The ability to accelerate is fundamental to on-field success in soccer. Soccer incorporates periods of sprinting, walking, jogging and frequent changes of direction that require a great deal of power and strength. Typically called "first-step quickness," acceleration allows a player to reach top speed faster and beat out other players to the ball.
Strength
Acceleration involves a change in velocity over a certain period of time. Increasing acceleration means either increasing velocity or decreasing the time it takes to change speed. A soccer player who wants to accelerate must possess the strength necessary to move his body against the forces of gravity. In fact, it is not how fast the athlete moves her feet while running--known as stride frequency--but rather the amount of force she can exert into the ground with each step that gives her the ability to accelerate quickly. Increasing strength through the use of weight room exercises, such as squats, deadlifts and single-leg training, will enable the soccer player to increase his force, therefore increasing his acceleration.
Power
Power is the ability to create a force over a period of time. As with acceleration, increasing power means increasing the force or decreasing the time involved. Strength is an integral component of power since it is directly related to the ability to create force. Another way to increase power is to increase the speed with which a force is applied. The strongest player on the field may not be the fastest player if he does not have the ability to contract his muscles quickly to accelerate or change directions. Power exercises are traditionally the Olympic lifts--snatch, clean and jerk--and their component variations. However, any exercise can increase power if it involves an external load--more than just the player's body weight--and is performed with an emphasis on speed.
Plyometrics
Plyometric exercise is designed to train the stretch-shortening cycle of muscle contraction. For example, when a player performs a rapid change of direction, the muscles tense as they lengthen during deceleration and then forcefully contract to produce movement in the desired direction. This is known as reactive ability. Lower-body plyometric exercises consist of hops, bounds and jumps, and can be performed on one or both legs, with and without an external load. Plyometrics, by design, help improve the ability to accelerate by addressing strength, speed and power as the athlete moves her body against gravity via rapid muscular lengthening and contraction.
Sprint Conditioning
All sprinting exercises, from the 40-yard dash to shuttle runs, involve the opportunity to train acceleration. A soccer player can use these drills to practice the "push" aspect of increasing speed. That is, the first few steps should be a maximum effort of exerting force against the ground to propel the body forward. In drills where fatigue becomes a factor, such as line drills and the aforementioned shuttle runs, this ability to accelerate--to have a strong first push--will enable an athlete to reach top speed faster than his teammates. Once at top speed, it takes much less energy to maintain momentum, and he can coast the length of each leg until he needs to change direction once again.
References
- "Advances in Functional Training"; Michael Boyle; 2010
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (3rd Ed.)"; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle; 2008
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