Sports Performance Archives

Agility Training: Cone Drills

Agility is a key component of any strength and conditioning program for soccer players.

In this post you will see two simple cone drills that help to teach footwork and body position. These drills are easily adaptable and can be used in training a wide variety of athletes.

In the clip below Patrick McHenry, Strength and Conditioning Coach at Castle View High School, demonstrates two agility drills that he uses. One for baseball players and one for basketball players. Both drill could easily be used for athletes that play other sports. They are not necessarily sport-specific.

Coach McHenry’s drills are just two of the drills he shared at a recent Glazier Athletic Performance Clinic. His entire presentation entitled Developing Speed and Agility includes multiple agility drills that utilize ropes, ladders and cones. For information about how to gain access to Coach McHenry’s entire presentation, as well as hundreds of other presentation from some of the top strength and conditioning coaches from around the county, click the link Glazier Clinics Soccer Vault

The video below has sound, so please make sure your volume is turned up. Click the arrow to play the video.

Foot Speed and Coordination with Jump Rope

This post was provided by Training-Conditioning

By Mike Gentry

We all want athletes that are flexible and mobile. We want them to have the ability to bend and play with leverage. We also hope that they are coordinated and can quickly get their feet into the best positions for balance and positions of power.

I believe that if we teach our athletes, through practice, to make their feet do what their minds want them to do, that there will be positive carryover. Do they need to practice the specific foot patterns relative to their position and sport? Yes, of course. However, if you take the opportunity to have your athletes work on their foot speed and coordination before every strength and conditioning session for five minutes, I will promise you that as a team you’ll be amazed at their athletic improvement. The results of the time spent working on foot speed drills will also include better anaerobic fitness and increased self-confidence as your athlete’s skill level improves.

Teaching beginners

Start with a rope that’s the proper length. Have the athlete stand in the middle of the rope with both feet. The ends of the rope should reach to the armpits of the athlete. You may be able to roll the ends of the rope around the hands if the rope isn’t excessively long. It is important that the jump rope has enough weight to turn easily. We have used inexpensive jump ropes that had short plastic links that are surrounding the rope to provide enough weight to rotate well.

Buy enough ropes of varying lengths to be able to efficiently get your kids through a session without having to exchange ropes if possible. The ropes I’ve used were always under 4.00 each.

Starting a true beginner

If you are introducing an athlete to jumping rope for the first time, demonstrate the skill at a moderate speed with both feet. Emphasize minimal arm swing and just jumping high enough for the feet to clear the rope. Remind them that the rope rotates forward.

Now, have the athlete join in the following drill: Hold both ends of the rope in your dominant hand, turn the rope and jump with both feet as the rope hits the floor. Take your time; the idea is to let the athlete relax and learn the rhythm of the exercise. After several short trials of this let the athlete take the end of the rope into each hand and start with jumping with both feet.

Stationary rope jumping

After the beginners have the idea, have them practice jumping rope with both feet for 2-3 sets of 10-15 seconds with 15-20 seconds rest between sets. End the first few sessions with a set of speed jumps with both feet for 10-15 seconds. Be positive and encourage them to get right back into it after a mess up.

After learning to jump with both feet, try jumping on one foot for 10 seconds stop and the other foot for 10 seconds, rest and go back to both feet for a speed jump. Gradually introduce running in place or alternating feet, after single leg hops, then two jumps on the right foot and two jumps on the left, both feet side to side, both feet forward and back, gradually increasing the difficulty over time. As the athletes become more proficient jumpers, you no longer have to let them rest between different types of jumps.

Two rope turns with one jump, shuffle variations, etc. are all possible for most kids, if you take your time introducing the drills and let their confidence build. One of the advanced possibilities is to have one of your more advanced kids lead the group while they try to mirror him.

We usually did our footspeed drills after our dynamic warm-up exercises and before our group abdominal and core exercises, at the beginning of the workout. The jump rope format varied from one minute to one minute and a half, there were no breaks between exercises. I’d call out a variation every 10-15 seconds. One of the advanced possibilities is to have one of your more advanced kids lead the group while they try to mirror him.

Typical stationary rope jumping session (1½ Minutes)

(Changes called out by coach)

Both feet – 10 sec.
Right Foot – 10 sec.
Left Foot – 10 sec.
Run in Place – 10 Sec.
Two on the right, two on the left – 10 sec.
Both feet – side to side 10 sec.
Both feet front to back – 10 sec.
Speed Jump (their choice) – 20 sec.

