June 7, 2009
I can really feel the difference in my speed and agility over the last couple of months.
Last season I thought I was ok in my speed and agility and I used to train for longer, but then I had a growth spurt. I started to grow really fast and started feeling a bit clumsy. I noticed my running speed started to slow down even though I still had my stamina.
The problem, I was told, was my running technique.
Basically, I used to run long distance at primary school and I was still running like that when playing soccer.
The long strides I was taking were great for endurance running but terrible for soccer. The heel of my foot was landing first instead of the ball of my foot and this was like putting a brake on every time I took a stride. The impact was going straight into my knees and boy did they hurt.
So all the hours I was spending training was doing me more harm than anything else and no one ever picked up on it.
After having an analyses done on my running technique I had a new training programme to sort my running out.
The really good thing was that the programme worked my muscles harder but in less time. It included short spurts of speed running (on a treadmill with a lot of it uphill work), plyometrics and strength training.
Within 8 weeks I saw a massive difference in my speed, agility and especially my running technique. The really good thing is that my coaches and team-mates also saw the difference.
Speed and agility is really important in soccer, especially for future Asian soccer stars, so make sure your technique is correct before doing anything else.
Filed under sobha, speed and agility