SPEED - The Art of Separation

One of the keys to success in most sports is the ability to create separation from a rival player.  Sometimes one extra half step is all it takes in soccer to beat an opponent to the corner for the open crossing lane or to simply get the jump on a defender to receive a through pass.  Some players just have that ability.  But was it part of their DNA or did they train themselves to get there?

One player I’ve enjoyed watching the last few years is Gareth Bale of Tottenham Hotspur.  He is one of those players who just seems to have that little extra gear that allows him to get around defenders at top speed.  Another Welshman that you either love or hate is Craig Bellamy who seems to defy time as he continues to rip up opponents with his explosive speed even at the age of 32.  His verbal and physical battles on the pitch often hide the fact that he has the ability to create separation from his opponent.

While so much of an athlete’s makeup is genetic, there is always the ability to improve on what has been naturally gifted to us.  There are dozens of different ways to develop speed that are effective.  While there are debates about what works and what doesn’t, I’ll just share a few ideas that I feel are useful for training teams.  Keep in mind that soccer is a multi-speed game that doesn’t stop.  Firstly, a base level of fitness and endurance is imperative.  Next keep in mind that the body needs time to recover from sprint training and so you need to work in recovery days and never do more than 3 days of all-out sprint training in the same week.

I like to incorporate a couple of different types of workouts into my team training.  These are 6-second sprints and 3-speed runs. 

            6-Second runs:  Have players line up on the end-line, let them jog for 6 seconds then blow a whistle and have them sprint for…you got it, 6 seconds and repeat.  This continues all the way to the end of the field.   Then have them turn around and continue back to the start.  I let them rest at each end of the field for the first 2 weeks of preseason and then only let them rest at the start afterwards.  Keep going until you see your best athletes beginning to struggle.  In pre-season, six lengths of the pitch will usually be all they can handle at the end of a practice session.  Work up to 10-12 lengths.

            3-Speed runs:  This is similar to the 6-second sprints in that each stage is done for 6 seconds.  Start with a jog for 6 seconds, go to a 75% effort run for 6 seconds, then a full 100% sprint for the final 6 seconds.  Repeat similarly to the 6-second runs.  You can also reverse the order by starting with the 100% sprint, then 75%, then jog.  Lather, rinse and repeat.  These all help mimic the changes that athletes will encounter in a soccer match.

Just some simple suggestions.  In a later post I’ll suggest some training aids and programs that can be useful in sprint training.