{"id":261782,"date":"2026-09-09T20:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T20:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/09\/d1-soccer-speed-and-strength-training-how-girls-soccer-players-can-prepare-now\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T20:00:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T20:00:36","slug":"d1-soccer-speed-and-strength-training-how-girls-soccer-players-can-prepare-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/09\/d1-soccer-speed-and-strength-training-how-girls-soccer-players-can-prepare-now\/","title":{"rendered":"D1 Soccer Speed and Strength Training: How Girls Soccer Players Can Prepare Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

A lot of girl soccer players want to go D1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But a lot of them aren\u2019t told the truth about what it physically takes to play at that level.<\/p>\n

Hi, I\u2019m Erica. I\u2019m a certified strength and conditioning coach in Tampa Florida who has trained girls soccer players for over 14 years A lot of my girls started with me in middle school and then went on to play at D1 schools like UNC, University of Southern California, University of Michigan, Brown University, Eastern Carolina, Colorado College, Coastal Carolina, University of Maryland, University of South Florida and more.<\/p>\n

I know the strength, speed, and conditioning qualities needed at the D1 soccer level to get playing time, and to stay healthy and injury free from the demands of the college game.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a top level ECNL or GA player reading this, your D1 college team will be 100x harder than your club team. The girls will be bigger, faster, and stronger, so you have to go in ready to not just survive, but to thrive.<\/p>\n

With college rosters being limited, girls in high school need to stand out now more than ever. The reality is, you\u2019re competing against 21+ year-olds who have had years of formal speed and strength training already, so you need to start preparing now.<\/p>\n

Because guess what?<\/p>\n

At the D1 soccer level, everyone is skilled. Everyone can play the game. Everyone is technically savvy. But not everyone is physically robust going in. Your edge as an incoming college freshman is your speed, strength and elite conditioning.<\/p>\n

This is going to shock you, but prepping for D1 soccer isn\u2019t complicated, nor does it require you to get all fancy pants and do a revolutionary training program.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t sexy, but you need to master the fundamentals of strength and speed training, and continue to progress over a long period of time.<\/p>\n

Something else that might shock you: in D1 college weight rooms, they\u2019re also doing simple. They\u2019re performing the main strength lifts, such as back squats, front squats, hex bar deadlifts, barbell RDLs, split squats, reverse lunges, pull-ups, bench press, and push-ups. It\u2019s your job to not only be competent in these strength lifts, but to be able to lift heavy before going into college.<\/p>\n

Build Strength<\/strong><\/p>\n

You must gain strength relative to your own body weight, and work up to it for years. You must start in high school so that you can gradually put more weight on the bar.<\/p>\n

The deadlift, for example, is a staple D1 college lift for strengthening the hamstrings for force production and knee injury reduction. Your goal should be to work up to being able to deadlift 1.5x body weight or more, so if you\u2019re 140lb, if you can get up to a 200lb deadlift, you\u2019ve got some serious strength, making you much more likely to handle the rigorous college game.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Now, this is the one strength movement all soccer girls ignore and it\u2019s pull-ups. Do not think that soccer is just all legs and you only need to do leg day. Upper body strength helps you to be resilient while shielding in the game, improves posture for speed and change of direction movements, and boosts confidence! In the UNC college weight room, for example, these girls are cranking of 10+ pull-ups without assistance, and one of their top girls got 20. Check out UNC\u2019s strength coach, Elena Cantu, on Instagram to see for yourself HERE<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Pull-ups are a measure of total body strength relative to body weight, and there\u2019s no greater feat than being able to pull your weight over a bar.<\/p>\n

Here are my high girls lifting heavy and getting pull-ups without assistance like totally badasses:<\/p>\n