Annual training plan · U14–U23

Week 41: Speed Training on Your Own

2 complete training sessions with 6 drills – created by licensed coaches. Open every drill in the easy2coach web app with one click.

This week’s focus

Individual training is a great way to work on fitness, coordination and mobility. Technical content can also be trained, but in the long run, of course, pressure from opponents and the tactical context are missing.

The physical abilities can roughly be divided into speed, strength and endurance. Good fitness is important for football, but is almost worthless without the necessary understanding of the game and technical and coordination skills.

For example, a powerful shot is only useful if the player has also mastered the technique of the chosen kick. Otherwise, the ball will probably fly well over the goal. Speed with the ball can only come into play in combination with a good dribbling technique, because otherwise the ball cannot be pushed ahead purposefully and with the right weight. Even without the ball, high speed only helps if the player also has the necessary understanding of the game.

But even though fitness only comes into play in combination with other abilities, individual training can be used to build or maintain a good fitness foundation for team training. Players who arrive at training fit will find it easier to put tactical and technical content into practice.

Author Luis Österlein

Session 1

3 drills

In today's session, speed is trained in 2 drills. In the first of the two drills, the players sprint through a course. In the 2nd drill, stride length when sprinting is trained. Even though football rarely involves covering long, straight distances at top speed, it can be helpful to borrow a few things from sprint training in athletics:

  • Always do the sprints at maximum speed. This point should go without saying, but it is often seen that players in speed training already ease off before the “home straight”
  • Start from a low position. The players do not need to sprint off from starting blocks, but the centre of gravity should be lowered a little. This allows faster acceleration. A good example of this is the basic stance when defending 1 vs 1. The knees are bent a little and the upper body leans forward a little
  • The arms are driven in short, vigorous swings in the direction of running. A common error is that the arms are moved in front of the body and then swing outwards
  • Accelerate with powerful, quick steps
  • Gradually straighten the upper body and increase stride length. It helps to make sure there is sufficient knee lift, which lengthens the strides naturally
  • Focus on stability in the core and the hips
  • Do not tense up
Coaching points for this session
  • Start with a lowered centre of gravity
  • Accelerate with small, powerful steps
  • Swing the arms parallel to the running direction
  • Accelerate with powerful and quick steps
  • Straighten up gradually
  • Keep the core and hips stable
Drill 1

Passing and Coordination with a Training Mat

3 metres distance to the mat

The player stands on the mat exclusively on the ball of the left or the right foot. The feeder throws the ball; the following tasks are carried out:

  • Pass with the inside of the left and with the inside of the right foot, six times each.
  • Pass with the left and with the right instep, six times each.
  • Head the ball back, four times each standing on the ball of the left and on the ball of the right foot.
  • Jump up and head the ball back; after the header, land again on the ball of the left or the right foot, four times each.
  • Control with the chest and pass back with the inside of the foot, six times per foot.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: One training mat; the feeder stands about three metres away from it.

Equipment: 1 training mat and 1 ball.

Players: One player on the mat, plus a training partner or the coach as the feeder.

Coaching points
  • Find stability in the ankle and knee joint.
  • Build up body tension.
  • Do not lean back when passing and tense the stomach.
  • Play the balls back with power and not in an arc.
  • When controlling with the chest, turn the upper body slightly in order to direct the ball towards the foot that plays the pass.
  • Meet the ball with the large surface of the forehead and build up arched body tension while doing so.
Drill 2

Training Speed with Poles

15 min

Upright poles:

  • Run through in a slalom.
  • Run through in a slalom backwards.
  • Run through in a slalom sideways.
  • Run all the way around every second pole clockwise; the body always faces forwards.
  • Run all the way around every second pole anticlockwise; the body always faces forwards.
  • Run through in a slalom sideways with crossover running.
  • Alternately two poles forwards and one pole back; with every change of direction the side is changed as well.

Poles lying on the ground:

  • Two steps between the poles.
  • Run through the poles in a slalom with side steps.
  • Run through the poles in a slalom with crossover running.
  • Two steps between the poles, sideways.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Five poles stand as a course two metres apart one behind the other; five further poles lie on the ground one metre apart.

Equipment: 10 poles.

Players: The players complete the tasks one after the other.

Coaching points
  • Keep a low centre of gravity.
  • Work on the balls of the feet.
  • Bring the hands along.
  • Take enough rest between the run-throughs.
  • Always choose the shortest route and do not run around in an arc.
Drill 3

Increasing Stride Length Towards the End of the Sprint

20 min
  • The aim of the drill is to increase the stride length gradually over the course of the sprint.
  • The player runs along the cones, placing one step in each of the gaps.
  • Then the player sprints on for another 20 metres and jogs out gently.
  • Six to eight runs are completed, with a rest of about 60 seconds between each of them.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Seven to twelve cones lie in a row. The distance to a red cone is two foot lengths, to a yellow one three and to a blue one four; it is adjusted to the height and age of the player if necessary.

