Football Fitness

Change Of Direction Mirror

Develop braking and re-acceleration in both directions

Football Fitness

Speed & Agility

Defending

Premium

Change Of Direction Mirror is a 10-minute football fitness drill for 4-18 players, suitable for Under 12 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need cones, bibs. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.

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Football Fitness

Speed & Agility

Defending

Technical Practice

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Full Squad

Minimal Equipment

Youth Friendly

Adult Suitable

Quick 10 Minutes

Change Of Direction

Agility

Reaction

Fitness Type: Change Of Direction

Duration

10 min

Players

4-18

Pitch size

10 x 10 yards

Ability levels

Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced

Pitch diagram

Change Of Direction Mirror — Pairs facing each other · 10 x 10 yards

Step 1 of 4The leader moves side to side and forwards; the mirror copies and stays square.

1. The leader moves side to side and forwards; the mirror copies and stays square.
2. Rounds of 20 seconds, then swap roles.
3. Six rounds each with a walk-and-talk recovery.
4. Rotation: Swap roles.

Ball
Pairs working across a marked lane
Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble

Objectives

-Develop braking and re-acceleration in both directions
-React to an opponent rather than a cone
-Transfer agility into defending movement

Setup

1Two facing lines five yards apart inside a ten yard square.
2Players work in pairs, one leader and one mirror.
3Bibs mark the leader in each pair.

Coaching instructions

1The leader moves side to side and forwards; the mirror copies and stays square.
2Rounds of 20 seconds, then swap roles.
3Six rounds each with a walk-and-talk recovery.

Coaching points

-Short braking steps, hips low before the change
-Push off the outside foot to exit
-Stay side-on so both directions are covered

Common mistakes

-Crossing the feet under pressure
-Standing upright through the change
-Turning the drill into a race with no control

Equipment needed

Cones

Bibs

Age groups

Under 12

Under 13

Under 14

Under 15

Under 16

Adults

Progressions

+Progressive Tempo: add a fourth maximal round
+Ball For Every Player: shrink the working area
+Reaction Start: two cues, one a decoy
+Add a competitive scoreline for the last round

Regressions

-Progressive Tempo: stay at the first two tempos only
-Ball For Every Player: bigger area, share a ball between two
-Reaction Start: coach counts players in
-Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

-Progressive Tempo — Three rounds: 60% pace, 80% pace, then match pace with full recovery between.
-Ball For Every Player — Every player works with their own ball so no one waits in a queue.
-Reaction Start — Every repetition begins from a visual or audio cue rather than a set count.
-Partner Race — Players work in matched pairs and race each repetition, best of five.
-Mobility Focus — Each round finishes with a controlled mobility hold for the hips, groin and ankles.
-Change Of Direction — Add a 90 or 180 degree turn into every repetition before the finish.
-Team Target — The whole group works to a shared score target and repeats the round if they miss it.
-Flip the practice to the opposite side of the pitch