Programs / Sport-specific
Field and Court Speed and Power
A six-week, three-day plan for soccer, basketball, tennis, and other field or court sports: acceleration, change of direction, jumping, and supporting strength.
- Length
- 6 weeks
- Days / week
- 3
- Session time
- 45–65 min
- Level
- Intermediate
Who it's for
Field and court athletes who already practice or play their sport and want a short, supporting speed and power plan. If you are coming off a tendon, ankle, or knee injury, get clearance and keep the jumps and cuts smaller than written.
Goal
Improve acceleration mechanics, add clean change-of-direction work, and raise lower-body power without stacking this on top of two hard practices the same day.
Equipment
- An open stretch of grass, court, or turf
- Cones or any markers
- A box or a sturdy bench
- Dumbbells, a trap bar, or a barbell
- A medicine ball optional
Warm-up
- 4 minutes easy jog or skip
- Leg swings, world's greatest stretch, and 10 walks on the toes and heels
- A-skips, 2 x 15 m, easy
- Two build-up accelerations to about 70%, walking back
Cooldown
- Easy walk or jog, 3 minutes
- Calf, hip flexor, and adductor stretch, 30 seconds each
- If a tendon is cranky the next morning, the following session loses the jumps and keeps the strength
Weeks 1–3: Mechanics, landings, and strength
Weeks 1–3
Learn to accelerate and land quietly, then add simple cuts. Strength work supports the speed; it does not exhaust it.
Day 1 — Acceleration and lower strength
50–65 min
| Exercise | Sets | Reps / work | Intensity | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build-up accelerations | 4 | 15–20 m, walk back | 70–85%, tall posture | As needed to feel fresh | Think push the ground, not lean from the waist. |
| Wall or standing march drills, then 3 more accelerations | 3 | 15 m | 80–90% | Full recovery, at least 60–90 sec | |
| Trap-bar deadlift, squat, or goblet squat | 4 | 5 | RPE 7 | 2–3 min | |
| Split squat | 3 | 6 each side | RPE 7 | 90 sec | |
| Calf raise | 3 | 10 | RPE 7 | 45 sec |
Day 2 — Landings, jumps, and upper/trunk
40–55 min
| Exercise | Sets | Reps / work | Intensity | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pogo hops in place, quietly | 3 | 10 | Easy, elastic | 45 sec | If the Achilles or knee complains, switch to a march. |
| Box step-off to a quiet landing, or a squat jump with a soft hold | 4 | 4 | Quality, RPE 6–7 | 60–90 sec | Land on a full foot, knees in line with toes, no collapsing. |
| Medicine-ball chest pass or rotational throw, or a band press | 4 | 5 | Crisp | 45 sec | |
| Single-arm press and a row | 3 | 6–8 each | RPE 7 | 90 sec | |
| Side plank or pallof press | 3 | 20 sec or 8 each side | — | 45 sec |
Day 3 — Change of direction and power
45–60 min
| Exercise | Sets | Reps / work | Intensity | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curved runs or a gentle figure-8 around cones | 4 | 15–20 m | Easy to moderate | 45 sec | Learn to lean into the curve before you plant hard. |
| Short shuttle: 5 m out and back, or a 5-10-5 at about 80% | 4 | 1 rep | 80%, not a combine test | 90–120 sec | Stay at 80% in this block. Clean footwork matters more than the stopwatch. |
| Hip thrust or glute bridge | 3 | 6 | RPE 7 | 90 sec | |
| Single-leg RDL | 3 | 6 each side | RPE 7 | 90 sec | |
| Farmer carry or a short sprint-arm march | 3 | 20–30 m | RPE 7 | 60 sec |
Weeks 4–6: A little more speed, still plenty of rest
Weeks 4–6
Accelerations can reach about 90–95% on a few reps. Jumps and cuts can get a little sharper if landings stay quiet. Week 6 cuts one sprint rep and one set from each strength movement.
Day 1 — Acceleration and lower strength
50–65 min
| Exercise | Sets | Reps / work | Intensity | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerations | 5 | 15–25 m, walk back | A few reps at 90–95% if mechanics hold | Full recovery, 90–120 sec | Four reps in week 6. Stop the session if you feel a hamstring grab. |
| Trap-bar deadlift or squat | 4 | 4 | RPE 7 | 3 min | |
| Split squat or step-up | 3 | 5–6 each side | RPE 7 | 90 sec | |
| Calf raise | 3 | 8 | RPE 7 | 45 sec |
Day 2 — Jumps and upper/trunk
40–55 min
| Exercise | Sets | Reps / work | Intensity | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pogo hops or low hurdle hops if landings are quiet | 3 | 8 | Easy, elastic | 45 sec | |
| Squat jump, broad jump, or box jump — pick one, step down from a box | 4 | 4 | Quality | 90 sec | No rebound off a painful tendon. |
| Medicine-ball throw | 4 | 4 | Crisp | 45 sec | |
| Press, row, and anti-rotation core | 3 | 6–8 | RPE 7 | 90 sec |
Day 3 — Change of direction and power
45–60 min
| Exercise | Sets | Reps / work | Intensity | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-10-5 or a short L-drill at 80–90%, only if you have practiced the cuts | 5 | 1 rep | 80–90%, full recovery | 2 min | Four reps in week 6. This is still training, not testing day. |
| Hip thrust | 3 | 5 | RPE 7 | 90 sec | |
| Single-leg RDL | 3 | 5 each side | RPE 7 | 90 sec | |
| Optional: 4 x 10 m fly-in acceleration if the surface is safe and you feel fresh | 4 | 10 m | Fast, relaxed | 2 min | Skip this in week 6 or if Day 1 already felt like enough speed. |
Scaling
Shorten sprint distances, replace jumps with low pogo hops or a simple step-off landing, and replace sharp cuts with curving change-of-direction if you are not ready for a hard plant. Strength lifts can be goblet squats and trap-bar deadlifts if a barbell back squat is not a good fit. Never sprint or jump into pain, and never do this session immediately after a full match.
Notes
Place these three days away from your hardest practices or games when you can. Speed work comes first in the session, while you are fresh, and it stays short. Quality beats volume.
These programs are general educational guides, not personalized coaching or medical advice. Consult a qualified physician before starting a new training plan, especially if you have an injury, a medical condition, or you are returning from time off. Learn the movements first, scale the load and volume to your current ability, and stop any exercise that causes sharp or unusual pain. When a lift or skill is new — particularly Olympic weightlifting, sprinting, or contact-sport work — consider in-person coaching. You are responsible for how you use this information.
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