I wanted to start off by saying that I’m super excited because this week’s drills contain a lot of footage from my new GoPro camera. Check out the video and leave a comment and let me know what you think. I’m really pumped up about all the options this new camera gives me!
Agility, or your quickness on the field, is vital for a soccer player in order to beat defenders, play defense, and control the ball. With this in mind, I’ve included 5 drills this week that will help you develop your agility.
Soccer Agility Drill 1
The Shuttle Run
This drill helps you work on your quick starts, quick stops, and quick changes of direction. It also helps you work on your acceleration. To do this drill, set up 3 cones in a line, equally spaced approximately 5-10 yards apart from each other. Start at the center cone, run one of the end cones and touch it, then run all the way past the cone on the far end of the line.
Soccer Agility Drill 2
The Box Drill
This drill helps you work on your forward, backward, and lateral movement, as well as your quick transitions between them. Set up 4 cones in a square about 10 yards apart from each other. Starting at one of the front cones, backpedal to the second cone, then shuffle sideways to the third cone, sprint forward to the fourth, then shuffle sideways back to the cone where you started. This will take you in a box shaped movement.
Soccer Agility Drill 3
The W-Drill
This drill helps you work on your quick transitions between forward and backward movement. This is a great soccer drill for defenders, who have to rapidly change between forward and backward moment in order to play defense. Set up 5 cones in a “W” shape, approximately 5 yards apart. Starting at one of the end cones, alternate backpedaling and sprinting forward around all 5 cones. Your movement will be in a “W” shape.
Soccer Agility Drill 4
The Ickey Shuffle
Despite the funny name, this drill helps you develop your dexterity with your feet, as well as your lateral movement. In order to do this agility drill, set up 8 cones in a line approximately 1-2 feet apart from each other. Shuffle in a diagonal movement between the cones, making sure that one foot is between the cones every time you move.
Soccer Agility Drill 5
The Forward Ladder Drill
This drill helps you develop your quickness and overall speed. To do this drill, set up 8 cones in a line approximately 1-2 feet from each other. Run through the cones, making sure that both of your feet touch down in between every cone.
These are great drills to do in addition to working on your ball control. The best way to incorporate these agility drills into your soccer training is to add them in between your ball control drills. For example, if your first drill was the outside-inside slalom, then make your second one the ickey shuffle. Alternate back and forth between your soccer drills and your agility drills so that you are working both on your quickness and your soccer skills.
For more free individual soccer drills, visit our free drills section.
If you’re looking for a good place to get started with your individual soccer training, CLICK HERE to download our free 5 day individual training plan.
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