Starting speed also has a cognitive (mental) aspect to it. Players have to recognize a variety of visual and
other sensory cues, process the information, and then respond accordingly. To improve this aspect of
starting speed, you should perform drills that involve various stimuli or cues that frequently occur in
game situations that evoke a specific response. For a center back, this may be when a pass is played into
the feet of the attacker he is marking. The pass would be a visual cue for the defender to close down his
opponent. When strikers are defending, they may have to respond to auditory signals from their
teammates behind them such as “Close him down!” By continuously reacting to set stimuli with a specific
response, these actions will become instinctive and the body will respond quicker.
Acceleration
In simple terms, acceleration it is the time taken to reach maximum or high levels of speed. Acceleration
is one of the most important elements of speed and requires a lot of attention in training. Acceleration
allows us to get the better of a defender in a 1v1 situation, or recover from a miss-timed tackle to chase
down an attacker. Being as “fast as lightning” will be of little use in soccer if it takes forever to attain that
speed.
Accelerating quickly is dependent on proper body alignment (a positive angle between the body and the
ground facilitates greater forces to be applied); good arm action; and explosive lower body power (the
hips, knees and ankles need to push off as quickly and forcefully as possible).
Drills for acceleration should use distances ranging from15 to 20 yards and should emphasize the athlete
taking small, explosive steps while maintaining a positive body lean (Figure 4.2). Note: this needs to be a
whole-body lean, not just at the waist. As before, the player needs to have their eyes forward.
Maximum Speed
Maximum Speed, as the name suggests, is the fastest possible speed you can attain. Plays that involve
maximum speed usually occur when balls are played in behind the defense and often involve a foot race
between a defender and attacker. This element of speed is a very desirable quality for wingers and
strikers. An assumption many coaches make is that: because most sprints in soccer occur over short
distances, they do not occur in the maximum-speed phase. However, many of these sprints are from
moving starts (jogging, striding), which greatly reduce the distance needed to achieve top speed. As such,
it is important that this component of speed not be neglected in preference for the others.
Reaching maximum speed from a stationary position usually occurs after about 30 or 40 yards and is
dependent on achieving an optimal balance between stride frequency (number of strides per time interval)
and stride length (distance covered by each stride). Establishing good form and running mechanics is a
must for improving this element of speed. (Box 4.1 describes the correct form and running mechanics
during this phase in great detail) The coach needs to address proper arm and leg action as well as posture.
Increasing functional strength and power with the appropriate exercises is also critical.