Speed & Agility
Tempo Change of Direction Grid
Decelerate and re-accelerate safely
Speed & Agility
Football Fitness
Premium
Tempo Change of Direction Grid is a 12-minute speed & agility drill for 2-20 players, suitable for Under 5 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need cones, balls. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill librarySpeed & Agility
Football Fitness
Technical Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Foundation Phase
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Tempo
Duration
12 min
Players
2-20
Pitch size
22 x 22 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Tempo Change of Direction Grid — Crossing and finishing — wide delivery into the box · 22 x 22 yards
Step 1 of 5Player sprints to a called cone, plants and returns to the middle.
- 1. Player sprints to a called cone, plants and returns to the middle.
- 2. Every third rep finishes with a pass off the central ball.
- 3. Rest twice as long as each work rep.
- 4. The clock starts the moment the first pass is played in.
- 5. The sequence must reach the end action inside eight seconds or the rep is void.
- Cones mark the area
- Full goal
- Dashed lines = wide crossing channels
- Ball
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Decelerate and re-accelerate safely
- -Turn off both feet with control
- -Build agility that transfers to the game
Setup
- 1Five cones in a cross pattern in a 22 x 22 yards area.
- 2Set a visible timer or have an assistant count aloud from the side of the area.
- 3Balls at the central cone.
Coaching instructions
- 1Player sprints to a called cone, plants and returns to the middle.
- 2Every third rep finishes with a pass off the central ball.
- 3Rest twice as long as each work rep.
- 4The clock starts the moment the first pass is played in.
- 5The sequence must reach the end action inside eight seconds or the rep is void.
Coaching points
- -Lower the hips to decelerate
- -Plant on the outside foot
- -Push off hard on the way back
- -Pass with pace and intent — under-hit passes cost the clock
Common mistakes
- -Rounding the turn instead of planting
- -Working through fatigue
- -Slow, sideways passing that burns the clock
Where this drill fits
- More football speed & agility drills
- More football football fitness drills
- football drills for U8s
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- football drills for beginners
- Football session plans built around this theme