Tanner Speed Academy

The warm-up is one of the most valuable parts of football training when used with intention.

At Tanner Speed Academy, we see it as more than preparation. A well-structured warm-up can actively improve your performance as a player while also getting you or your players ready for training and the match.

The key is transfer. Each exercise should reflect the demands of the game—accelerations, changes of direction, and decision-making. When that connection is clear, the warm-up becomes a natural extension of training.

An effective warm-up helps to develop better movement patterns, sharper reactions, and greater efficiency over time.

Follow a clear progression: start at low intensity, build toward game speed, and include elements that engage both body and mind. Adding reactive and cognitive components helps players feel focused and ready from the first action.

Approached this way, the warm-up becomes a simple but powerful tool to prepare, improve, and perform.

Want to run faster on the pitch? It comes down to three key fundamentals.

First, your step frequency — quick, light steps are essential for explosive acceleration.

Second, your push-off — the stronger your feet, the more power you can generate with every stride.

And third, your body position — stay tall, stable, and controlled to transfer maximum force forward.

Master these three elements and you will instantly improve your speed and performance in football.

Sometimes the simplest tools can have a big impact on your training.

One thing we use regularly is something as basic as numbered cards to improve players’ reaction time.

Reaction time is crucial in football. It allows players to respond quickly in fast-paced situations—intercepting passes, beating defenders, or reacting to scoring opportunities.

The setup is simple: each number represents a specific action. For example, a blue card with the number five could mean sprint forward, while an orange five might mean sprint backward.

Now here’s where it gets interesting—we suddenly switch the meaning of the cards.

This forces players to constantly adapt, process new information, and react under pressure.

That unpredictability trains both the brain and the body to respond faster and make better decisions in real game situations.

We take a quick look at 3 players who could stand out at the World Cup, where speed, explosiveness, and efficiency are becoming increasingly decisive.

These are not the obvious headline names. Instead, the focus is on players who could emerge during the tournament, influence games for their national teams, and gain wider recognition through their performances.

We will revisit these selections after the tournament to evaluate how they performed. Throughout the competition, we will also analyse matches and highlight players who might otherwise go under the radar.

Line jumps are an effective way to develop coordination, rhythm, and introduce players to low-intensity plyometric training. These exercises combine simple movement patterns with light loading, making them ideal for warm-ups. They help improve foot speed and begin building reactive strength.

These two basic drills are suitable from the U10 level. Use a sideline or any straight line over a distance of 10 meters. Players perform the drill in one direction and walk back to the starting point for recovery. Emphasize an upright body position and encourage players to stay on the balls of their feet without letting the heels touch the ground.

These drills can be included 1–2 times per week at the start of a training session.

Now that the summer starts we often get the questions from parents and players: whether barefoot training on the beach is actually useful.

Training barefoot at the beach helps strengthen the muscles in your feet and improves stability and overall foot control.

But at the same time, there’s a downside: on sand you sink in, which increases ground contact time. And that’s something we don’t want when the goal is speed and explosiveness, because we focus on short contact times and powerful push-offs from the ground.

So yes, it can help build foot strength, but no, it’s not the best option if the goal is to become more explosive.