5 Soccer Drills

To be competitive in today's game it imperative you put away the old outdated training methods. Running long distances can be slowing you down and may be burning off the muscle you need for bursts of speed and power. Soccer players need strength and conditioning exercises that both closely resemble the actions of their body and muscles that perform during the game and mirror the energy systems that are used in a game!

Here are 5 soccer drills to help your power and speed.

Soccer Drills

1. The Box Drill - Use cones placed 6 yards apart in a square. Start at one cone and run forward to the next cone. Perform a drop step circle around that cone. Perform a shuffle step to the next cone. Perform a drop step circle around that cone. Backpedal to the next cone. Perform a drop step circle around that cone. Shuffle step to the original starting cone. Perform a drop step circle around that cone. Run diagonal to the next cone. Perform a drop step circle around that cone. Shuffle step to the next cone. Perform a drop step circle around that cone. Backpedal to the original starting cone.

5 Soccer Drills

2. One Leg Squats - One leg squats is another excellent leg strength exercise. Stand on a platform and lower one leg off until you are just below parallel and then stand back up using the other leg. Work up to 3 sets of 10 for each leg.

3. Uphill Sprints - Uphill sprints will help you develop power. NFL All-Time leading rusher Emmitt Smith was a big proponent of hill sprints. Beach runs in soft sand are also really good for developing acceleration. Make 10 yard sprints with plenty of rest in between.

4. Zig Zag Ball Handling Drill - In this drill you will set up cones in a zigzag pattern at about 5 yards apart. The closer together the cones, the more difficult the drill. Next you will line up at one cone and dribble the ball to the next cone and cut around the cone and on to the next, then you dribble the ball back to the beginning. Take a short rest and repeat.

5. Groin Conditioning - Metabolic conditioning (intervals) should always remain at the end of a training session that incorporates "explosiveness". If you fatigue the athlete with conditioning, you can't expect the athlete to perform explosively and you may even compromise safety. Like all other aspects of the program, in order to develop "groin-specific" adaptations, you must incorporate lateral movement into the conditioning drills.

This means short, high-intensity intervals that include lateral shuffling, crossovers, and sprints into and out of lateral movement. Intervals can range from 10 to 60 seconds (or more). Rest intervals will vary, but one option is to rest an equal amount of time to the work interval.

5-10-5 yard shuttle using lateral movement for a set period of time
5 yard shuffle for a set period of time

5 Soccer Drills