speed depends on certain strength qualities. If you want an edge, let your opponents believe that’s true while you get stronger and faster.
 
There are numerous benefits to developing the right strength qualities for a soccer player:
•    Increased Speed
•    Reduce Risk of Knee and Other Injuries
•    Greater Movement Efficiency to Increase Stamina
 
Now you may have picked up that when I mention strength, I keep using the term “strength qualities”. This is because we are talking about the production of force by muscle contraction and this is very dynamic.  Most people first think of big, bulky bodybuilders, but muscle size does not equal strength.  They also think about maximal lifts like bench press and squat.  While there is a place for maximal strength, relative strength (the force produce relative to the athletes bodyweight), explosive strength (producing force in a short period of time), and reactive strength (force in a very small time after absorbing movement) are priorities for soccer. 
 
First Step Quickness

An explosive and quick first step gets you an edge on the pitch.  You can get separation from a defender, or get in position to make a play.  Starting power can be improved by utilizing exercises from a somewhat static position followed by a strong and explosive triple-extension.  Exercises such as squats with pause at bottom position, hang variations of the Olympic lifts and plyometrics without counter-movement will have an optimal transfer effect.
 
Acceleration

Similar to starting power, pure acceleration requires high levels of relative strength during hip and knee extension.  Therefore, a program emphasizing an increase in maximal force through the legs and hips has the best results for improving pure acceleration.  Olympic lifts, lunges, and split squats are great options.
   

2008 NCAA Div II Champions

Max Velocity

Maximizing and maintaining top speed relies on elastic speed-strength of the hip extensors and flexors because of the large amounts of momentum experienced.  This specific strength type utilizes an effective stretch-shortening cycle to apply high levels of force to the ground in short amounts of time.  Strength and power exercises requiring high-velocity actions such as plyometrics and Olympic lifts will have the most movement pattern specificity.
 
Multi-Directional Speed & Agility

Explosive changes of direction are critical for soccer game speed.  In a race car it’s great to have a strong engine and lots of speed, but if you don’t have great brakes you will crash.  Successful change of direction depends not only on the ability to produce force, but also to reduce it.  That means you need the high levels of eccentric strength to absorb the momentum from moving one direction, stop, and reapply force to go the other direction.  The same is true for an athlete so you better develop the high strength levels in the legs, hips, and core for better agility and reduced injuries.
 
Now What

Modern sports science has shown that improving explosive and relative strength in an athlete will help improve speed.  So, how do you achieve that?  Bodyweight exercises, executed well, are an excellent starting point, but to improve to your optimal levels you will need additional resistance.  If you only rely on bodyweight and plyometrics, you will never develop enough strength for your greatest speed or to ensure a margin of safety while playing.
 
Weight Training is Safe

There are many myths about the safety of weight training.  However, the American Academy of Pediatrics (2008), the American College of Sports Medicine (2000), the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine (1988), agree that strength training can be a safe and effective activity for adolescents provided the program is appropriately designed and competently supervised.  The key is that it relies on proper technique by qualified instructors.

The following video will demonstrate how to increase a soccer player's overhead throwing power. To fully receive the benefit of this medicine ball exercise the athlete needs to focus on using his/her core strength to slam the ball instead of making
it just an arm exercise.