Improving Agility in Football

Agility is one of the most important skills a football player can have.  There are many factors that make up agility including:

·       Reaction speed and recognition – being able to tell what is about to happen or what needs to happen and being able to react in a speedy way to get it done without wasting precious seconds off the clock

·       Speed while making decisions – being able to fly down the field while accessing the game situation is a major skill that any team will value.

·       Rapid change of direction – In football, the ball is moving almost constantly and being able to change directions on the fly will assist in getting control of the ball and taking it to the goal.

·       Avoiding other players in a split second – No one wants to get broadsided by another player. The ability to avoid obstacles in the way, even human ones, keep the player on his feet and moving in the right direction

 

Agility is something that can be improved, even in a player that struggles a lot with it, but it takes dedication, determination and practice.  There are many exercises that a player can do to work on speed and agility and everyone regardless of skill level should add agility drills to their practice and work out sessions.  Even a player with excellent agility and speed needs to keep it in tip top shape with additional practice.

Cone-Line Drill

Cone-line drills are exercises that are performed around small cones that are lined up a certain distance from one another.  The player performs the moves in between, around and over the cones without touching them.  For the best agility work out, the player should stay on the balls of the feet and keep their body balanced.  There are a few different cone-line drills that can be performed, a few of the more popular ones that may be familiar are:

·       Follow the Leader – Involves two players, where one shadows the other trying to stay within 2 metres of them at all times. The player being followed should move in random directions, changing direction and going forwards and backwards with no warning. 

·       Slalom – line all the cones up in a single line and do different drills, weaving in and out between the cones without hitting them.  The drills can involve the use of a ball, but should also include some speed drills that just involve running or moving in side to side movements.

·       5 –10 - 5 drill - This is a great drill for increasing speed on changing directions.  In a sideways motion, run as fast as you can to the right for 5 metres, to the left for 10 metres and back to the right for 5 metres.  Use cones to mark the 5 and 10 metre marks. 

·       Running through a rope ladder or tires is a popular agility exercise for football players and it’ll have the same results for football players too.  The idea is to run as fast as you can through the ladder or tires without tripping and without touching the sides or walking on the tires/ladder.

The purpose of all of these drills is to improve the speed in which the player changes direction, moves down the field, passes the ball to other opponents and many other factors.  The above drills, when practiced regularly, will give a marked improvement to the player’s reactions and speed, making them a valuable asset to their team. All of the above drills can be utilized for young players as well with the only adjustments being the distance between the cones.   They will have the same great benefits for young players as adult players and should be a mainstay of any young footballer’s training sessions.