Speed, speed, speed!!

What can I do to help my '01 BB improve on running speed? He plays mostly at left back and although physical against quick midfielders and forwards, he struggles to catch them once they get around him.

Now, I've been told, his speed will improve somewhat as he gets older and stronger. No need to worry too much for as long as he continues to train and work hard. I've been told he needs to go to to a running & speed instructor.

I would like to know what everybody else recommends and has done for their BB. He plays on a D3 team, and the speed of goal scorers will only intensify as he tries to move up to D2 and D1.

There are a lot of ways to run faster... Hill sprints, Long Slow Distance of 6 miles or more to build muscle, weight training, lose weight/dieting, fartlek, etc.  Even running downhill teaches your legs the rhythm of running faster.

Don't expect to know it all.  Go to Half Price Books and buy a book about running 5Ks.  (Hal Higdon's book called "Run Fast" is excellent.)  Whichever book you pick, flip through it first and make sure the previous owner didn't removed the pages with training schedules.  Those books are crammed full of excellent tips about how to increase your speed and regiments on how to make it happen.  If your son really wants to get faster, that's an excellent place to start the education.

dboycfo wrote:What can I do to help my '01 BB improve on running speed?  He plays mostly at left back and although physical against quick midfielders and forwards, he struggles to catch them once they get around him.

Now, I've been told, his speed will improve somewhat as he gets older and stronger.  No need to worry too much for as long as he continues to train and work hard.  I've been told he needs to go to to a running & speed instructor.  

I would like to know what everybody else recommends and has done for their BB.  He plays on a D3 team, and the speed of goal scorers will only intensify as he tries to move up to D2 and D1.

i guess as with any skill (not that speed is a skill. more God given in my opinion) your bb could "out train or out work" other boys, but as i think you stated, the faster boys will continue to get faster as well. i would spend more time training on angles and tactics to slow down attackers. in other words, RETREAT and keep himself between the ball and the goal. if the opponent is beating him with long over the top balls then he may not be fast enough to play that position going forward. having "spewed" on my knowledge lol if you can afford a speed instructor it will give him an advantage on boys with his similar speed. The most important speed is that BURST from zero to 10-20 yards.  

Thanks for the advice. I will look for the book or books. We have been working on the angles, trying to show him how that works, even if your slower. He plays offenders very physically one on one, using shoulders and arms to slow them down. But at times when the ball goes over him, he's toast...unless his mates who are faster make up for his mistake. I preach "think fast...read quickly" and you can be successful. But at times, as any BB, he will not listen to the old man....as "your not on the field" remarks.

Again, thanks for the advice. Keep'em coming.

Sent you a PM

My son struggles with this, also... and these are some things that have helped him improve. First, I took him to a sprinting coach (NOT a soccer coach), who also incorporated agility training. It was a 3 month block of private lessons to teach proper form, and what "good" running should feel like. How to explode forward, as well as exercises to do at home. It was expensive... but worth it. Then, we just worked on our own, although he does attend group sessions with the coach now and again for "maintenance". The biggest thing to do is to make sure to regularly track progress. We do three timed drills... one is 20y, 40y, 60y, 80y timed sprints (3 of each). Then we do a ladder (what I call a ladder) sprint, which is cones at 5y, 10y, 15y, 20y, and 25y (150 yd total) running back and forth. And then a "compass sprint" which is 5 cones spread in a circle around a central cone (5y radius) where you run to each cone and back to the central. Timing has helped A LOT because you can actually measure your progress, and its more fun. He also does plyometric training when he can. Also interval running is pretty amazing...

Also, watch this video... I saw this and showed it to my son, and all he said was, "that's exactly what my running coach said. It's why sprinters warm up doing those funny A skips and things... its about driving your feet down into the ground."

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-to-run-faster-video

heyyouguys wrote:My son struggles with this, also... and these are some things that have helped him improve. First, I took him to a sprinting coach (NOT a soccer coach), who also incorporated agility training. It was a 3 month block of private lessons to teach proper form, and what "good" running should feel like. How to explode forward, as well as exercises to do at home. It was expensive... but worth it. Then, we just worked on our own, although he does attend group sessions with the coach now and again for "maintenance". The biggest thing to do is to make sure to regularly track progress. We do three timed drills... one is 20y, 40y, 60y, 80y timed sprints (3 of each). Then we do a ladder (what I call a ladder) sprint, which is cones at 5y, 10y, 15y, 20y, and 25y (150 yd total) running back and forth. And then a "compass sprint" which is 5 cones spread in a circle around a central cone (5y radius) where you run to each cone and back to the central. Timing has helped A LOT because you can actually measure your progress, and its more fun. He also does plyometric training when he can. Also interval running is pretty amazing...

