Now new in the app: Speed training at Champions League level

Soccer is changing – socially and physically. While even World Cups can now be held in winter, the physical demands are also getting crazier.

Erling Haaland sprints at over 36 km/h, David Raum sprints up and down his left wing more than 1,000 times per season, and Jude Bellingham completed over 2,600 intense runs to energize Dortmund's attacking play.

Incredible numbers that underpin the athletic transformation:

Soccer matches in which the Kaiser could strut through midfield unhindered with two casual turns are now found only in history books. Today's soccer means sprinting, passing and shooting at Duracell level with maximum speed and non-stop stamina.

To ensure that all players of the B42 training app can benefit from sprint training at professional level in the future, we have fundamentally revised our speed section.

In today's blog post, we'll give you an insight into what you can expect.

Is speed really just genetics?

"You can't train speed, it's all genetics"; "Get faster? Forget it!". Speed is diligently discussed on and off the pitch. And usually all discussions end with these sentences and a disillusioned interlocutor.

Admittedly, speed characteristics are definitely dependent on genetics – in short, whether your muscles twitch quickly or rather slowly is something you are born with. But that doesn't mean you can "get faster" with properly guided and well-structured speed training.

But: soccer is not just about the one question of who can run the 100 meters the fastest. It's about reaction speed, speed of action with and without the ball, quickness, running technique and agility – all of which can be trained!

In addition, data from the professional ranks shows that – while the number of sprints in the game is continuously increasing – the sprint length has now shrunk to an average of just under 6 meters.

The first steps, the reaction as well as the ability to maintain this sprint quality over a long period of time are therefore becoming more and more important. 

This means that the topics of clean technique, movement quality during sprinting and changes of direction, readiness to sprint, and repeated sprintability (RSA) – i.e. the capacity to complete sprints over the entire playing time – should be at the top of your training list.

Sprinting, jumping, straddling - all at the highest speed

Playing soccer is multifaceted. So are the requirements for all players.

You have to be able to explode within a few meters, then turn 180 degrees from a full run and finally rocket up for a header. If you are superior to your opponent in this respect, you may score a goal and be justifiably celebrated.

It's a similar story in the defensive game. The difference between being a hero and becoming a tragic hero is often only the blink of an eye. Trainable blinks. For example, faster changes of direction, more agility or more top speed increase the likelihood that a defensive artist will drive his opponents to despair.

 In these examples, the team tactical influence of speed is still completely disregarded. Of course, it plays an immense role in the collective shifting, in the occupation of positions or in counter-pressing whether all players have the willingness to sprint regularly or not.