A Simple Exercise to Warm Up and Practice Opposite Runs
/The following drill comes from Soccer Awareness eBook 34: Teaching Players How to Position OFF the Ball and to FACE FORWARD when Receiving It with Animation - Preview Here
Objective: Developing fast footwork emphasizing the importance of the first step
1. Lots of quick standing starts emphasizing the importance of the first stride (emphasize also a short step). This is the most important stride as it is the explosive one to move quickly. In this routine the players practice many of these.
2. The theme is a quick start and sprint and a quick stop.
There must be a pronounced stop between runs as we are working on that explosive start. They all sprint forward one cone on command from the coach and stop quickly. Turn and sprint back together on command. Always a run the way you are facing. First group just sprint and stop.
3. Sprint forward one cone and stop but face the same way. The next command is to turn quickly and sprint back.
Jog backwards the turn at pace and sprint.
5. Sprint to any cone, it can be a diagonal run now, who is the last player to find a cone? This is good for spatial awareness too, where is the free cone?
6. Sprint to two cones and stop at the second, sprint to three cones and stop at the third. Changing direction now but have them stand still at each cone for a fraction of a second so their next first stride is from a standing start.
Let it go free now.
Players can move anywhere. This now involves them using anticipation, decision making, reaction and perception and well as co-ordination and fast feet to find space to move into without bumping into people.
PLEASE EXPERIMENT WITH OTHER FORMS OF FAST WORK AND MOVEMENT ALSO.
122 Pages
These session plans show some ideas on how to position and instead “Face Forward” or FACE-UP or at least be Half Turned; or three quarters turned; rather than positioning square and facing back. This applies to any system / formation you use. Too Often players position to receive the ball with their back to play.
Simple movements can create more space for a player to then be at an advantage in their 1 v 1’s against opponents all over the field of play. It can be the difference between keeping the ball and losing it. Much is down to creating the correct Feet preparation and Body positions; angular not straight with regards to the ball. Open your hips up to give you the best peripheral vision available.
