Future World Cup Champions

Soccer Speed Training: 10 Explosive Bodyweight Drills

Explosive speed on the pitch comes from training your muscles to produce maximum force in minimum time — and you don’t need a gym or a piece of equipment to do it. These ten bodyweight plyometric drills target the vertical and linear power behind your first sprint step, your top-end running mechanics, and the lower-leg stiffness that keeps every contact fast. Watch the full session in the video below, then follow the step-by-step breakdowns for each drill. Suggested workout: 10 reps of each drill, straight through from 1 to 10, for 3 rounds total. Train 3 times per week with at least one rest day between sessions.

1. Jump Squats

Builds the lower-body explosive power behind your first sprint step — the vertical force production that gets you off the mark before a defender can react.

Setup: No equipment needed. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart in a clear space.

  1. Place both hands flat on your shoulders, locking your arms out of the movement.
  2. Lower into a squat by pushing your hips back and bending your knees to roughly 90 degrees.
  3. Drive hard through your heels and explode upward, jumping as high as you can.
  4. Land softly with bent knees and load straight into the next squat. Complete 10 reps.

Coaching point

Hands on shoulders remove the arm-swing cheat — all the power has to come from your legs. That isolation is the point: it's exactly the demand your legs face when you accelerate out of a standing start on the pitch.

2. Jump Lunges

Develops single-leg explosive power and hip-flexor strength for changing pace — the same mechanics you use bursting past a defender or accelerating after a dropped ball.

Setup: No equipment. Stand in a staggered stance with your right foot forward, left foot back.

  1. Lower into a lunge, right knee over the right foot, left knee hovering just above the ground.
  2. Drive explosively off both feet and jump as high as you can.
  3. Switch your legs mid-air so your left foot lands forward and your right foot lands back.
  4. Absorb the landing with bent knees and immediately load into the next jump. Complete 10 total reps, 5 each side.

Coaching point

The switch must happen in the air, not after landing. If you're stepping to swap feet, the plyometric demand is gone. Focus on getting enough height to complete a clean switch before you touch the ground.

3. Lateral Bounds

Trains the single-leg lateral push that powers a sharp cut — loading one leg at a time under horizontal force, which is exactly how explosive direction changes happen in a match.

Setup: No equipment. Pick a reference point about a metre to each side of your starting position.

  1. Balance on your right leg with a slight bend in the knee and hip loaded.
  2. Push off explosively to the left, driving as far sideways as possible in a single bound.
  3. Land on your left leg only, absorbing with a bent knee and controlled hip hinge.
  4. Hold the landing for a full beat, then drive back to the right. Complete 10 bounds total, 5 in each direction.

Coaching point

The landing controls the next bound. A sloppy landing means poor position to push from, so stick each one firmly before the next drive. Distance comes from commitment, not from rushing the landing.

4. A-Skips

Drills the high-knee and opposite-arm coordination pattern that underpins your top-end running speed — mechanics work that transfers directly to longer sprints.

Setup: No equipment. Pick a line 10–15 metres ahead to skip toward.

  1. Begin walking forward, then transition into a controlled rhythmic skip.
  2. Drive your right knee sharply up toward hip height while simultaneously pumping your left arm forward.
  3. Contact the ground on the ball of your foot — a quick toe tap, not a flat-footed stamp.
  4. Alternate: left knee up, right arm forward. Keep your torso tall and complete 10 skips per leg.

Coaching point

If your heel hits the ground, the drill breaks down — A-Skips are built on ball-of-foot contact. Think "pop off the ground" rather than "land on the ground," and the knee drive will start to feel automatic rather than forced.

5. Reverse Lunge Knee Drive

Builds the hip-extension power and stride length that separate players who accelerate quickly from those who spin their wheels when chasing the ball.

Setup: No equipment. Stand tall with feet together.

  1. Step your right foot back into a deep reverse lunge, lowering the right knee toward the ground.
  2. At the bottom of the lunge, drive explosively off your left foot, pulling your right knee forward and up to hip height.
  3. Balance briefly on your left leg at the top of the movement, right knee raised.
  4. Lower back into the reverse lunge and repeat. Complete 5 reps on this side, then switch for 5 on the other side.

Coaching point

The lunge into the knee drive is one continuous explosive movement — not two separate actions. If you pause at the bottom, you lose the reactive stretch reflex that makes this drill transfer to sprinting. Let the lunge load straight into the drive.

6. Tuck Jumps

Develops maximal vertical power and trains the fast-twitch response in the hip flexors, which governs how quickly you can cycle your legs at high running speeds.

