HALLGEIR MARTINSEN

Learn how to become a faster football player

Hallgeir Martinsen specializes in speed training for football players. He is an active track and field athlete and ranks among Norway’s top sprinters in the 100m and 200m events. Additionally, Hallgeir is a qualified physical education teacher, instructing students in athletics at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and training future PE teachers. At this event, you can be confident that your players will learn new and effective methods to become faster on the football field.

Acceleration and Top-Speed Training:

The acceleration session will consist of specific training aimed at improving the players’ acceleration. Acceleration refers to how quickly a player moves from a standstill to reaching top speed, i.e., how many meters per second they cover. For sprinters, the acceleration phase lasts from 0 to 30 meters, but for younger, less trained football players, it’s reasonable to assume this phase is closer to 0 to 15–20 meters. This is because their top speed is lower, and they reach it more quickly. Being able to move faster over the first 20 meters in football is very important for actions such as chasing the ball or opponent, breakthrough runs, and first balls. Top-speed training will provide players with insights on how to train to increase their maximum speed. Here, the number of meters, rest periods, and repetitions are crucial, along with the right knowledge, to effectively develop top speed. Studies show that to improve speed, one must reach at least 95–98% of maximum effort, which can be challenging without proper knowledge of how to structure training accordingly.

Football-Related Speed

In this course, both sessions will focus on speed specifically tailored to the movement patterns found in football. According to training theory, there are six training principles, and the “principle of specificity” is one of them — we must train the skills we want to improve. Here, players will be given a variety of exercises designed to enhance their performance in 5- and 10-meter sprints, with and without changes of direction, as well as lateral movements — all common actions on the football pitch.

Football-Related Running Endurance and Agility

The first session of this course focuses on building football-specific endurance, commonly referred to as “sprint endurance” in sports science. Studies show that at a high level in football, players perform 40–60 repeated 30-meter sprints. At the same time, observations from the Premier League reveal that players perform fewer and fewer “power runs” during a match, especially in the last 15 minutes compared to the first 15 minutes, while the recovery time between each sprint increases. This session is designed to repeat 40–50-meter sprint intervals with high volume to build exactly this endurance. The second session will focus on pure mobility training. Many don’t realize that if you are too stiff—especially in the hamstrings—you won’t be able to run as fast or with proper technique, as stiff muscles mechanically limit movement. At the same time, greater flexibility helps prevent injuries. The goal is to teach players how to perform effective mobility sessions to improve their flexibility and overall performance.

Explosiveness/Dynamic Strength (Specialized Strength) and Hill Running

Speed essentially comes down to stride frequency multiplied by stride length. Frequency is innate, governed by nerve impulses, while stride length is where we have the greatest ability to influence performance. Therefore, speed depends on how much force and how quickly you can apply that force to the ground. Plyometric training (specialized strength) is an excellent way to develop this explosive power, as well as the jumping ability that is crucial for football players during duels and similar situations. The second session of the day will focus on hill running. This is an extremely effective training method for building running capacity and strength. Running uphill pushes your intensity to high levels, and your body must adapt accordingly. Additionally, hill running is gentle on the knees and back while simultaneously building strength due to the incline. Players will also learn how to structure a hill running session. Studies have shown that six hill sprints provide better training effects than a one-hour jog. This is related to intensity and impacts oxygen uptake, anaerobic threshold (lactate threshold), oxygen utilization efficiency, and improves aerobic capacity (endurance).

Practical Information

One-day course (approx. 3.5 hours)

    • Arrival at 09:45 AM
    • Limited to 20 player spots
    • Age: 9–13 years / 13–16 years
    • Lunch: Must be brought from home.
    • Location: See location in the registration form.
    • Price: 945 kr

A welcome letter with all necessary information will be sent by email a few days before the course starts, so you are well prepared.

Check the overview of upcoming events

Schedule for the day:

  • 10:00 – 10:15 Welcome
  • 10:15 – 10:30 Warm-up with drills and stretching
  • 10:30 – 11:30 Speed Training
  • 11:30 – 12:00 Lunch
  • 12:00 – 12:15 Warm-up with drills and stretching
  • 12:15 – 13:15 Speed Training
  • 13:15 – 13:30 Summary