3 min read

THE FIFA WORLD CUP has taken over North America, and, like so many others, you might have caught football fever. Whether you’re itching to hit your local park for some pickup soccer or you’re already a regular at a rec league, you should consider that there’s more to a good game than just lacing up and hitting the pitch. Especially if you’re beyond your school age days, you can—and should—train for the characteristics that will keep you competitive and healthy in the gym, too.

One particularly important characteristic for soccer is speed, the key to breakaways and rallying defense. But it’s important to remember that the type of speed you need on the pitch is different than you would need as a track star. “The soccer athlete is working over a much shorter distance—they’re not racing 100 meters down the track,” says MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.…