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A Drill for Increasing Speed and Agility in Young Soccer Players

Brian Petruzzi

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An entrepreneur in New Jersey, Brian Petruzzi has founded companies in a number of different industries. Outside of work, Brian Petruzzi enjoys coaching youth soccer.

Two of the most important attributes to develop among young soccer players are speed and agility. The best drills for developing speed and agility are those that mimic actual movements on the field.

The following drill directs players to move in ways similar to attacking the ball as a defender. To set up for the drill, players should place five cones five yards apart in a straight line.

The player stands at the first cone and sprints to cone three before backpedaling to the second cone. During this step, coaches should stress keeping the core tight and the posture low with weight balanced on the balls of the feet.

After players reach cone two, they sprint to cone four. During the sprint, it is critical to get the knees high and strike the ground with the balls of the feet to produce force.

The drill finishes by backpedaling to cone three and then sprinting one last time to cone five. The utility of this skill lies in learning how to accelerate effectively when switching from backpedal to sprint.