CLICK HERE TO PICS FROM THE TRIAL

Welcome to the first part of our three-part series in association with our friends at adidas. During this series we will be putting the adidas F50 boots and miCoach Speed_Cell technology through their paces as amateur footballers do battle in a series of tests. The revolutionary miCoach Speed_Cell records your match stats, including your pace and distance covered. Once you have uploaded your details onto your computer, you can compare your stats with your friends and team-mates. You will be finding out how you stack up versus your mates when it comes to those vital match day stats! This month, we see two Victorian amateurs compete in a series of drills, all under the watchful eye of Melbourne Victory star Isaka Cernak.

This is what Cernak had to say ahead of the challenges…

How important is speed in modern football?
It’s massive. The way we play now is all about counter-attacks and the quicker you are the quicker your chances of scoring goals. You see the best players in the world are usually the fastest.

So, who is the fastest player at Melbourne Victory?
He’s standing in front of you right now.

What do you specifically work on to make yourself so quick?
At Melbourne Victory we have lots of specific gym drills. Mostly squats and lunges which build up the legs. We mix it up with explosive work like runs in-between sets.

Now, onto what the lads said about each challenge…

Challenge 1
Dribble circuit – players had to dribble the ball through a designated route through a series of three cones – they each had three attempts with their best time counting.

Isaka
“Nick is taking a technical approach to it making sure he’s staying close. I like that, nice little touches. Wade’s definitely gone for pace. Both have different styles but in terms of speed, the secret is working out when you need close touches and when you need to get the ball out of your feet and run with it. They’ve both got nice touches, but we’ll see what happens.”

Nick
“I don’t think I did that well! I’ll do it next time, that was just the first time!”

Wade
“I loved it. My style was to open up the ball a bit more so I can run more while Nick had it a bit closer to the body. I saw him do it first but wanted to try something different.”

 

Challenge 2
Football sprints – two sprint challenges over 10m and 25m – players had to chase a ball which Isaka served in front of them. First to reach the ball and finish in the goal won the point. Five sprints of 10m and five sprints of 25m.

Isaka
“They were pretty quick. Nick is getting there but Wade is still killing it. Tips for Nick would be in his starting, first five metre reaction time up.”

Wade
“It’s just sprints and it seems I was quicker than I first thought. The boots, they’re quite light, like a feather. I’m ready for the next drill. Now I’m really focused on taking it home.”

Nick
“It was pretty challenging but Wade got me there. The boots are mad though. I feel good. They are very comfortable and very light too – I’m impressed. The pressure is on here though, I need something. I’m ready for the next drill.”

Next page for the final challenge and the data results…