This is great..but I hope he spends the bulk of his time with the ball.

Improving on running form will help, my BB is pretty quick due to agility drills but doesnt have the top end speed that he should because of his running form. I personally think 75% of speed is inherited and 25% can be trained. Like the other poster has said, you may want to work with him on angles. I cut my U14 BB 40 time from 5.2 secs to 5.0 just from changing his form slightly in the past 6 months(change the motion of his arm swing to a forward motion rather than side to side).

Yes, I do believe that running form is huge. Specifically for him, he is 4' 7" tall, 97 lbs, with a 9 1/2 foot. His upper body is shorter than his legs. At times, it seems he doesn't run correctly. He runs with long strides, but doesn't help. He has cut his stride and run on his toes, which has helped a bit. But it's not his natural response on the field. His long feet is great for balance, but I think it slows him down when sprinting.

heyyouguys wrote:Also, watch this video... I saw this and showed it to my son, and all he said was, "that's exactly what my running coach said. It's why sprinters warm up doing those funny A skips and things... its about driving your feet down into the ground."

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-to-run-faster-video

Yea, I watched that show last week "Making Stuff Faster". I thought the running part - and the electric car part - were the best parts of the show.

But yea, the running part is right on. You can improve speed quite a bit with just correcting someone's technique when running, also when changing directions - there are certain fundamental techniques to maximizing the time it takes to change direction as well as running a straight line.

Running stairs/stadium steps also simulates the slamming into the ground of the foot. Actual real power can be increased with squats, deadlifts, power cleans. Combine this with stairs and actual sprints and you will have a good workout. You should consult a trainer first to see how many days a week to work, and how many to take off - and to make sure the exercises I'm talking about are age-appropriate for your child.

I'm sure there are plenty of other exercises you can use as well. Most "sprinters" incorporate stairs, squats, deadlifts, and power cleans into their workouts - among many other exercises - depending on their individual needs.

Laimport wrote:

heyyouguys wrote:My son struggles with this, also... and these are some things that have helped him improve. First, I took him to a sprinting coach (NOT a soccer coach), who also incorporated agility training. It was a 3 month block of private lessons to teach proper form, and what "good" running should feel like. How to explode forward, as well as exercises to do at home. It was expensive... but worth it. Then, we just worked on our own, although he does attend group sessions with the coach now and again for "maintenance". The biggest thing to do is to make sure to regularly track progress. We do three timed drills... one is 20y, 40y, 60y, 80y timed sprints (3 of each). Then we do a ladder (what I call a ladder) sprint, which is cones at 5y, 10y, 15y, 20y, and 25y (150 yd total) running back and forth. And then a "compass sprint" which is 5 cones spread in a circle around a central cone (5y radius) where you run to each cone and back to the central. Timing has helped A LOT because you can actually measure your progress, and its more fun. He also does plyometric training when he can. Also interval running is pretty amazing...

This is great..but I hope he spends the bulk of his time with the ball.

Yeah, I was focusing on just strictly running things. But we also incorporate shuttle runs with a ball, 20 yard figure eights, slalom drills. We'll toss a ladder out there sometimes. Just whatever we really want to do. My son's my Wednesday night workout buddy (our night devoted to just him and I going to the HS track and working out). One or two days a week in season I think is more valuable than going to another skills session, and its time to actually spend with my kid, not just watch him doing things. And, he's still trying to beat my best times... pssh.. yeah right.

all of this is entertaining and very American. I remember watching the video where they tested C Ronaldo. They talked about how different his form was from the world class sprinter but also how his was of running suited him more toward soccer then the sprinters did. In the end the speed work is all laughs a giggles because as much as you can improve you will still not be as fast as the kids who are just faster than you. Defending is not about speed. It is intelligence and technique but hey strength, speed and conditioning guys need to make a living too.

go99 wrote:all of this is entertaining and very American.  I remember watching the video where they tested C Ronaldo.  They talked about how different his form was from the world class sprinter but also how his was of running suited him more toward soccer then the sprinters did.  In the end the speed work is all laughs a giggles because as much as you can improve you will still not be as fast as the kids who are just faster than you.  Defending is not about speed.  It is intelligence and technique but hey strength, speed and conditioning guys need to make a living too.

