Tanner Speed Academy

Don’t get too obsessed with your top speed. ️

Yes, top speed is a nice number to have. It looks impressive, it’s easy to compare, and everyone gets excited when a player hits 35, 36 or 37 km/h.

But in football, how quickly you can reach your speed is often much more important.

Those first 5–7 metres can be the difference between getting to the ball first, creating separation from your opponent, or getting caught.

That’s why acceleration is such an important part of what we work on at Tanner Speed Academy. We want players to become faster where it actually matters on the pitch — not just improve a number on a GPS report.

So yes, top speed is nice. But being able to accelerate quickly, repeatedly, and use that speed effectively in football is a different story.

Don’t just chase top speed. Learn to use your speed.

Football strength is not just about lifting more weight. Players need to produce force quickly, accelerate explosively, decelerate under control, change direction efficiently, and repeat these actions throughout a match.

That’s why we created the Tanner Speed Academy Strength Online Course. Coach Carsten and Florian show you 43 Speed Activation and Speed Strength drills, three progressive training programs, and structured 4-week plans for Beginner, Advanced, and Professional athletes.

This course gives players and coaches a clear system for developing football-specific strength.

We’re very happy to finally make this course available and give you the tools to train strength in a way that connects directly to football performance.

Train smarter. Move better. Perform better. Available on our website, link in our Bio!

Strength That Transfers to the Pitch

Football strength is not just about lifting more weight. Players need to produce force quickly, accelerate explosively, decelerate under control, change direction efficiently, and repeat these actions throughout a match.

That’s why we created the Tanner Speed Academy Strength Online Course. https://tannerspeedacademy.com/products/strength-online-course

At top speed, Kylian Mbappé can take around 5 steps per second, with each stride covering nearly 2 meters. That combination of stride length + step frequency is what makes him one of the fastest footballers on the planet.

The good news? While genetics play a role, your neuromuscular system can be trained to improve foot speed and sprint frequency.

And he's proving it again on the biggest stage. 🇫🇷 Mbappé scored yesterday as France beat Morocco 2-0 to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, taking his tournament tally to 8 goals.

For many of you, preseason has already started or is just about to begin. What we always tell our players is simple:

Your biggest advantage as a young player is your speed.
You might not pass better than older players.
You might not read the game better yet.

But you can run and react faster.

That’s why we focus on developing speed in all areas of football and take it to the highest level possible.

Have a strong preseason!

In today's video, we're taking you behind the scenes to show you the complete speed testing battery we use to evaluate football players at academy and professional level.

You'll learn how we measure the key physical qualities that matter most on the pitch, including:

- 10m acceleration
- Maximum sprint speed
- Change of direction and agility
- Deceleration ability
- Speed endurance

We also explain why consistent testing throughout the season is essential, how the data helps us individualize training for every player, and why measuring performance is the key to improving it.

Whether you're a coach looking to build a professional testing protocol or a player wanting to benchmark your own performance, this video gives you a practical framework that you can apply with your own team.

Football is a game full of quick changes in direction, so being able to move your feet fast is essential. The quicker your step frequency, the faster you can move on the pitch.

That’s why we focus on developing maximum movement speed—your frequency.

These two agility ladder drills will help you improve the frequency.

In the first drill, we have a contact with both feet in each box, move two boxes forward, then one box back—keeping your contacts quick and light.

In the second drill, contact with both feet into the box, then one foot outside, back in with both feet, then outside on the other side, and continue forward box by box.
Try to keep your upper body in a straight in a vertical position and use your arms to support the movement of the legs.



All of this improves your neuromuscular coordination, helping you move faster and react quicker.