How To Get Better at Soccer with Strength, Power, and Agility Drills

Beyond technical skills, soccer players need a combination of speed, agility, endurance, and strength to perform on the field — from sprinting to reach a through ball and quickly changing direction to stay with an opponent, to explosively jumping to win a header. Preparing your body for these physical demands can also help reduce your risk of injury and keep you playing at your best.

Whether you're a coach looking for preseason training ideas or a player looking to get a leg up on the competition, we'll walk you through the soccer exercises you can add to your routine to build strength, improve conditioning, develop explosive power, and gain an edge on game day.

Resistance Training for Soccer Players

Spending time building strength is non-negotiable for athletes who want perform at their best and stay resilient on the field. A well-rounded strength program should incorporate a variety of movement patterns, including squatting, hinging, unilateral training, pushing, and pulling. We've rounded up five foundational exercises to help soccer players develop full-body strength, improve stability, and better prepare for the physical demands of the game.

Kick off your training with a warm-up and then try the following:

Read More: Cardio Vs. Strength Training

Barbell Back Squat

This move targets the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, and because it can be loaded with lots and lots of weight, it's a great tool to build some serious strength. For similar benefits, check out our write-up on alternatives to back squats.

How to:

• Rest the bar on your upper traps, hand outside shoulders on the bar.
• Unrack, step forward for clearance, and set your stance with feet shoulder-width or wider and toes facing slightly out.
• Brace your core and drop down.
• Drive through your heels as you return to standing.

Romanian Deadlift

The RDL is a variation of a deadlift that uses a slightly shorter range of motion. This move is a posterior chain powerhouse, targeting the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.

How to:

• Stand tall with hands set slightly wider than shoulder width on the bar.
• Engage your core and back as you hinge at your hips, lowering the bar close to your body.
• Keep your back flat and chest up, with a slight bend in your knees.
• Lower to around mid-shin, then squeeze your glutes to come back to standing.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Bulgarians primarily work the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. This unilateral move helps to correct muscle imbalances from one leg to the other, since you're giving each side targeted attention.

How to:

• Step away from a bench, then reach one leg back and rest the top of your foot on it.
• Maintain a tall chest and engaged core as you lower your back knee toward the ground.
• Drive through your front heel to come back to standing.

Dumbbell Bent Over Rows

Dumbbell rows target the latissimus dorsi and erector spinae — a group of muscles that sit on either side of your vertebral column. Building a strong backside can help soccer players maintain position on the field when battling for the ball.

How to: 

• With weights at your side and palms facing toward the body, bend in your knees and hinge at the hips — making sure to maintain a neutral spine.
• Engage your core and row the dumbbells up towards your hips, sending the elbows towards the ceiling.
• Return to start with control.

Bench Press

The bench press is a staple for building strength in your chest. Strength here can translate to elevated power when battling for the ball.

Hot to:

• Lie flat on a bench with feet planted firmly on the ground.
• Allow your upper back to arch slightly as you pinch your shoulder blades together.
• Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width, or wherever you find is comfortable.
• Engage your core and drive your feet into the floor as you lower the bar to your chest and press it back up tall.

Speed, Agility, and Plyometrics for Soccer

Although soccer games tend to be low-scoring, players make countless quick changes of direction, explosive movements, and fast sprints throughout the match. Training these qualities can help you accelerate, react, and change direction more efficiently on the field. Here are some sample drills to help develop your speed, agility, and explosiveness.

Read More: Football Workouts for Speed, Strength, and Agility

Forward Backward Hops

This agility move helps to develop faster ground reaction time, with the goal of moving from one hop to the next with the shortest amount of time spend on the ground. The goal isn't to go high into the air with each hop. Stay low to the ground and think about moving your feet back and forth as quickly as possible.

How to:

• Find or make a line that's flush to the ground — you can utilize the boundary lines on a basketball court, a crack in the pavement, or use a sweatshirt to create a line.
• Set a timer for 15-30 seconds
• Jump forward and backward over that line as quickly as possible with both feet.
• Rest for a minute, then repeat for 3 sets. 

Box Jumps

When you're fighting for a header, an extra inch or two of vertical height can make all the difference. Box jumps help develop lower-body explosiveness, training you to generate power quickly and jump higher when challenging for the ball.

How to:

• Stand about two feet away from a box.
• Swing your arms, bend your knees, and explode up onto the box.
• Land on both feet simultaneously and stand tall.
• Jump or step back down to start.

Read More: Plyo Box Exercises

Loaded Jump Squats

Loaded jump squats allow you to add resistance to your jump training. This movement can help your body learn to generate force quickly and to produce power under resistance.

