1-to-1 Agility With The Ball

Objectives

• -Improve foot speed and change of direction
• -Link agility work straight into a ball action
• -Prepare the body for individual technical work

How to set it up

1. 1Mark out the working area at 15 x 10 yards. Put a cone on each corner so the boundary is obvious to the players.
2. 2Ladder or six flat cones in a line.
3. 3Ball placed five yards beyond the last rung.
4. 4Finish gate marked ten yards further on.
5. 5Kit for this practice: Balls, Cones, Ladder. Keep a supply of spare balls beside the coach so a lost ball never stops the practice.
6. 6Work one-to-one: the coach or a partner serves while the working player takes every repetition.
7. 7Set the area up before the players arrive, then walk them through the shape once at a jog before the first live repetition.

How to run it, step by step

1. 1Get the players into position and walk the first repetition through slowly so everybody knows where they start and where they go.
2. 2Player completes the ladder pattern then accelerates onto the ball.
3. 3Dribble at speed through the finish gate, jog back and reset.
4. 4Six reps with a different ladder pattern each time.
5. 5The working player recovers back to the start position between repetitions while the server collects the ball.
6. 6The repetition ends when the ball reaches the final target or leaves the area. The next player starts straight away.
7. 7Freeze the practice once or twice per round, make one coaching point to the whole group, then restart immediately.

What each player does

Working player

Takes the repetition: receives, executes the speed & agility action and finishes the sequence at match pace.

Server

Delivers a consistent, firm ball on the coach's call, then collects a spare ball ready for the next repetition.

Waiting players

Stand behind the start cone with a ball ready, watch the repetition in front of them and step in the moment it finishes.

Coach

Stands where the whole picture is visible, serves or calls the start, and makes one clear point per freeze.

Timings and organisation

• -Run 3 rounds of roughly 3 minutes inside the 10 minute slot.
• -Build the intensity round by round and keep everybody moving — no long explanations while players stand still and get cold.
• -Rotate roles at the end of every round so each player works, serves and defends across the practice.
• -If the practice is too easy, move to a progression rather than adding more repetitions. If players are struggling, drop to a regression for one round and then build back up.

Common mistakes

• -Heavy, flat footed landings
• -Slowing down before reaching the ball
• -Touch too heavy so the ball runs away
• -Standing still and watching instead of moving into the next position