{"id":265224,"date":"2026-09-30T18:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T18:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/30\/why-girls-soccer-players-need-upper-body-strength-for-better-speed-and-agility\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T18:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T18:00:09","slug":"why-girls-soccer-players-need-upper-body-strength-for-better-speed-and-agility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/30\/why-girls-soccer-players-need-upper-body-strength-for-better-speed-and-agility\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Girls Soccer Players Need Upper Body Strength for Better Speed and Agility"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

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I know what you\u2019re thinking.<\/p>\n

Soccer is all legs. You kick. You run. You jump. You shoot. All legs, right?!<\/p>\n

Most girls soccer players have this mindset. They believe they need to be all quads, hamstrings, and glutes, and only train these in the gym. While the lower body must be strong for injury resiliency, speed, and explosiveness, the upper body must be equally as strong.<\/p>\n

The truth is, the human body is\u00a0connected.<\/em><\/p>\n

When you sprint down the field at full speed, your legs and arms must work in coordination with one another so you can run your fastest. Sprinting is one of the most extreme things the human body does, so the arms and legs must work together to produce force into the ground.<\/p>\n

If you look at the world\u2019s fastest sprinters, they have jacked upper bodies. They have the muscle mass all over to be powerful with their stride all the way from their legs to their arm action. You can\u2019t go wrong getting strong.<\/p>\n

Strength also improves agility, so your ability to cut, change direction, and explode.<\/p>\n

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A weak upper body destroys your agility. If you can\u2019t stabilize your core, and your trunk and arms are flailing like a tree, it\u2019s going to be very hard for you to change direction quickly. The most agile athletes have control of their bodies, and their all-over muscle mass allows them to move efficiently.<\/p>\n

Final question: why would you want to be all legs? Why would you only want your muscle mass distributed to your legs? You definitely don\u2019t want fat mass to outweigh muscle mass on your arms because you won\u2019t be as powerful. You also are less likely to shield and hold off defenders with a weak body composition in your upper body. You want to be strong everywhere so you\u2019re can withstand hard contact.<\/p>\n

Heck, you bolt out of every tackle like a boss!<\/p>\n

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Expanding on this, upper body strength gives you confidence. You step onto the field with your shoulders back. Your posture is tall and strong. You\u2019re confident in your ability to go against that bigger opponent. You don\u2019t fear tackles or 50\/50 balls. You know you can do a pull-up (or several!) and your ready crush it on the field because you know you can handle\u00a0any<\/em> challenge.<\/p>\n