Football Fitness

Repeat Sprint Shuttles

Build the repeat sprint ability the game demands

Football Fitness

Speed & Agility

Repeat Sprint Shuttles is a 14-minute football fitness drill for 4-20 players, suitable for Under 13 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need cones. 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

Technical Practice

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Full Squad

Minimal Equipment

Adult Suitable

Endurance

Conditioning

Speed

Fitness Type: Endurance

Duration

14 min

Players

4-20

Pitch size

25 x 20 yards

Ability levels

Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced

Pitch diagram

Repeat Sprint Shuttles — Two lines working across the area · 25 x 20 yards

Step 1 of 3Shuttle out and back to each cone in turn, then rest for double the work time.

1. Shuttle out and back to each cone in turn, then rest for double the work time.
2. Four to six sets depending on the age group and the point of the season.
3. Record the group time and compare it next week.

Ball
Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
Two facing lines — pass and follow
Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble

Objectives

-Build the repeat sprint ability the game demands
-Hold running technique when fatigue arrives
-Give a measurable target the group can beat

Setup

1Cones at five, ten, fifteen and twenty yards from a start line.
2Players in groups of four, one group working at a time.
3Water available at the side.

Coaching instructions

1Shuttle out and back to each cone in turn, then rest for double the work time.
2Four to six sets depending on the age group and the point of the season.
3Record the group time and compare it next week.

Coaching points

-Touch the line with the foot, not a dive
-Low body position into every turn
-Breathe and reset in the recovery — do not stand still

Common mistakes

-Cutting the turn short of the cone
-Pacing the first set then fading
-Running this session the day before a match

Equipment needed

Cones

Age groups

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