| Are you confused and don't know what step to take | | | | - Hip Bridges (2-leg, hold at the top ) |
| in order to take your soccer speed to the next | | | | - Lateral Lunges |
| level? To start with, it all comes down to the basics. | | | | - Split Squats |
| Let me explain why. | | | | Learn to master these exercises and focus on |
| There's been some pretty heated discussions now | | | | technique rather than the amount of reps you can |
| for a while (at least here in Sweden), whether a | | | | do. If you can perform the squat for 5 perfect reps, |
| soccer player should be spending time in the gym or | | | | then 5 reps it is. |
| not. I think we all can agree on the fact that in order | | | | These 4 drills are then upon mastering of the |
| to become a better athlete, no matter what sport | | | | technique, progressed to primarily 1-leg variations or |
| you play - you need to get stronger. So in order to | | | | more challenging exercises. In the game of soccer, |
| become a better soccer player, do you want to | | | | you need to create unilateral strength, meaning you |
| accomplish that by stacking up the weights and start | | | | need to be equally as strong in your left leg as your |
| spending several hours a week in the gym? Not | | | | right leg. |
| necessarily. | | | | Look at linear acceleration for instance. In order to |
| Here's where the argument divides. On one side, you | | | | get faster, you need to learn how to produce more |
| have coaches who always preach Olympic Lifting | | | | force to the ground, and that is accomplished |
| Techniques and using heavy weights to get the | | | | through learning the proper techniques for doing this, |
| players stronger. In a perfect world, learning these | | | | together with improving your lower body strength! |
| different lifts and having someone professional and | | | | My next example is deceleration and changing |
| knowledgeable enough to help you with this, then it's | | | | directions. If you have an imbalance between your |
| definitely a good idea as you get a little older. | | | | legs where one leg is much stronger then the other, |
| However, and here's where I am at with my | | | | then you're definitely going to experience a |
| philosophy when it comes to lower body strength | | | | difference based on which leg you stop, cut or |
| training for soccer players looking to improve their | | | | change a direction with. If you feel you are way |
| speed. There are a lot of things to consider if you | | | | better at stopping or changing a direction only using |
| want to start using dumbbells and barbells. First and | | | | your left leg, don't you think your opponent will take |
| foremost, it will take more time (you need to spend | | | | advantage of that and only try to beat you going on |
| more hours working out), you need to have a gym | | | | your bad side? |
| membership, and you need to find the right trainer | | | | I am guessing he would, especially when you advance |
| for it (a bad trainer that teaches you the wrong | | | | to higher levels, playing against better players. |
| technique when lifting may have terrible | | | | Learn to master these exercises showed above first, |
| consequences for you). | | | | and I promised you - you can progress a lot by only |
| So with this method, I believe, for a lot of youth | | | | doing lower body strength on the soccer field, you |
| soccer players, you need none of that. Sure, you | | | | don't need to spend a lot of time in the gym to |
| may need an extra 30-45 minutes a week, but it can | | | | accomplish that. |
| all be added on to your regular soccer training, | | | | Down the road when you get really strong, you can |
| meaning all of it can be performed on the soccer | | | | keep on improving by incorporating medicine balls and |
| field, without additional equipment. | | | | weighted vests to get stronger, and keep on getting |
| At first, we need to look at the basics. These include: | | | | faster! |
| - Squats (2-leg bodyweight squat) | | | | |