Agility, balance and coordination circuit
A circuit of short stations: hopping, jumping, side-stepping, balancing and a ball skill at the end. Builds the ABCs (agility, balance, coordination) that young players need for everything else.
Your assistant coach: turn this drill into a full session, plan the weeks around it and tell me how it went.
Set-up
- Four to five stations in a loop: hop cones, side-step line, jump over sticks, balance on one leg, then a dribble finish.
- Small groups start at different stations.
Equipment: Cones, poles or sticks, hoops (optional), balls
How it works
- Move through each station, then dribble a ball through a gate to finish.
- Jog back to the start and go again.
- Change stations every few minutes: two-footed jumps, then one foot, then sideways.
Coaching points
- Land softly on the balls of your feet.
- Arms help balance.
- Quality first, then speed.
Add this drill to a session plan โ
Make it easier
- Fewer stations
- Walk through first
Make it harder
- Race a partner
- Add a ball to every station
AttackersDefendersKeeper / neutral- - โ Passโ Runใฐโ Dribble
Free AI coaching help from Gafferbook. Ask anything about coaching your team.
More fitness and agility drills
Zig-zag agility and finish
Players sprint through a zig-zag of cones, receive a pass and shoot. Agility work with a football reward at the end, so it never feels like running for the sake of it.
See the drill โShuttle relay races
Teams race over 5, 10 and 15 metre shuttles, touching each line. Short, sharp and competitive, with a ball version to keep it football-specific.
See the drill โReaction races
Partners start in funny positions (sitting, lying, facing away) and race to a ball or gate when the coach calls. Short sprints, quick reactions and lots of competition.
See the drill โ4v4 intervals (fitness through football)
Short, intense 4v4 games with full rests between. Builds match fitness with the ball, which is how youth players should get fit.
See the drill โMirror me (pairs agility)
One player moves side to side and forwards and back between cones; their partner mirrors every move. Quick feet, reactions and the defensive footwork used in 1v1s.
See the drill โDribble shuttles
Dribble to a line, turn and back, increasing the distance each time. Conditioning and close control together, and the turns make it football-specific.
See the drill โ