Some people say that in soccer you only need to be fast over 20-30 yards.  Maybe in indoor soccer!!! The soccer field is long, and during plays like counter attacks, breakaways, and recovering on transitions having good top speed can give you the ability to cover lots of ground fast.  This is necessary to score breakaways or be the hero by stopping one by chasing down a player on the opposing team.

Top speed is much different from acceleration since the forces that are needed to run at high top speeds are primarily vertical.  This was proven in an experiment in which a sprinter tried to accelerate on ice and he slipped due to the absence of friction.  He then ran on a runway with friction to get up to top speed that transitioned into ice and he had no problem running without slipping. The reason he did not slip is due to the vertical direction in which force was applied during top speed.

Due to the different forces necessary for top speed, different qualities take precedence, some of which are out of our control. Limb length and tendon length which are both out of our control are more advantageous in top speed than during acceleration.  It is also advantageous to have a high hip axis and long legs to cover more ground per stride, and good tendon length and strength  in order to “bounce” down the field.  In addition to those factors, top speed comes down to trainable qualities such as hamstring and glute power more so than the quadriceps  due to the more upright posture in top speed running.  It is also advantageous to have strong hip flexors that lift our knee up in front of our body each stride.  If high knee lift is not achieved, we will not create enough distance between our foot and the ground each stride to strike hard.  Think about a punch, would you hit someone harder from 1 inch away or from 15 inches away? (15)  We can definitely improve our strength in those areas and we can also improve our reactive ability to increase the power generated and thus stride length during each ground contact phase. A runner with good top speed mechanics will look like they are floating down the field due to upright posture, high knee lift, good glute and hamstring strength, and the ability to spring off the ground.

Check out world class sprinter Maurice Greene in the image below.  Notice the upright posture, high knee lift, and hip extension coming from glutes and hamstrings.

Here is a list of some of my favorite exercises for top speed.  Videos with explanation coming soon but in the meantime try typing them into youtube for a better idea. Then, get after it!!!

In no particular order:

Low level hopping drills- teach the calf/ankle complex to act stiff and springlike.

Flys- great for quality top speed sprinting

Bounds- difficult to to properly in my opinion  but I love them when executed well

Prime time runs – upright running with straight legs only taking the quads out of the picture. Stay on the balls of your feet and actually think about squeezing your glutes on ground strike.

RDL variations on one and two legs -reactive and regular tempos- (make sure you keep your back flat and bend your knees slightly as you drop your chest and straighten them out as you extend your hips. This will ensure the use of your glutes and not just your hamstrings. You want that!!!)

Good morning variations on one and two legs (reactive and regular tempos)

Pull phase of olympic lifts – the catch phase of the lifts  is not going to help top speed much as it is not very similar biomechanically but the pull phase is.

Back extension variations -reactive and regular tempos (This is one of my favorite exercises and can be done a million ways- make sure to use your glutes and not extend by hyper-extending or arching your lower back.  The  lower back will work but it is more of a stabilizing function. The glutes and hamstrings generate the force