The world’s most popular sport is also one of the most demanding. Stronger, smarter, and more agile players have increased the intensity and tempo of the game. Success hinges on the ability to read, react, and execute. For individual players and teams alike, speed is a necessity.
Soccer Speed is a groundbreaking work—more than a training guide, but an all-encompassing execution plan for success in today’s aggressive, attacking, and fast-paced game.
Inside, you’ll learn how to develop these skills:
Quickness, agility, and balance for defending, attacking, reacting, and executing
Most effective techniques, such as heel passes and stride changes, to challenge opponents and keep them off balance
Soccer intelligence, or the ability to instantly recognize and exploit the opposition’s weakness
In-game decision making with and without the ball
Every aspect of the game is covered, including step-by-step instruction and 36 drills for developing technical and tactical speed in passing, receiving, dribbling, scoring, counterattacking, and defending. Soccer Speed is the one and only guide for outpacing, outsmarting, and outplaying the opposition.
Part I: Developing Physical Speed
Chapter 1 Game Speed: Speed and Agility in Soccer
Chapter 2 Factors Affecting Game Speed
Chapter 3 Developing Soccer Game Speed
Chapter 4 Designing Game Speed Training Sessions
Part II: Developing Technical and Tactical Speed
Chapter 5 Passing
Chapter 6 Receiving
Chapter 7 Dribbling
Chapter 8 Goal Scoring
Chapter 9 Counterattacking
Chapter 10 Defending
Chapter 11 Strategy and Tactics
Chapter 12 Developing Soccer Intelligence
Dick Bate heads the Cardiff City FC Youth Academy and is the former director of elite coaching for the English Football Association (FA). He has coached at Leeds United FC, Notts County FC, Lincoln City FC, and Hereford United FC. He has been the technical director at Watford FC. He is a technical adviser to FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. He was also the technical director of the Malaysian Football Association and the Canadian Soccer Association.
Bate is a UEFA professional license holder, FA staff coach, AFC staff coach, UEFA “A” license holder, and England youth team coach. As an athlete he played for Sheffield Wednesday, York City, and Boston United football clubs and represented the British Colleges while a student.
He has directed and conducted several UEFA Professional License courses and more than 40 UEFA “A” license courses and, together with S. Subramaniam, devised and instigated the Coach Education Programme throughout Asia for the Asian Football Confederation. He received the Lifetime Achievement Coaching Award from the English Football Association.
Bate is in demand as a speaker and presenter. In a presentation to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America titled “Soccer 2020: The Future of the World’s Game,” Dick described how soccer has evolved into a game that rewards players who can master speed and agility skills under match pressure—one-touch passing and receiving, retaining and regaining possession, fakes and feints, and quick changes in direction.
Ian Jeffreys is one of the most respected strength and conditioning coaches in the United Kingdom and a world-renowned authority on speed and agility development. He is a reader and coordinator in strength and conditioning at the University of South Wales. He is also the proprietor and performance director of All-Pro Performance based in Brecon, Wales. Ian has been a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) since 1989. He is a registered strength and conditioning coach, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), and certified personal trainer (NSCA-CPT) with the NSCA and has been recertified with distinction (*D) in all categories. He was the NSCA’s High School Professional of the Year in 2006, the first time the award had ever been presented to a coach working outside the United States. In July 2009, Ian was awarded a fellowship by the NSCA for his outstanding contributions to the industry. He is an accredited strength and conditioning coach with the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) and was on the board of directors of the association from its founding in 2004 until 2013.
Ian has authored 4 books, 10 book chapters, and numerous strength and conditioning articles that have been featured in leading international journals. He also edited the NSCA book Developing Speed (Human Kinetics, 2013).
Ian has worked with numerous clubs and sport organisations around the world. He is a sought-after conference presenter and has given keynote presentations and hosted performance workshops at several worldwide conferences, including the NSCA Sport-Specific and European Conferences and the Australian Strength and Conditioning Conference.