Soccer Agility – Twister
Agility is a fitness component that is highly specific to soccer. Agility is used throughout a game of soccer in making attacking runs, tracking attackers and eluding defenders. This is an exercise that involves complete body movement and is more specific to a game scenario.
Purpose:
- To provide an agility training exercise in a reactive environment, replicating a game scenario.
Coaching Cues:
- Repeat the colour combination twice to the athlete, before giving the 'go' command.
- Ensure athlete sprints between cones.
- A cut manoeuvre must be used to change direction, i.e. outside foot plant inside foot drive.
- Arms cheek to cheek.
- Powerful push back under hips.
- Stable body position out of turns.
- Always finish at a white cone.
Description:
- Set a grid 4x4 with a cone for each colour (red, blue, green and yellow). Set cones 2m apart (horizontal), and 5m apart (vertical).
- Also, place a starting and finishing marker (white) 5m(vertically) from the middle, at each end of the grid.
- The athlete sets up on a white marker facing away from the grid, the coach calls out a colour combination. (e.g. red, green, yellow, blue). Repeat the colour combination twice.
- On a 'go' command, the athlete turns and sprints between the cones in the colour combination called (e.g. red, green, yellow, blue), using a cut move to change direction.
- Week 1 & 2: Athlete finishes only completing the grid in one direction for the desired number of repetitions.
- Week 3 & 4: The athlete returns back through the grid using the same colour combination in both directions for the desired number of repetitions.
Athletic Focus – This exercise is a higher level agility drill. It involves the integration of isolated movements including balance, speed and acceleration. By incorporating sudden changes of movement into training, it replicates the movements of a game scenario. You will notice that this drill keeps the athletes eyes up and thinking about where to turn next. The best part of this drill is that it makes the athlete think and move at the same time.
Click here to watch a video of this drill.
Stewart Briggs, BHMS, M.Ed., C.S.C.S, PSP
Managing Director at Acceleration
For more Information: www.AccelerationFootball.com
