06/01/2026
Part 3: Top Speed❗🌪
Something that doesn’t occur very often in football — simply because most sprints aren’t long enough to actually reach top speed.
But just like with anything else: if your top speed is higher, your mid-range speed — the speed you use most during a match — will also be higher.
And when you do need top speed — chasing down an attacker as a defender, or breaking away from the halfway line like Mbappé — you definitely want that ceiling to be as high as possible.
❗ Do you need great acceleration to reach high top speed?
No. And the opposite is true as well.
❗ How do you train top speed?
By forcing your body to switch the legs faster. This is a rare neurodynamic stimulus that’s often overlooked: stride frequency.
We also call this switching — the speed of leg exchange combined with the technique of pushing off efficiently with a short, powerful contact on the forefoot. Together, these determine your top speed.
Some examples — enjoy!
💡 Fly 10:
You need to already be at top speed before entering the 10-meter zone. That’s where you truly hit your maximum.
💡 Switching:
Being able to drive one leg forward while snapping the other down at the same time. The faster these actions work together, the better — also known as stride frequency.
