Straight line speed is one type of speed. Change of direct and accretion to speed after changing direct is more important vs running a straight line 40 fast. Also the ability to recover quickly...ie being able to do it again and again is very important. Some players seem to get faster as the game goes on...they are able to recover quicker. |
Dude, read the quote that I called BS on. That’s exactly what he said. |
Problem is that too many coaches over-prioritize speed. Cutting a kid solely over a 40 time unless it is well below the average for that level is plain stupid - but you better believe it happens. Soccer (especially levels with substitution limits) is a fitness sport. Fitness is critical. But straight line speed should be below several other attributes. Unless, again, the straight line speed is well below the average for that age and gender. |
I chuckled and stopped right there. MS and HS soccer is terrible. |
My daughter played 4 years in college, club at pretty high level (pre-ecnl) from u9 through u18 and 4 years of varsity high school soccer on a pretty decent suburban team. Never ran a timed 40.
There is no time for that stuff. In club ball you are paying for instruction not to work on fitness. Frankly, kids who were not reasonably fit got there pretty quickly or did not make the teams anyway. You mostly had kids coming back from injuries who would be working on fitness while they also came to practices and games. Her club did do some college fitness work the kids’ senior year as basically a replacement for tournament play. The girls said later that was helpful as they did stuff colleges did like beep tests and 30x30s etc. In high school ball the coaches were always focused on trying to ferret out positioning in the too short preseason. Not an easy challenge really. In 4 years of high school ball my kid started at pretty much every position but keeper. The bottom line in soccer is that anyone can figure out who is fast, the question by the time players are in their teens is whether they are fast and quick with the ball. |
The success of our women’s World Cup team begs to differ. |
They won their group including Thailand and Chile. Now the challenges begin. The days of USA dominance in women’s soccer are numbered. |
Ahhh. It’s the clown that uses the term “meathead” when he’s frustrated. The problem with your arguments is, well, they’re just plain dumb. You make assumptions such as, if a person is really fast, they must not have soccer IQ. Of course that is a false premise. Speed matters with and without the ball, as does general athleticism, as does soccer IQ and skill. It ALL matters. You cannot be really slow and really unathletic and play at an elite level. Also, foreign pro teams do test for speed, quickness, agility and explosiveness. Just accept it and move on. |
You mean the guy that hadn’t played soccer in years, but was so fast they still put him on a pro team in AU unlike all the slow, “skilled” guys that didn’t even get a second look? Hmmm...what do you think would have happened if he’d concentrated on soccer instead of track in his youth? Anyhow, someone that continues to argue that speed does not matter has either never played soccer, or any sport for that matter, or is slow and has always been cut from the better teams and holds a grudge cuz he wasn’t born fast and never put in sprint and explosion work to get faster. Sorry clown, you’re just plain dumb and plain wrong. |
US 2 Sweden 0. Totally dominant first half, then they dialed it back. If anything, the US looks even stronger than ever. Please go back to your home country where you can abuse your wife. Here in the US we respect, support, and cheer for our nation’s women. |
A little. But every soccer player knows the fastest way to move the ball is by passing. When you can blow past defenders to receive a pass, you’re golden. |
Speed is incredibly important, yes. And that’s why I made a few teams. And why some friends who were excellent players didn’t get as far as they could. But I found when I went to college I needed to gain 5-10lbs of muscle to keep up because I was getting knocked off the ball in ways I wasn’t during club play. And of course skill is paramount. |
This is seriously hilarious. |
TOUCHÉ!! |
Say what you want to say, but it’s the USWNT that made women soccer more popular world wide, even in developing countries. |