One of the most common things I see when training athletes is the inability to control their body in space as they transition from deceleration to acceleration and move in a different direction.  They often stand too upright, add extra steps, use bad angles and fail to apply force to the ground efficiently to propel them forward.

Early on, I implement a 2 cone shuffle drill to teach proper body awareness, how to plant correctly and most importantly how to move as fast as possible.  It is best to follow a set predictable sequance at first to ensure proper motor learning.  Here is an example:

  1. Slow speed with verbal cues throughout (to maintain athletic posture, foot position, body angle, etc)
  2. Half speed with no verbal cues (correct with demonstration and verbal feedback afterward)
  3. Full speed with no verbal cues and shorter cones (still correct after the drill as needed)

These sequences are all predicatble in nature.  Once the athlete masters form and body control, you can begin to ask them to react to both auditory and visual cues in a more random nature.  This will force them to improve reaction time and more colsely mimic sport situations.  In the video clip, I shuffle with quick steps at first and then increase my stride toward the end.  You will need to decide whether you want to work on precise footwork (for small space work) or more powerful strides for open space explosion.  I think both are relevant and worthy to be trained.

Next week, I will turn my attention to ACL injury prevention as Spring soccer is upon us and share some tips and strategies to prevent these injuries.