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drills and session work ¦ player
evaluations ¦ player
development speed & agility ¦ additional emphasis in our training |
Speed and Agility-Players taking the ball on with speed: The following are exercises with a correlation between skill training and physical ability. Players tend to slow down and receive the ball. We need to teach players to collect the ball at top speed, with their first touch under control. Players must learn movement patterns including mobility, directional changes or agility, physical components of footwork. They must learn how to move laterally and get their bodies down low. Too many players tend to play too upright. There are many ways to achieve soccer technique, the following are just some ways that may help in getting players to run through the ball, get it under control, then be able to decelerate or accelerate. The Speed Wheel: This can be done without the ball, then with the ball. When going into the wheel, you change directions and do different moves, feints and fakes when in the middle (requested by the coach). An example would be a certain type of body feint, slowing the ball down and then exploding to the side. Thus we are developing the ability to change direction and also the art of decelerating quickly. Decelerating is sometimes more important in certain situations then acceleration. Diagram 1: Player will be moving to the first set of cones at speed and receiving the ball from the coach at the starting gate. After receiving at speed, they must get the ball under control, go to the middle cone, do a required move or feint, burst off to a designated cone, do a turn back to the center do another move and burst out of the wheel. The coach can require them to do any move or feint and go to any cone. This should be varied. Remember the emphasis is receiving the ball at speed, then get under control, decelerate, do a move, fake or feint, then a change of direction with acceleration. At first have them come through at a comfortable pace, and then work up to pace. Below is a speed wheel layout: ^ ^ ^ ^ (10 yards between cones) ^ ^ Coach (and balls)----------------------(receiving the ball) O O (players going forward to receive the ball at speed) You can have 8 to 10 players in line since as they go in receive and go. The next player can go as soon as the last player is bursting out to the wheel. They can jog back or walk back to the beginning depending on your objective. However a good work to rest ration is recommended. Note-Players should start about ten yards out from entering the wheel. Speed Wheel Alternative: You can also use the wheel as a relay race both without and with the ball. Have one set of players coming from one side and another set come in from the opposite side. The coach must designate for player to go clockwise or counterclockwise in set direction. The players sprint to the center, go to the first designated cone, turn sprint back to the center, then go to the next and so on. Each time the player is coming back to center cone. You can have the players touch the cones for added agility, when they are doing the wheel without the ball. When doing the wheel with the ball the coach can request different fakes and feints and turns. Note that this is a relay race and each player after going through the wheel will come out tagging the next player in line. Speed Tunnel: This is a series of cones, approximately 7 yards apart (wide). The cones will be approximately 30 to 40 yards long. Players will sprint into the speed tunnel, as the coach plays a ball into the body. The player must be able to collect the ball, however it comes and maintain top speed. We must work on the player’s first touch. Start out with the player coming in the tunnel at their comfort level, and progress up to their cutting edge. Ball can be played on the ground, bounced to the chest, thigh, knee or the head. The player must be taught to run through the ball and not to jump to receive the ball. We are developing the ability to sprint through balls and take them on with different parts of the body. After receiving the ball at pace, they must gain control of the ball and speed dribble to the end. They must then decelerate after the last cone and Slowly dribble the ball back to the coach, and then go back to the beginning. You will need about 8 to 10 players to get a good work to rest ratio. Speed Tunnel Alternative: We can also progress to do the tunnel in the same manner as above. However put a cone on the outside to the tunnel both right and left about the middle area of the tunnel. Now players must receive the ball at pace and in the middle of the tunnel, they must then slow rapidly, plant a foot and accelerate off to a cone outside the tunnel, perform a given turn and return to the tunnel and speed off to the end. You can then have them stop at the end with a turn and sprint back to the beginning. The coach can request them do different body feints, moves (such as stopovers) and different turns, each time they go through the tunnel. The main objective to receive the ball at pace with a good first touch, decelerates, and then accelerates with a burst of speed. Note: We should promote lowering of the body by bending the knees. Players tend to play too upright. Give them different task at each cone, such as a step over or a simple feint to the left and explode to the right with the outside of the foot, you can give the rotation moves such as putting their foot on the ball and rotating the ball. You can give them different stops and starts, and also different turns. Remember – to have the players explode off the move. It is important to get players not going in the same direction, by giving them a variety of different exercises. Speed Training with the Ball: Change of Direction and Acceleration- The most important element in changing direction during fast footwork is to lower your hips. Players should not be too upright in their stance. A lower body is a faster body, and the proper bending of the hips, knees, and ankles benefits dribbling with fast footwork. Remember the arms are used for balance. Fast footwork- should be trained in three ways:
Using the speed wheel as above-Players can begin dribbling the ball toward cones, stopping at the first cone, second cone, and third cone, turning and repeating coming back. The emphasis is not only on acceleration but also on deceleration. The coach can give the player directions on how to navigate the course, emphasizing stopping, feinting and going to a side cone. This promotes acceleration, twisting, turning using different techniques. Below is a speed tunnel layout: ^ 10 yds. ^ 10 ^ 10 ^ 10 ^ OOOO----------- (approx. 7 yds.) ^ 10 ^ 10 ^ 10 ^ Coach (Supply of balls) ^ (Note the cones on the outside of the tunnel. Consider the following when doing the above exercises: Work to rest ration 1:1 1:2 1:3 depending on the level of fitness and the time of the season. Have them first do the above in their comfort zone to work on smoothness and fluidity and getting to feel comfortable. Next we can ask the players to perform the exercises at speed on the cutting edge. Nest we asked the players to perform at speed, decelerate and then explode for penetration and then stop the ball on the turn as quickly as possible, and explode off the turn. Alternative Agility and Speed Training: A speed ladder can be done with cones arranged over a 20-yard distance, two-yards apart. These exercises are to develop quick feet and agility. A suggestion is to divide the team in half. Have one coach work with one half at the ladder. Have the other half with another coach in an approx. 20 X 20 grid working on fast footwork with the ball. You can do this for approx. 10 min. then switch. Have them go through the ladder: (note done without the ball)
There are many other exercises that can be done in the ladder. We have exercises on file that can be done with the ladder. As one player is half way through, the next player can start. A good work to rest ratio is important, to have player perform under good form. Alternative Agility with balls. You can also place a series of balls approx. two feet apart in a line. Have players do different exercises over the balls. They then should run backwards to a given cone. You can then have them go back to start again or have them sprint forward to a given diagonal cone after the backwards run. · They can run over each ball with high knee. · They can hop with both feet over each ball. · They can hop over each ball while spinning 180 degrees and then do the same rotation to the next. · They can get down in a squat and then explode up and over each ball, then back to the squat. · They can be side ways and step over each ball. This should be done on each side.
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