“They need to get faster to the ball” is one of the most common things parents tell us about a young athlete. The athlete may read the play correctly but arrive a step late. They may have good skills in practice but struggle when the game speeds up. They may look quick during drills and still fail to create separation in competition.

Speed is not one quality. Getting to the ball first can depend on reaction, decision-making, starting position, acceleration, strength, sprint mechanics and the ability to slow down before changing direction. A useful training plan should identify which part is limiting the athlete instead of giving every player the same ladder drills.

The first steps are acceleration

Most youth sport sprints are short. Athletes repeatedly accelerate for a few steps, stop, turn and accelerate again. They rarely have enough space to reach true maximum speed before the play changes.

Acceleration requires the athlete to project the body in the intended direction and apply force into the ground. Technique can improve this. So can strength. An athlete who cannot produce much force may understand the correct position but still fail to move aggressively out of it.

Resistance-training research in youth athletes has found improvements in sprint performance, with strength training showing particularly useful effects. The gains are not automatic. The program must include enough resistance, progression and time for adaptation.

Strength gives speed training a larger foundation

Young athletes sometimes spend an entire session moving quickly around cones while avoiding the strength work that could expand their ability to accelerate and brake. Footwork drills can be useful, but they do not replace force development.

A systematic review comparing traditional strength and power training in youth found that strength training produced large improvements in lower-body strength and useful sprint improvements. Power training was especially helpful for jumping. The practical lesson is that athletes need both, but strength often provides the base that allows power work to become more effective.

Useful strength exercises may include squats, split squats, hinges, step-ups, pushing, pulling, carries and controlled landing work. The exact exercise is less important than whether the athlete performs it well and progresses over time.

Change of direction begins with braking

Parents notice the cut. Coaches should also notice what happens before the cut. An athlete must lower the center of mass, place the foot in a useful position and absorb force before pushing into the new direction. Athletes who cannot decelerate well often take extra steps, stand too tall or lose balance.

A systematic review and meta-analysis found that resistance training improved change-of-direction speed in youth and young adults, with particularly strong effects in children and adolescents. This does not mean every strength exercise transfers directly to every sport movement. It means greater force capacity can support the physical demands of braking and reacceleration when it is combined with specific practice.

Training should include planned stops, changes of direction and reactive situations after basic mechanics are learned. The athlete first develops control, then adds speed and uncertainty.

Fast work needs enough rest

One reason speed programs fail is that every drill becomes conditioning. The athlete sprints, jogs back quickly and repeats while visibly slowing down. That may build work capacity, but it does not provide much high-quality speed practice.

To improve acceleration, the athlete needs repetitions performed near their best current speed. That requires rest. A short sprint may be followed by a minute or more of recovery, depending on distance, age and the goal of the session. Longer recovery can feel too easy to people accustomed to constant motion, but fatigue changes technique and reduces the force the athlete can produce.

A speed session can include a small number of excellent starts, sprints or change-of-direction repetitions. More is not always better when quality is falling.

The sport still teaches the athlete when to move

Physical training can improve the ability to accelerate. Sport practice teaches the athlete to recognize the cue. A soccer player must read the pass. A softball player must react to contact. A basketball player must recognize the drive. Decision speed and physical speed work together.

That is why we do not promise that strength training alone will turn every athlete into the fastest player on the field. Genetics, maturity, skill and experience all influence performance. What we can do is improve trainable qualities and help the athlete use them with better mechanics and confidence.

How BFP approaches youth speed development

At Breakaway Fitness & Performance, young athletes from Hampstead, Surf City and the Topsail area do more than run through a random collection of cones. We coach acceleration positions, sprint mechanics, strength, landing, braking and changes of direction. The program progresses based on age and experience.

An athlete who needs to get faster to the ball may need stronger legs. They may need better starting mechanics. They may need to stop in fewer steps or learn to push out of a cut. The answer becomes clearer when a coach watches the whole movement instead of only timing the finish.

Quickness is built through a combination of qualities. When the training addresses those qualities directly, the athlete has a better chance to turn good instincts into plays they can actually reach.

Works Cited

• Lesinski, Melanie, Olaf Prieske, and Urs Granacher. “Effects and Dose-Response Relationships of Resistance Training on Physical Performance in Youth Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 50, no. 13, 2016, pp. 781–795. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26851290/.
• Behm, David G., et al. “Effectiveness of Traditional Strength vs. Power Training on Muscle Strength, Power and Speed with Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Frontiers in Physiology, vol. 8, 2017, article 423. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28713281/.
• Chaabene, Helmi, et al. “Effects of Resistance Training on Change-of-Direction Speed in Youth and Young Physically Active and Athletic Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine, vol. 50, no. 8, 2020, pp. 1483–1499. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32451922/.
• Oliver, Jon L., et al. “The Effects of Strength, Plyometric and Combined Training on Strength, Power and Speed Characteristics in High-Level, Highly Trained Male Youth Soccer Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Sports Medicine, vol. 54, no. 3, 2024, pp. 623–643. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37897637/.