As a US track coach that is also involved in youth soccer I can confidently say that most soccer coaches don't know how to train and develope speed and agility. It's a shame.
There is nothing special about soccer. Sprint mechanics is sprint mechanics regardless of sports. +90% of the game is played without the ball.
You get a few kids that work on sprint mechanics, agility, and ankle stiffness. Their athleticism will be noticeable better than their peers who are flat footed. I have seen this first hand. Same soccer skills but the fast player makes the team.
Hey Coach, I hear you…
& you make a solid point that speed and athleticism are huge advantages in any sport…. Totally
But when it comes to soccer, applying pure track sprint mechanics is like putting a Formula 1 engine in a rally car
Sure, it’s powerful and fast, but it’s going to struggle on dirt roads and hairpin turns. Let’s dive into why soccer running mechanics are a different beast…
Track mechanics emphasize longer strides, straight-line acceleration, and top speed maintenance. This makes total sense when you’re running down a straight lane with nothing but empty space in front of you. But in soccer, most of the action isn’t about speed in a straight line. It’s about managing acceleration, deceleration, quick turns, and being ready to stop and switch directions constantly often in response to an opponent's unpredictable moves… this is
why mechanics are different applying to attacking and defending.
Imagine telling a track runner to handle a tight curve at 90% of their top speed. What happens? That stride length and high center of gravity work against them. They’ll either slow down drastically or risk wiping out. The same thing happens on the pitch. A soccer player sprinting at full-throttle like a track athlete will struggle to decelerate and change direction quickly. They’ll lose balance, be late on the play, or get beaten because they’re overcommitted.
Soccer players need a lower center of gravity, shorter strides, and more stability…think more like a rally car that handles quick turns, accelerates out of tight spots, and slams the brakes instantly when needed. Those pure sprint mechanics might make a player fast, but they can also make them less agile and more prone to injury. Try telling a Formula 1 car to make a quick U-turn on a gravel road
it’s going to spin out.
That’s why gait and stride aren’t as much of a focus in soccer. Soccer players need to run with a bit more flex in their knees, a slightly hunched posture, and shorter steps so they can adjust in a split second. We’re not talking about 90% of the game played without the ball in a straight line. We’re talking about managing the constant stop-and-go chaos that is the heart of
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Now, don’t get me wrong, there are areas where track mechanics help. Teaching soccer players proper arm drive, ankle stiffness, and force production are definitely valuable when running without the ball. But pushing long strides, straight line speed, and pure top end sprinting without considering the actual context of the game? It’s like giving a rally car driver lessons on how to handle a drag strip it’s quite helpful, but not when they’re dodging boulders and taking hairpin turns every few seconds.
Bottom line: you’re right that speed matters, but the context changes everything. It’s not about whether pure sprint mechanics are effective but it’s about whether they’re relevant… Soccer players are rally cars, not Formula 1 racers. If we train them like track athletes without adapting to the realities of the game, we’re doing them a disservice. They’ll be fast…sure until they have to turn, stop, or pivot and then they’ll be left in the dust.
