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Soccer drills that emphasize the crucial balance between speed and control; that blends the elements of both physical and mental agility, and when it comes to soccer juggling and soccer conditioning, the most highly skilled players are those who demonstrate the coordination and power that comes from the mind as well as the hip muscles, the core, and of course the legs. Developing soccer speed and agility will give a player perfect control over both the body and the soccer ball. Great players execute light speed responses to unexpected changes on the field. They also shift quickly from fast forward motion to fast lateral motion and back again without losing balance or distributing power inefficiently.

In the majority of sport movements, like sprinting, jumping or throwing a ball, the time available to produce force is limited, For example, when kicking a soccer ball, the foot contacts the ball for a short period of time as ~50ms (Watkins, 2007). The short time available for one to produce force justifies the importance of power. Power is influenced by both force and velocity, therefore it can be enhanced by increasing maximum force, maximum velocity or both (Newton & Kraemer, 1994). Given that most of the sport tasks occurs on concentric actions, a better understanding of this relationship can be observed on the force  training

As a coach, we all want our players to be as explosive as possible. Although many of the characteristics of explosiveness are genetic, there are still ways that we can train our players to improve their power output and performance.

While having a proper strength program is important, it is equally as important that any drills we do on the pitch to improve power follow the concept of SPECIFICITY. Meaning, the player needs to replicate similar actions to those performed in the game, in order to increase the chances that positive adaptations will occur.

So, what are the most important ‘explosive actions’ in soccer, and how to we as coaches train these actions in our players?

In my mind, the most explosive actions that require the most muscle fiber recruitment are…

1. Sprinting
2. Jumping
3. Shooting

Let’s examine what makes an action explosive.

• Occurs over a short period of time (less than 10 seconds)
• Requires maximum recruitment of muscle fibers (Type II)
• Has an eccentric, isometric, and concentric component.

For the sake of time, we will only cover the key characteristics of the science behind power output.

The Phosphagen System is the system predominantly utilized by the body for explosive and power actions. This system is depleted after only 6 – 10 seconds, something that we will keep in mind for later. 

The CONTEXT of the explosive action matters almost as much as the POWER from the muscles themselves.

For example, just because I can sprint quickly on a track, does not mean that I will be a fast sprinter in football. On a track, I must get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. In soccer, I must get to point B…

• From the proper starting position (WHERE do I make my run from?)
• At the correct moment (WHEN do I make my run?)
• With the correct body position (HOW do I make my run?)
• In the correct context (WHY do I make my run?)

For this reason, as coaches, we should do our best to train power exercises in the context of soccer. There are a few things we need to make this happen.

• A ball.
• An attacking player.
• A defending player.
• A goal or an objective.

These four components allow us to create a scenario where players can produce actions that they would in a game. Now, let’s revisit the Phosphagen System, which is the key producer of energy for power exercises.

Considering that this system will become depleted after only 6 – 10 seconds, the explosive action must be short, and we must allow for full recovery before we attempt the action again.