How to:

• Set your feet about shoulder-width apart, with a kettlebell between.
• Drop down into a squat and grip the kettlebell's horn with both hands.
• Keep your chest tall and core engaged as you drive through your feet and explode up.
• Land softly and drop back into a squat to return to start.

5-10-5 Shuttle Run

This drill trains acceleration and deceleration as you constantly switch directions and lengths you're running. This is useful for soccer players since plays often rely on these quick starts, stops, and changes in direction. Time your efforts to see how you can improve over time with practice.

How to:

• Set up three cones in a straight line, spaced 5 yards apart.
• Start in the middle cone and sprint 5 yards to the right cone and touch it.
• Change direction and sprint 10 yards to the furthest cone on the left, touch it.
  
• Then sprint through the middle cone to finish.

Ladder Drills

Quick feet is the name of the game with ladder drills, improving foot speed, coordination, and balance. Lay out a speed ladder or draw your own with some chalk. Then, work through the ladder with intensity, and recover as you jog back to start. Be patient, ladder choreography takes some time to learn, but once you've got it, cycling through can feel rhythmic and meditative.

Double Step: Both feet step into a square before moving to the next.

Lateral Double Step: Working sideways, start with your outside leg and place both feet into each square before moving to the next. 

Side to Side: Both feet step into a square, one foot steps out. Then moving forward to the next square, both feet step into the square, one foot steps out. Your right foot should always step out on the right, and your left foot should always step out on the left.

In Out Jumps: Both feet jump into a square, then both feet jump out, moving slightly forward. Now, both feet then jump into the next square and you repeat the sequence until the end of the ladder.

HIIT 

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a broad term that covers repeated cycles of near-maximal effort followed by lower-intensity recovery. This style of training is a time-efficient method to improving VO2 max, which can help your body use oxygen better and improve your ability to keep up in a match. There are a variety of HIIT drills you can tackle on a treadmill or outside, here are a few of our favorites for soccer:

Sprint Intervals: Sprint for 10-30 seconds, then recover at a lower intensity — walking or jogging. Adjust your work-to-recovery ratio based on your fitness level, choosing anywhere from 1:1 to 1:4. For example, a 20-second sprint could be followed by 20, 40, 60, or 80 seconds of recovery. This type of sprint work is perfect for a manual treadmill, where the speed of the belt is controlled by your effort. Check out our overview of the Strive™ Series to learn more about the REP® Strive™ Curved Treadmill.

Tabata Protocol: This workout is short and spicy, taking only 4 minutes to complete. Tackle 20 seconds of near-maximal effort, recover for 10 seconds, and repeat for 8 rounds. This protocol can be used with sprints, jump squats, bounds, push-ups, and more — get creative.

Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM): Choose an exercise, a superset (two exercises performed back-to-back), or alternate between two exercises every other minute. Select a rep range you can comfortably complete within a minute, leaving time to recover. Set a timer for 10-20 minutes. At the start of each minute, complete your reps, then rest for the remained of the minute before starting again.

For example, a soccer EMOM could include 6 box jumps and 8 bent over rows for a duration of 10 minutes. Complete box jumps during the first minute, the rows during the second, and continue alternating until the timer runs out.

Workouts for Soccer Players at Home and in the Weight Room

Using the exercises we listed above, here are sample weekly workout routines you can follow based on your current level of fitness.

Beginner Soccer Workout Routine

This beginner-friendly routine follows a three-day schedule, making rest and recovery a priority while still providing stimulus for growth without burnout. The goal here is for athletes to dial in movement patterns and to start building their base.

Soccer Workout Equipment

Whether you're outfitting a school gym, home gym, or just looking to set yourself up with the equipment you need, REP has you covered. Here are our top recommendations for soccer athletes:

• Dumbbells
• Barbells
• Kettlebells
• Weight Plates
• Sleds
• Foam Roller
• Yoga Mat
• Resistance Bands
• Short Loop Bands
• Strive™ Curved Treadmill

Takeaway

There are countless exercises athletes can use to prepare their bodies for the demands of soccer. We've covered some of the basics to help build foundational strength, explosive power, speed, and agility. Just as important is managing your recovery by giving your body the rest, sleep, nutrition, and hydration it needs to perform at its best. Consistency is key, so start training now to build a strong foundation and see the benefits when your season begins.

FAQs

How to improve stamina for soccer?

Interval training and soccer-specific conditioning can help improve the stamina needed for soccer players. Add sprint intervals, shuttle drills, and high-intensity soccer drills 2-3 times per week to improve VO2 max and build endurance.

How can I create a balanced soccer workout routine for beginners?

A balanced soccer workout routine will include strength training, agility drills, and cardio drills for endurance and speed. Aim to begin incorporating 2-3 workouts a week, while allowing time for adequate rest and recovery between sessions.