What allows Kylian Mbappé to slash through defenses like a hot knife through butter? How does Alphonso Davies go from zero to full sprint in under a second? Explosive speed isn’t about just running fast – it’s a combination of timing, power, and technique. The best part? You can train for it. With the right system, anyone can develop great professional-level speed. Eager to push the boundaries? Let’s take a look:
Speed Starts Here
Force is a prerequisite for speed. Footballers, especially professional ones on whom you can place bets at Melbet, tend to break ground contact forces greater than 4 times their body weight in less than 0.2 seconds. It is important to note that acceleration is not purely based on the length of the stride but on how the body is positioned during contact with the ground. This explains why players like Erling Haaland equally emphasize gym work and pitch drills.
In an experiment focused on elite-level sprinters and footballers, the resulting data showed that after an increase in horizontal force production of just 10%, the time required to complete the 10-meter sprint was reduced by 0.12 seconds. That difference determines the outcome of winning a 50-50 ball or letting it go. At the crux of power and technique is where explosive speed is developed.
Mastering the First Step
Everything starts with the first step. Whether you’re sprinting toward a loose ball or tackling a defender, a head start puts you in a favorable position. Everything needs to happen fast and seamlessly. Players develop this through short training bursts with high resistance. Here’s how:
- Resisted sprints: Self-propelled sleds increase step power with 75 to 100 percent body weight.
- Falling stars: Slight lean, fall, and explosion — ideal for reaction drills.
- Wall drives: Isometric holds that enhance the angle and position during acceleration.
- Low box step-overs: Quick activation of the thighs and repositioning of the feet.
These drills are done by the best academies, like Ajax and RB Leipzig, to harness reaction time and neural drive. What’s the aim? To make the first step a lethal weapon. And those who read Melbet Facebook know that football players can do it. So why don’t you start following this group and get a bunch of sports content right in your Facebook feed?
Power from the Core
A weak midsection hinders the ability to transfer force, and the core acts as the link between both halves of the body, aiding movement, balance, and rotation. The lower a footballer’s core control is, the more time is wasted in every single directional change — a deadly reality for professional matches.
Football player Cristiano Ronaldo is famous for his core workouts with explosive rotational throws and anti-rotation holds. When accelerating, his core is locked, and his legs are literally driving forward with phenomenal force. Having stronger transverse abdominis seems to boost an athlete’s output by 12–15% in the first 10 meters of sprinting. The difference between the average male and female is astounding.
Modern core training should be focused on dynamic moves. Slamming a medicine ball, raising legs while hanging off something, and plank sprints all work wonders. A strong core improves efficiency across the entire system.
Legs Built for Launch
The speed of your running comes largely from your hips, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Muscular coordination allows elite footballers to activate and engage these muscles simultaneously. During a sprint, the back of your body carries your weight — quite literally. This is why Adama Traoré’s impressive glute strength allows him to reach a top speed, bursting out from a standstill in less than 3.2 seconds.
Nordic curls reduce the risk of injury and improve eccentric hamstring strength by 35%. This enables them to better control deceleration. Barbell hip thrusts assist in producing powerful horizontal force, activating the glutes much more than squats. Unilateral work, such as Bulgarian split squats, helps maintain reactivity in both legs equally. Train the legs not for mass, but for speed. Power over bulk. Precision over volume!
Drills That Ignite Speed
It is time to get down to business. Specific drills focus on the improvement of your mechanics, speed, and muscle memory response. These are the techniques the professionals use in order to become the best of the best:
- Bounding drills: Increase stride length along with ground reaction timing.
- A-skip and B-skip: Strengthen front-side mechanics along with the drive of the hip flexor.
- Flying sprints: Achieve maximum velocity during the sprint with a build-up phase in order to achieve maximum speed.
- Contrast sprints: Heavy resistance is alternated with free sprints to improve overall power output and performance.
Bayern Munich incorporates flying 20-meter sprints into their training three times a week, while Manchester City tends to do these contrast sprints before a match to activate their fast-twitch muscle fibers. The most important element? Repetition, rest, and level of intensity. These aren’t as simple as going for a jog — they need to be treated as a sprint!
Train Like a Sprinter
Footballers aren’t your average runners; they have to explode in speed, change directions, and recover within the shortest time possible. That is why many of them are trained like sprinters. The focus is on increasing stride frequency, ground contact time, and stiffness in the muscles. The mechanics of sprinting are always game-winning moments.
Max Rashford trains at 10–30 meter ranges with a focus on maximum sprint intervals twice a week. Elite clubs have now started employing sprint coaches, as in athletics, to optimize mechanics. One study done in the Premier League showed that adding two sessions of 20m sprints per week increased average top speed by 0.6 m/s in four weeks. Run strategically. Run fresh. Run having a goal. Sprinting is a skill that every expert deals with professionally!
Speed Is a Mindset, Not Just Muscle
True speed comes not only from the body or legs but also from one’s inner drive, belief, and hunger. Each stride must proclaim, ‘I shall win this race.’ Every exercise must shout, ‘No one bests me.’ When one truly understands speed, it is not a number but rather a declaration. It is built correctly — nothing and no one is able to compete with you!
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