How do you train your high-speed strength especially for soccer?

Especially in soccer the speed is of special importance, because in extreme cases it can decide about victory or defeat. The basics in soccer are, among other things, the ability to sprint, including fast changes of direction. Sprint sleds, sprint parachutes, harnesses and medicine balls are often used for sprint and speed training.

Especially short sprints against an increased resistance are especially effective. Here, too, the recovery breaks play an important role. In soccer, the breaks should be sufficient, because after ten to 15 sprints at full power, the explosive strength training is already over.

The running ABC is a form of speed training that is used even in the lowest soccer leagues. The advantage is that all athletes move together in one or two groups and do different exercises for the explosive strength. In addition, sprint starts from different starting positions (lying down, sitting, with the back to the signal, eyes closed, hands on the back, etc.)

are recommended for soccer in order to simulate the different situations on the field. A newer rapid strength training method is the so-called “Rapid Response Training”. Here the athlete starts from a forward movement.These can be skippings on the spot, which change into a linear sprint movement by a signal. This should be done as soon as possible in order to always have an appropriate training stimulus.

What are fast power sports?

The demands on the muscles and nervous system are very high in fast-strength sports. In the shortest possible time, as many muscle fibers as possible should release power simultaneously to overcome resistance as quickly as possible. These sports can be cyclical and acyclic.

Especially in athletics there are many fast-strength sports. All sprint competitions, whether 100m, 200m, 400m or 800m, rely to a large extent on the body’s ability to develop explosive power. Also sports in which the athlete has to accelerate something to the maximum, explosive power plays an important role.

These include the sports of shot put, javelin, hammer throw, discus throw and long throw. In addition, the jumping sports of long jump and high jump, as well as pole vault and triple jump are also considered to be fast power sports. Other sports that have a very high proportion of high speed power are weight lifting, ski jumping, speed skating and track sprint disciplines in cycling.

These sports are called speed power sports, whereby speed power plays an important to very important role in almost all sports. In many other sports, including team sports, explosive strength makes an important contribution to success. Depending on the field of application, there are different applications of explosive power.

In some sports, the time available is the limiting factor (boxing, fencing, etc.). In this case, the starting power and explosive power are the decisive factors in the realization of power. In some sports, explosive power is also of great importance, but more time is available for the realization of power (Kugging). Here, it is not necessary to realize a lot of power in an extremely short time, but a lot of power over a longer period of time.

Starting force (force value 30 ms after contraction start, different definitions by different authors)
Explosive force (highest force increase in the force-time curve (?F/?t))