Equipment: 7 to 12 cones.

Players: Each player works individually.

Coaching points
  • Take powerful, quick steps in the acceleration phase.
  • Swing the arms straight and gradually come up into an upright position.
  • Keep a neutral head position during the sprint.
  • Make sure there is enough knee lift for the stride length.
  • Maintain stability in the hips and the trunk.
The complete session as a ready-made training plan – with animated drills in the web app. Go to the web app

Session 2

3 drills

Today's session starts with running technique drills. This type of drill has its origins in athletics, but is also a useful drill for football. In football, running technique drills are often used in the warm-up before matches or sprint drills.

Running technique drills mainly serve to develop an efficient running style. Especially in amateur and recreational sport, you often see athletes who move uneconomically. For example, because they run with flailing arms, a hunched back, landing on the heel or simply tensed up. But even for advanced athletes it is helpful to include running technique drills in training every now and then, in order to maintain a smooth, efficient running style and to activate the muscles.

Running technique drills deliberately work with “exaggerations”. For example, high knees serve to train sufficient knee lift for sprinting, or ankle work helps to internalise that you land on the balls of the feet when running.

Besides improving running style and warming up, running technique drills have a further function. Some drills deliberately produce dynamic stretching. Examples of this are angling the knee inwards and outwards or bringing the extended leg up to the diagonally opposite hand, raised in front.

Coaching points for this session

Efficient running style:

  • Upright upper body
  • Neutral head position
  • The arms swing in the running direction and are bent
  • At high speed, land on the balls of the feet; at medium speed, on the midfoot
  • The faster the running, the more pronounced the knee lift
Drill 1

Running Technique Drills

10 min

From the first to the second cone the players carry out running technique drills. On the way back to the first cone they jog gently, but do not walk. Possible exercises:

  • Ankle work.
  • Heel flicks.
  • High knees.
  • Alternately twice high knees and twice heel flicks.
  • Cross-overs.
  • Side steps, normal.
  • Side steps, two steps forwards and one step back.
  • Circling the arms forwards.
  • Circling the arms backwards.
  • Alternating jumps.
  • Raising the arms above the head and walking on tiptoes.
  • Short bursts of acceleration.
  • Angling inwards.
  • Angling outwards.
  • Stretch jumps, higher towards the end.
  • Alternately bringing the extended left and right foot up to the diagonally opposite hand.

Note: In the warm-up the exercises can be completed in two rounds; in the second round they are carried out at a high frequency.

Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Two cones mark out the distance.

Equipment: 2 cones.

Players: The players run one after the other.

Coaching points
  • Bring the hands along with the movement.
  • Keep a low centre of gravity during the side steps.
Drill 2

Feinting

20 min8 metres from the starting position to the first dummy, 12 metres between the dummies
  • The player dribbles up to the first dummy, performs a step-over to the right and goes past on the left.
  • Then the player dribbles up to the second dummy, performs a step-over to the left in front of it and goes past on the right.
  • The player dribbles on to the second cone, cuts in front of it and dribbles on at high speed for a few metres.
  • After that the player dribbles back to the starting position at an easy pace.

Variations — feints for beating the dummies: Zidane trick, shot feint, lunge, Matthews trick, double step-over, double lunge.

Variations — cutting in front of the second cone: with the inside of the foot, with the outside of the foot, with the inside of the foot behind the standing leg, after a scissors, after a pass feint with the outside of the foot, after a pass feint behind the standing leg, after a body feint.

Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Two dummies stand one behind the other, with two cones behind them.

Equipment: 2 dummies or tall cones, 2 cones and one ball per player.

Players: The players start one after the other.

Coaching points
  • Build up speed.
  • Start the feints in good time.
  • Shift the centre of gravity far enough.
  • After the feints, carry out a change of direction and an explosive change of pace.
  • Complete the runs at high speed.
  • Take enough rest between the runs.
Drill 3

Sprint Intervals

20 min50 metres
  • The player starts at the first pole and sprints to the second pole.
  • The player then runs for 20 seconds at a very relaxed pace; at the end of these 20 seconds the player should be back at the second pole.
  • From there the player sprints back to the first pole and again completes 20 seconds of relaxed running.
  • This sequence is repeated several times.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Two poles 50 metres apart.

Equipment: 2 poles.

Players: Every player works alone.

Coaching points
  • Carry out the sprints at top speed right to the end.
  • During the 20 seconds keep it completely relaxed, but do not stand still — this is the recovery time.
  • Keep a neutral head position.
  • Move the arms in a straight line.
  • Pay attention to sufficient knee lift.
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