Soccer Speed PDF

Over the course of its history, soccer (both domestic and international) has seen various changes—in the rules of the game, in the footwear, and in the game’s organization.

But has there ever been a more pronounced era of change than the period from 1992 to the present day? 

This period has involved considerable changes both in the actual playing of the game and in the surrounding support functions (such as athletic training, sport psychology, sport science, and medicine).

Let’s take a moment to consider what has changed and why.

For one thing, today’s game is quicker. Specifically, both ball speed (as it travels from player to player) and players’ own movements are far faster than they were even just 10 or 15 years ago.

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Players now regularly cover some 8 miles (13 kilometers) per game because they are running faster and moving more often.

In addition, playing time has increased by as much as six to eight minutes in recent years. 

Players now cover distances that are some 50 percent longer than was the case 40 years ago, and high-intensity movements in particular are 50 percent more intense than at the turn of the century.

On top of all this, the average time for which players now possess the ball at any given time is just two seconds.

As compared with the game 10 or 15 years ago, today’s game also features more—and more accurate—passes as a key element of modern attacking play. 

More teams now appear to value retaining possession as their attacks develop rather than risking a loss of possession by using direct, injudicious, long (and often hurried) forward-passing styles of play. 

In addition, though counterattacks have always been a profitable tactic, they are now more prominent, which challenges players to extend their technical skills in order to operate at the higher levels of the game. 

Overall, then, players are quicker over the ground, the ball travels faster between players, and more teams are making more passes during a game.