Explosive power in the development of the U18 player
In U18, explosive power is no longer a quality to build: it is a quality to refine and preserve. Players have normally developed their explosive motor foundations over several seasons. What changes at this age is the ability to maintain that explosive power under increasingly demanding conditions: late in matches, during competition-heavy weeks, through repeated efforts across long, intense sessions.
What we often observe in U18 is that the most explosive players in training are not always the most explosive in a match. This gap is generally explained by poor load management: too much volume on explosive efforts, not enough recovery, or an overall session intensity that leaves players fatigued before they even take the field. The U18 agility drills offer short, intense formats that respect this quality-over-quantity logic, always in situations close to real match conditions.
Should you really work on explosive power in U18?
The question is worth asking. Some coaches feel that in U18 a player's physical profile is set and that explosive power work no longer adds much. This is a view we challenge. Explosive power remains trainable at this age, as long as the right formats and the right intensity are used.
What changes compared to earlier categories is that explosive power work in U18 must be more specific and less voluminous. Fewer general circuits, more near-match situations. Fewer straight-line sprints, more reactive starts triggered by game context. Less isolated work, more integration into tactical formats. The U18 small-sided games allow precisely this integration, generating explosive efforts naturally triggered by competitive situations.
How to include explosive power in a U18 season plan
In U18, explosive power can no longer be an occasional session theme. It must be integrated into weekly planning that accounts for matches, recovery, and load cycles. Intensive explosive work two days before a match compromises players' physical freshness. Light maintenance work mid-week, integrated into the warm-up or short, intense situations, keeps explosive qualities sharp without ever encroaching on recovery.
This kind of planning requires genuine reflection on the calendar and season priorities. The article soccer conditioning: complete program and guide offers a very concrete framework for building this planning around the specific constraints of a U18 team, with clear markers on volumes and intensities for each period of the season.