Setup: No equipment. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart in a space with enough overhead clearance.

  1. Begin in a slight athletic stance, arms bent at your sides.
  2. Swing your arms upward and jump explosively, driving both knees toward your chest simultaneously.
  3. At the peak, aim to get both knees to hip height or higher.
  4. Land softly on both feet with bent knees and immediately load for the next jump. Complete 10 reps.

Coaching point

Resist the urge to shorten each jump as fatigue sets in — the last three reps should be as high and crisp as the first three. Tuck jumps that shrink progressively through the set are training the wrong adaptation.

7. High Knees

Locks in the arm-leg coordination of sprint mechanics and conditions the hip flexors for the fast stride frequency needed when running at full pace.

Setup: No equipment. Stand with feet together, arms bent at roughly 90 degrees at the elbow.

  1. Begin jogging in place at a moderate pace to establish the rhythm.
  2. Gradually increase speed, driving your right knee up sharply to hip height as you pump your left arm forward.
  3. Switch quickly: left knee up, right arm forward. Land on the ball of the foot, not the heel.
  4. Run at maximum effort for 10 reps per leg, 20 contacts total, keeping your torso tall and eyes forward.

Coaching point

Watch your arms — if they cross in front of your body, your legs will follow and you'll bleed forward drive. Elbows stay close to your sides and pump front-to-back, never side-to-side. The arm pattern sets the rhythm your legs run to.

8. Heel Flicks

Isolates the hamstring's role in the recovery phase of the sprint cycle, training the fast-twitch pull-through that sets up the next knee drive and keeps stride rate high.

Setup: No equipment. Stand with feet together, leaning very slightly forward from the hips.

  1. Begin jogging in place at a moderate pace.
  2. Increase intensity, flicking each heel upward toward your glutes with each stride.
  3. Keep the lean very slight — a straight-up posture pulls the heel path backward rather than up underneath the body.
  4. Complete 10 flicks per leg, 20 total contacts, staying on the balls of your feet throughout.

Coaching point

The heel should snap up and return down quickly — a slow, lazy flick misses the hamstring speed that transfers to sprinting. Think of it as a fast-twitch whip rather than a slow curl, and keep ground contact time as short as possible.

9. Kneeling Jumps

Trains explosive hip extension and synchronised arm drive — the exact combination that generates acceleration from a near-stationary position.

Setup: No equipment. Start in a kneeling position with both knees on the ground and arms extended behind you.

  1. Kneel upright, arms swung back behind your hips, ready to drive.
  2. Swing your arms forward powerfully and simultaneously extend your hips, driving your body upward and forward.
  3. As your body rises, pull your feet underneath you and land in an athletic squat position.
  4. Stand to reset, return to kneeling, and complete 10 reps.

Coaching point

The arm swing is the engine of this drill — it generates the momentum that pulls your feet into position. A weak arm swing means a messy landing. Commit to a full, explosive swing and the feet follow almost automatically.

10. Calf Jumps

Trains the lower-leg elastic energy system — the Achilles tendon and calf complex — for maximum stiffness and minimal ground contact time, which is what makes fast sprint steps possible.

Setup: No equipment. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.

  1. Keep a very slight, almost imperceptible bend in your knees — this is not a squat jump.
  2. Drive off the balls of your feet and toes, jumping upward using only your ankles and calves.
  3. Land on the balls of your feet and rebound immediately. Ground contact time should be as short as possible.
  4. Complete 10 rapid bounces, maintaining minimal knee bend throughout the entire set.

Coaching point

The moment your knee bend becomes obvious, your quads have taken over and the calf training is gone. Focus on keeping the legs nearly straight with the rebound powered entirely from the ankle — this lower-leg stiffness is exactly what allows fast, efficient ground contact during a sprint.

Get All 8 Drills as a Free Printable

Download the printable Shooting Drills pack — every drill with its diagram, ready to take to the field. Plus 4 bonus finishing drills not on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Three times per week is the sweet spot for building explosive power — enough frequency to drive adaptation without accumulating fatigue that blunts the quality of each session. Always separate sessions with at least one rest day, and treat rest as part of the training rather than a gap in it.

None at all — every drill in this session is pure bodyweight. You need a flat surface and enough clear space to bound or skip a few metres. That makes it practical for a backyard, a park, or even an indoor hallway in winter.

Most players start feeling more explosive off the first step within three to four weeks of consistent training, though visible speed differences in match play typically take six to eight weeks to show. The change happens fastest for players who were previously doing no plyometric work at all. Be patient — the neuromuscular adaptations that produce real speed take longer than fitness adaptations, but they also last longer.