Watching a video on Ronaldo makes go99 an expert on sprinting and soccer training. And I guess somebody should tell Ronaldo to stop lifting and just go outside and juggle.

Also another thing is game speed can also be totally different than timed speed... Some guys are just faster in the game than when being timed...

If your in the North Dallas area, I have a guy at my training studio that can help. It can be as simple as bad mechanics. This guy get's combine guys ready before the draft and has a complete separate program for soccer players.
While running up a hill is good for conditioning, the jog to sprint for 30 yards translates more to our sport.

powerplayfitness.com

heyyouguys wrote:

go99 wrote:all of this is entertaining and very American.  I remember watching the video where they tested C Ronaldo.  They talked about how different his form was from the world class sprinter but also how his was of running suited him more toward soccer then the sprinters did.  In the end the speed work is all laughs a giggles because as much as you can improve you will still not be as fast as the kids who are just faster than you.  Defending is not about speed.  It is intelligence and technique but hey strength, speed and conditioning guys need to make a living too.

Watching a video on Ronaldo makes go99 an expert on sprinting and soccer training. And I guess somebody should tell Ronaldo to stop lifting and just go outside and juggle.

Nope doesn't make me an expert and certianly not on sprinting but all the money people here spend on various skills, conditioning, etc certianly hasn't made American soccer players any better. Meanwhile Brazil keeps exporting players around the world. But yes please continue. Get a soccer coach, skills coach, shooting and finishing coach, speed and conditioning coach, nutritionist, and a sports psychologist. That should just about do it.

go99 wrote:

heyyouguys wrote:

go99 wrote:all of this is entertaining and very American.  I remember watching the video where they tested C Ronaldo.  They talked about how different his form was from the world class sprinter but also how his was of running suited him more toward soccer then the sprinters did.  In the end the speed work is all laughs a giggles because as much as you can improve you will still not be as fast as the kids who are just faster than you.  Defending is not about speed.  It is intelligence and technique but hey strength, speed and conditioning guys need to make a living too.

Watching a video on Ronaldo makes go99 an expert on sprinting and soccer training. And I guess somebody should tell Ronaldo to stop lifting and just go outside and juggle.

Nope doesn't make me an expert and certianly not on sprinting but all the money people here spend on various skills, conditioning, etc certianly hasn't made American soccer players any better.  Meanwhile Brazil keeps exporting players around the world.  But yes please continue.  Get a soccer coach, skills coach, shooting and finishing coach, speed and conditioning coach, nutritionist, and a sports psychologist.  That should just about do it.

   

dboycfo wrote:What can I do to help my '01 BB improve on running speed?  He plays mostly at left back and although physical against quick midfielders and forwards, he struggles to catch them once they get around him.

Now, I've been told, his speed will improve somewhat as he gets older and stronger.  No need to worry too much for as long as he continues to train and work hard.  I've been told he needs to go to to a running & speed instructor.  

I would like to know what everybody else recommends and has done for their BB.  He plays on a D3 team, and the speed of goal scorers will only intensify as he tries to move up to D2 and D1.

First off; make sure that he is enjoying the game. Once you make sure that he is enjoying the game, you can look in to how to make him faster!. If the BB is not fast now, he is not going to be the fastest player on the field either. But that does not mean that he would not be as good as a faster player. Reading the game, positioning can be more important than speed.

Having said that, you can help him learn how to run faster. There are simple changes, adjustments you can make to get a faster player. The easiest way is to talk with a track coach to show him how to run! Just simple as it is sounds, his speed would increase with simple changes. Do not expect too much out of it though.

dboycfo wrote:What can I do to help my '01 BB improve on running speed?  He plays mostly at left back and although physical against quick midfielders and forwards, he struggles to catch them once they get around him.

Now, I've been told, his speed will improve somewhat as he gets older and stronger.  No need to worry too much for as long as he continues to train and work hard.  I've been told he needs to go to to a running & speed instructor.  