If the effort or concentration was lacking, I might have a 30-second “concentration jump.” In this exercise, anyone’s miss would add five seconds to the groups 30 sec. They could jump with any method and reasonable speed. It was amazing how many fewer mistakes are made when the entire group is penalized.

Moving jump rope drills

If you have the room to do it, practicing jumping rope while moving is a great variation. After becoming proficient at stationary jump roping, the moving jump drills are easier to learn. Having access to a gym or large hallway that’s unused can provide a good training space. We used an area that we called the speed agility gym which was the size of a basketball court to do our moving jump rope drills. The actual jumping area was 20 yards long with five yards to line up and stop at the ends.

Typical moving jump rope routine

Running with High Knees – 20 yards
10 yards on the Right Foot, 10 yards on the Left Foot – 20 yards
Double Leg Hops Forward – 20 yards
Double Leg Hops Backward – 20 Yards (athlete goes backward, the rope goes forward)
Both feet, Zig Zag – 20 yards
Running High Knees – 20 yards

Other moving jump drill variations

Lateral Double Leg Hops
Single Leg Zig Zag Hops

Click here to read other articles from Mike Gentry on his website.

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Barry Kagan’s Sport Performance Preparation Series contains all the tools necessary to take athletes to the next level in their athletic pursuits. The five part video series contains nearly 15 hours of footage and over 70 files of bonus materials that can guide an athlete from the start of off-season preparation to the completion of post-season play. The athletes used on the video are some of the top athletes in their respective sports in the country – soccer, track, lacrosse, wrestling, swimming, field hockey, baseball and more.

148 minutes. 2013.

Creating Agile Athletes

This article was provided by Coaches Network

Athletes who can stop, start, and change direction quicker than their opponents will almost always have the advantage. That’s why agility training is so important. One of the best ways to develop these skills is to incorporate agility bags into your conditioning regimen.

Doug Heslip, owner of Heslip Elite Sports Performance Training in Negaunee, Mich., and contributor to IYCA.org, says that agility bags are one of his favorite training tools. He believes the bags offer a fun way to teach reactionary skills, which will help keep athletes safe and performing at a high level.

Agility bags essentially represent an obstacle in the athlete’s way, typically an opponent. As athlete’s step over, jump over, or cut past the bags, they will develop coordination, footwork, and body control. This can also help them develop spatial awareness and the ability to use peripheral vision, giving them the ability to keep their eyes on the play while knowing what is around them.

If you don’t have agility bags at your disposal, many of the same drills can be done with cones or small hurdles. Here’s a list of the drills that Heslip recommends:

Drill 1

Place six bags on the ground. The athlete can start in the middle of the six bags or at either end of the bags. You should stand at the third bag a few feet away with a ball. The ball you have can vary based on the sport. For most sports, you will hold the ball in your hands, but if you’re coaching soccer then keep a ball at your feet.

Point the ball to the left or to the right, and the athlete will follow the ball in the direction pointed. Then, point in the opposite direction and the athlete has to change direction to follow the ball. You can change direction at any time. If you are coaching soccer, you can just use your arms to direct the athletes.

When you want the athlete to transition from two-ins frontal plane to one-ins sagittal plane, yell “Score,” or another word of your choice. When you yell the word, toss/pass them the ball and they will perform one-ins until they reach the end of the six bags. This could be modified for soccer by having them dribble between the bags.

Drill 2

The bags are set up the same way as in Drill 1. The difference is you play catch with the athletes as they travel in the frontal plane performing two-ins. This is where peripheral vision must really be utilized. For soccer players, you can pass the ball back and forth as they go through the drill.

Travel up and down the six bags at first while playing catch/passing with the ball. As the athlete gets used to this drill and is confident going over the bags while playing catch/passing, you can change direction on them and have them respond. If they are late getting to the ball and it hits the floor, the drill is restarted.

Drill 3 (Mirror Drill)

Take four bags and lay them on the ground. Take another four bags and lay them right across from the original four bags. Have each set of four bags approximately one yard from each other. For this drill, you need two athletes at a time. One of them will be the “lead” while the other will be the “responder” and will mirror the lead’s movement. You can choose how sport-specific you’d like the drill to be by utilizing balls or other implements.

The lead will initiate the movement by moving laterally with two-ins. The responder will follow with two-ins. The lead can go up and down the four bags a maximum of six times. The lead can change direction any time they want to, and before the sixth rep, they have to transition from lateral movement to straight ahead one-ins. Have a coach approximately ten yards away with their hands extended out to their side, shoulder level. The first player to slap the coach’s hand wins. You can use six to eight bags. Heslip says this drill is very fun and competitive.

