5 Best Soccer Agility Drills

• By Damilare Ilyiade

The ability of a player to have fast bursts of speed in games with a swift change of direction whilst doing it consistently throughout the game is known as agility. In the game of soccer, speed is essential, but not just a one-time movement like that of a track event. There will be moments in games where a player has bursts of speed at intervals without much rest. 

To play soccer at an elite level, agility is one key area to evaluate. The players' balance, coordination of running, change of direction, acceleration/ deceleration, reactions, body control, and space management all combine towards agility.

HOW DOES AGILITY IMPROVE MY SOCCER PERFORMANCE?

Soccer is an ever changing game that flows in all directions. To become elite, you have to be able to quickly respond to a stimuli on the field at any given time. Unlike other sports, you will be required to use every part of your body to be successful when attacking and defending. As we are seeing more and more, modern soccer is won and lost over sudden quick direction changes or fast movements. Both defenders and attackers are equally judged on their ability to produce or respond to these displays of agility.

In the 2015 Copa del Rey final, Lionel Messi reached 19.50mph in under 2.73 seconds. He stopped to change direction, and in a few seconds, he hit the top speed again proceeding to score one of the best soccer goals of the 21st century. Astonishingly, this was all with the ball at his feet. This is a perfect example of arguably the best player of all time utilizing extraordinary agility to produce world class results.

Contrary to popular belief, agility is not only limited to size. Through training and working to keep a low center of gravity, every player can improve their agility to become deadly on the dribble.

The following agility drills will help players of any size or age improve their soccer skills, and help them move with the correct technique that will prevent injury.

VITAL COACHING POINTS ON AGILITY

- Your agility determines how effective you’ll be when dribbling in the game of soccer.

- You must master the use of your body effectively through lots of practices and most especially with agility drills.

- The intensity of the drill must grow and be maintained at a level to ensure consistency and progression.

- The overall way to improve agility is to train as you would play.

The following drills will help players improve their ability to run and rest, change direction, dribble and swerve all without killing the rhythm and the flow of the game. 

Objective 

The drill will help raise the player's fitness and agility.

Set-up

6 cones are set at equidistance to enable forward and backward movement.

Execution 

- At the command of the trainer, the drill starts.

- The players go forth and back around the cone before dashing towards the scattered yellow circle objects.

- On approaching the yellow circles, the player must speedily step-in in no specific order.

- After which they approach the ladder and run through it.

- Walk, jog and restart.

- Repeat as the coach instructs.

Coaching tips

The drill helps the players master unfamiliar movements but movements that will improve agility on the field of play.

Objective 

The objective of the drill is to increase the player's all-round fitness and agility.

Set-up

2 ladders, a set of yellow disks, and hurdles as players line behind and take turns.

Execution 

- At the trainer’s command, the players run through the drill.

- Two sets of players lined starts with the ladder at a decent speed, stepping inside each space.

- And then on to the yellow disks stepping inside all the disks but at random.

- Then a short sprint to the hurdles jumping over each one.

- And then dash down the end of the drill.

- Repeat as the coach instructs.

Coaching tips

Complete the drill with split focus understanding that every stage of the drill tunes different elements of the body to the top level required to play the game.

Objective 

The objective of the drill is to help the players enhance their agility and master game movements.

Set-up

6 cones or more depending on the instructor’s intention for the duration. After the cones, set up the poles at equidistance. Line the players in single file.

Execution 

- The trainer stands at the sideline to instruct the drill. When they blow the whistle, the player starts to slalom through the cones.

- The players go around the cone at a gentle pace.

- When they get to the straight poles, they do the same motion but at a much greater speed.

- After this step, they do a slight horizontal jog before dashing down before restarting the whole process.

- Repeat as the coach instructs.

Coaching tips

The drill is slight and not intense, but it will help the player’s agility if done with utmost seriousness, focusing on the movement and the muscles involved.

Objective 

The objective of the drill is to help the players enhance their agility especially when they have the ball or receive it unexpectedly or in an unpleasant situation.

Set-up

The ladder, the cone, the pole, and the hurdles. All set at the different junctions of the drill.

Execution 

- The trainer stands at the sideline to instruct the drill. When they blow the whistle, the player enters the first ladder.

- The players go through the ladder first and perform a rapid one in one out motion.

- The players then move anticlockwise through the square cones, touching each one as they pass.

- On getting to the poles, the coach passes the ball into the player's feet. The player proceeds to dribble through the poles with the ball. Once they have made it through the poles, the ball is left stationary at the top.

- After this, the player jogs to the right, receives a pass from the second coach, gives it back, and goes through the hurdles. 

- Repeat as the coach instructs.

Coaching tips

Depending on the age range of these players, the intensity of the drill can be lowered or increased. Progressions can also be included, with a shot at the end of the poles for example.

Objective 

The objective of the drill is to help lower the players reaction times whilst improving their acceleration in different directions. (It is also a fun drill for the players)

Set-up

Using 8 cones, create two squares facing each other. Decide which square will be the leader and which will be the mirror.

Execution 

- The players will dictate the start of the game once the drill is set up.

- At random, the leader will sprint to one of the cones, touch it with their hand, and sprint back to the middle.

- As soon as the leader moves, the mirror will copy the exact path of the leader and try to beat them back to the middle.

- The game has a total of 5 rounds. Only when the mirror beats the leader back to the middle will a point be scored. Each player should have the opportunity to be the mirror, and the points are tallied to see who won the most at the end.

- Repeat as the coach instructs.

Coaching tips

A big part of agility is how fast you can react to a stimuli and produce the correct movement, such as cut inside with the ball when the defender lunges in with a tackle. This drill focuses on reaction time whilst working on the players acceleration, deceleration, speed, and one of the most important aspects of all soccer drills - competitiveness.

Numerous coaches have created resources about how to deep dive into agility and speed within soccer to maximize performance. Two great recent examples are:

- Mike Whiteman's course: Feed the Cats Soccer.

- Kwik Goal's course: Explosive Soccer Quickness & Agility.

As with anything, preventing injury to your players is of paramount importance. Utilizing correct technique when using agility equipment is vital. Here is an example of how to teach this to your team.