I would like to know what everybody else recommends and has done for their BB.  He plays on a D3 team, and the speed of goal scorers will only intensify as he tries to move up to D2 and D1.

As an '01, perhaps his "quick twitch" muscles haven't developed. It would seem that he is a pretty good athlete; given his position and his initial approach to the opposition. The speed should come in time. A few ways to jump start speed and quickness, is to jump rope and run stairs.

go99 wrote:all of this is entertaining and very American.  I remember watching the video where they tested C Ronaldo.  They talked about how different his form was from the world class sprinter but also how his was of running suited him more toward soccer then the sprinters did.  In the end the speed work is all laughs a giggles because as much as you can improve you will still not be as fast as the kids who are just faster than you.  Defending is not about speed.  It is intelligence and technique but hey strength, speed and conditioning guys need to make a living too.

Go- I get what you are saying about kids with a lot of speed are just going to be faster than others regardless of drills. That said I disagree with you about strength and conditioning (S&G) coaching benefits. There was a time when I would have agreed with you, because our teams used what turned out to be pretty poor S&C coaches. But I ran into one recently that was vastly different and really improved our entire team speed, conditioning and as importantly injury prevention technique corrections. Actually as a result of this discussion- I suggested he might want to create an account on the forum to offer his services.

He goes by Q and like I said he is very gifted. If anyone is interested you can PM me and I can give you his contact info. I am not saying he is going to make a slow kid the fastest on the team, but he will improve the players speed and technique, while also improving conditioning and provide technical guidance on injury prevention. His sessions were specific to a soccer environment not just a complete focus on straight line speed (i.e. track).

Now I do like the injury prevention and it's nice if he can be soccer specific. Just had the unfortunate experience of having a S&C coach at my DD's team. Much of what he was suggesting was in direct contrast to what is needed for soccer (great for track though). But then I guess it is too much to ask for coaches in NTX to teach kids how to actually play rather than just wanting them to run faster and kick harder.

Johan Cruyff - "All coaches talk too much about running a lot. I say it's not necessary to run so much. Soccer is a game that's played with the brain. You need to be in the right place at the right time, not too early, not too late."


Jose Ramon Alexanco, the director of Barcelona's youth program - "Not until after the players reach age 16 is there fitness training. Before that age we mainly play soccer. Everything is with the ball. We work on skills and some tactics"

go99 wrote:Now I do like the injury prevention and it's nice if he can be soccer specific.  Just had the unfortunate experience of having a S&C  coach at my DD's team.  Much of what he was suggesting was in direct contrast to what is needed for soccer (great for track though).  But then I guess it is too much to ask for coaches in NTX to teach kids how to actually play rather than just wanting them to run faster and kick harder.  

Johan Cruyff - "All coaches talk too much about running a lot. I say it's not necessary to run so much. Soccer is a game that's played with the brain. You need to be in the right place at the right time, not too early, not too late."


Jose Ramon Alexanco, the director of Barcelona's youth program - "Not until after the players reach age 16 is there fitness training. Before that age we mainly play soccer. Everything is with the ball. We work on skills and some tactics"

soccer words to live by but total opposite of what we have in ntx  

For those who grew up in Dallas, remember Bill Bates' best 40 yard dash time was a 4.8 in his combine tryouts with the NFL - he went undrafted.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2008/04/18/590197/bill-bates-was-the-ultimate-free.html  

He tore his ACL in his 30's, and rehabbed - came back after rehab - training for speed - and ran in the 4.5's.  
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19930720&id=zUVSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LjYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6020,2055007

That went from mediocre speed to fast - AFTER an ACL injury too.  You can't say that speed training cant make you fast - it won't make you Olympic caliber, but it will improve your speed.

That being said, Bill Bates made it as a professional athlete in the first place despite his slow speed - because he had really good insight into the game, where to be, and when to be there (he played fast), and was the type person who didn't give a darn about his own health, he made the play regardless of the consequences. But he did work really hard to improve his speed - and he did improve it.

I have seen this happen to my BBs and have seen it in others over the years. Not fast at the start of teenage years but getting progressively faster to the point were either one of the fastest on the team or middle of the pack. BUT quickness (different than raw speed) and mental accuity (soccer IQ) is what you really need to succeed.