High Tempo Warm-up : Movement Prep

Here is a High Tempo & minute warm-up that you can use with your team prior to your workouts.

This warm-up was provided by my friends at ONEighty Athletics

Time and situations are crucial in coaching and for implementing a high quality warm-up.
****KEY POINTS****
1.) EFFORT is contagious! Meaning if you the coach demands effort you better make sure you are giving 110% and bringing the energy!
2.) Set CLEAR and HIGH Standards. If they don’t meet those standards. DO IT AGAIN, & AGAIN & AGAIN until its RIGHT!
3.) Meet with your team leaders before hand. Let them know your expectations and how you’ll be using them to Fuel the fire and inspire greatness from their team.
4.) The reason I’m able to push these kids very hard is the relationship that has been built. They know I care about them and my intent is to make them the best versions of themselves!
YOU CAN NOT FAKE THE WORK!

Here’s the full Warm Up:

A.) Dynamic
1. Burst 5 yards :High Knees:Sprint 15 yards
2. Knee Hug to Lunge + Sprint 10 yards
3 .Walking Hamstring + Sprint 10 yards
4. Hamstring Toe Touch + Sprint 10 yards
5. Lateral Lunge Strength + Sprint 10 yards
6. Shuffle 10 (COD)+ Shuffle 10
B.) Static
*Left Knee on Ground- Right Leg in Lunge Position:
1. Hamstring Stretch x10 secs
2. World’s Greatest x10 secs
3. Hamstring Crawl outs x5 ea
C.)2 Cone Agilities:
4 total reps
1.Sprint- Sprint
2.Sprint- Back Pedal
=on left side of cone=
3.Back Pedal- Sprint
4.Figure 8

Check out the video below to see each warm-up exercise.

If you like this warm up you’ll love Their 8-Week Elite Training Program.

If you’re looking for a Step-By-Step Program To Drastically Improve Your Team’s Athletic Potential, Competitiveness, And Mental Toughness, click the link to learn more

8 Week Elite Training Program

The Total Soccer Player

This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

Soccer players may use their legs more than anything else, but they still need a strong core and upper body in order to excel in every part of the game. Here is a guide to designing a total body exercise regimen that any soccer player can benefit from.

Rogue Parrish of livestrong.com describes why soccer players need to develop strength throughout their body, and lists some of the best exercises for making that happen.

Core

The core muscles are the foundation of many athletic movements. In soccer, a strong core will help players have balance and stability when shooting, dribbling, and passing the ball. The core includes the big and small muscles in the abdomen and back that connect the center of the body, which initiate and decelerate motion and affect all your motions as a soccer player. Parrish suggests doing back extensions, the seated medicine ball twist, and the hanging knee raise in order to strengthen this important area of the body.

Upper Body

When soccer players are jostling for possession or going shoulder to shoulder with an opponent, usually the one with the stronger upper body wins out. Having strong arms and shoulders will also help players during throw-ins. Parrish recommends using pushing exercises to develop strength in the front upper torso, and pulling exercises to develop the upper back. Some effective pushing exercises include the bench chest press, pushups, and upper-body step-ups, where your hands walk up to and over a box from the pushup position. You can also make pushups a little more challenging by having players push up on a soccer ball. Pulling exercises should include rows, pull-downs, side raises, and dumbbell curls.

Legs

This is the most obvious part of the body that soccer players need to strengthen, not only for the sake of performance but also for the sake of injury prevention. On top of a full load of running, cutting, and jumping, soccer players are also constantly kicking the ball and clashing with other people’s legs, which can quickly add to the wear and tear. Squats and lunges with barbells, dumbbells, medicine balls, or just bodyweight, are a good way to start strengthening the legs. You can also add single-leg exercises to improve both strength and balance at the same time. Some effective single-leg exercises include single-leg squats, with your rear leg supported by a box, as well as single-leg deadlifts, while holding either dumbbells or kettlebells.

Program Design

Being organized with your total-body training is key. Parrish recommends that players keep a training card with their name and a list of the exercises, as well as columns for dates, repetitions, sets, and amount of weight lifted or machine weight settings. This will help them track their progress and prevent them from overusing certain muscle groups. Coaches should also keep in mind that total-body workouts can be very demanding and should not be paired with high-intensity conditioning or weight lifting.