The Importance of Speed and Agility Training
In professional soccer, at the very top level, the line between winning and losing is minuscule. A tiny difference in things such as fitness, speed, or agility can change the outcome of a game, season, or even a career. For this reason, coaches are always on the lookout for new methods that can be used to maximize the potential of their players. One form of training that all coaches at the top level are using is speed and agility training.
Speed and agility training consists of rapid back to back movements that mimic the dynamic movements that players perform throughout a game. Working on these movements outside of a game setting helps to improve muscle memory, which in return leads to complex movements becoming second nature to a player.
A great example of a top-level player that takes part in regular speed and agility training is Cristiano Ronaldo. In a game you often see Ronaldo change direction and accelerate away from defenders very quickly. He is able to do this because his muscles have been trained to perform these movements over a number of years, and are now second nature to him.
The coaching staff at the PSP Center of Excellence are big believers that players benefit from regular speed and agility training. We make sure we put our players through regular speed and agility training in addition to their regular soccer practices. We do this because we know that by the time our players are as old as Ronaldo, they will be faster and more agile than him!