FREE Pro Speed & Agility Exercises... With The Ball!
Speed, agility and quickness work does not always have to take place without the ball. In this video, we look at three activation ideas that combine physical preparation with technical actions, giving players opportunities to change direction, move their feet quickly and accelerate while maintaining a high level of quality with the ball.
One of the big advantages of this type of work is the ability to progressively increase the intensity without separating the physical and technical components of the session. By changing the movement, direction, distances and technical actions, coaches can expose players to different physical demands while keeping the ball at the center of the activity.
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Exercise 1 – Kawasaki Frontale: SAQ Activation With the Ball
Kawasaki Frontale use a series of stations to combine footwork, plyometric movements, changes of direction and short accelerations with passing and receiving. The variety is particularly interesting because players are constantly presented with a different movement and technical picture. Coaches may not have the staffing or equipment to recreate every station, but the concept can easily be adapted by running two or three simple activities simultaneously and rotating players through them.
Exercise 2 – Schalke: Technical Activation & Movement
This Schalke activation uses players on the inside and outside of the area, with a series of passing, receiving and movement combinations around mannequins. The intensity starts relatively low, but the different progressions allow the tempo to gradually increase. The setup is also easy to adapt with cones if mannequins are unavailable, making it a useful option for coaches who want technical detail to remain an important part of the warm-up.
Exercise 3 – Spain: Progressive Activation With the Ball
Spain combine dribbling through poles with passing, combination play and progressively more demanding movements. The exercise begins at a controlled intensity before adding give-and-go actions, accelerations and slalom movements through the poles. Each progression changes both the technical and physical demand, allowing the coach to gradually increase the speed of the exercise while players continue to work with the ball.
