When it comes to assessing how fast an athlete is, in the American football world it is all about the 40 yard dash. Since the rest of the world doesn’t base things on yards and instead uses meters, enter the 30 meter sprint. The 30 meter sprint is actually 32.8 yards, so it is a bit shorter than a 40 yard dash. Track coaches like the flying 10m and flying 30m as well because most events in track and field are won by the athlete with the best top speed or peak velocity, not the athlete with the most explosive start .However, in soccer, we rarely reach our top speeds and most of the time the ability to accelerate well over shorter distances is what will determine success. That is not to say i don’t believe soccer players should not train their top speed- I definitely do and think every soccer player should include top speed sprinting to train the hip flexors, hamstrings, and develop overall athleticism and coordination. Plus, rarely will someone have great top speed and a poor start anyways. But, starting speed is much more trainable and again, more relevant in the sport of soccer. To get even more specific, in soccer we often sprint on a curve and have to do it relative to the context of the match such as the other 21 players and the ball. I am all for including curved sprints and all the like, but if you’re not fast in a straight line then you won’t be very fast on a curve. Furthermore, we are talking about something that all kids and competitors like- an objective way to measure performance.