Speed & Agility
Overload Reaction Sprint Pairs
Sharpen reaction speed off a cue
Speed & Agility
Football Fitness
Transition
Premium
Overload Reaction Sprint Pairs 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
Transition
Technical Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Foundation Phase
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Overload
Duration
12 min
Players
2-20
Pitch size
26 x 14 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Overload Reaction Sprint Pairs — Finishing set-up — serve, receive, shoot · 26 x 14 yards
Step 1 of 5Coach cue releases one player to sprint and the other to chase.
- 1. Coach cue releases one player to sprint and the other to chase.
- 2. The winner takes a touch and finishes at the target.
- 3. Alternate who starts as the chaser.
- 4. The spare player joins whichever side has the ball, so the attack always works with a plus-one.
- 5. A goal or completed end action counts double if the spare player touched the ball in the build-up.
- Cones mark the area
- Full goal
- S = server
- Ball
- Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
- Shooter becomes the next server
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Sharpen reaction speed off a cue
- -Develop the first three steps
- -Add a football action after the sprint
Setup
- 1Pairs facing each other over a start line with a target 15 yards away in a 26 x 14 yards area.
- 2Split the group so the attacking side always has one spare player, and park the spare bibs on the halfway cone.
- 3Balls on the target line.
Coaching instructions
- 1Coach cue releases one player to sprint and the other to chase.
- 2The winner takes a touch and finishes at the target.
- 3Alternate who starts as the chaser.
- 4The spare player joins whichever side has the ball, so the attack always works with a plus-one.
- 5A goal or completed end action counts double if the spare player touched the ball in the build-up.
Coaching points
- -Low first steps out of the start
- -Drive the arms
- -Stay relaxed at top speed
- -Find the free player quickly before the defence shuffles across
Common mistakes
- -Standing tall on the first step
- -Too many reps without rest
- -Spare player standing still instead of offering an angle
Where this drill fits
- More football speed & agility drills
- More football football fitness drills
- More football transition 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