For a forward, pace is a valuable commodity. You only need to look at the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben to see how their speed underpins their outrageous ability.
While not all players are blessed with blistering pace, it’s not to say that by doing the right things, they can’t get quicker.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while not blessed with the pace of Arsenal team-mate and fellow Southampton Academy graduate Theo Walcott (very few are), has worked hard on this aspect of his game and can hold his own against the Premier League’s speed-demons.
The key, he believes, is a mixture of weights and ladder work, supplemented with some after-training exercises.
“Just doing those extra little things after training are always going to help,” the teenage sensation told FFT.
“Even going out to the park or the garden with a ball and just working on changing direction, with and without the ball – it’s as simple as that.”
Watch this video for more tips on improving your speed from Arsenal’s dynamic wonderkid…
Oxlade-Chamberlain attended Arsenal Reserves vs Nike Academy. To follow the Nike Academy, visit facebook.com/NikeAcademy.
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