Coordination Drills

Jump Rope – This drill is a great drill to improve your foot speed and coordination.  At the beginning your child may not be able to do it correctly.  Try to emphasize that the rope needs to be skipped for every time you jump in the air.  A big tendency at a young age is to use double jumps every time you skip the rope.  When first starting just focus on trying to get the right motion going.  Try doing this drill 3 times per week. 


Agility Ladder – The agility ladder is the best way to improve your foot coordination.  Again, remember that patience and perseverance is what separates the haves from the have nots.  Here are some drills to include in your workout (do each of the below twice and try to do the work out at least once per week):

• Run thru – Go thru the ladder making sure that each square in the ladder is touched by one or the other foot as you run thru the ladder full speed.
• Side step – Line up on the first rung of the ladder facing sideways.  Start the drill by side stepping into the first rung of the ladder with your front foot and then bringing your back foot into the same rung of the ladder.  Once complete then move to the next rung of the ladder doing the same thing.  Keep doing this until you have gone thru the whole ladder.  Once done come back to where you started by doing the drill in reverse.  What was your back foot is now your lead foot and vice versa.  See here for more detail.
• In and out – Line up on the side of the ladder on the first rung.  If your going left your left leg will go into the first rung first followed by your right leg.  Once both legs are in the first rung move your left leg backwards outside the ladder but over by one rung followed by your right leg.  Keep doing this drill all the way to the end of the ladder.  Once at the end keep facing the same way and come back from where you came from this time heading right and leading with the right leg.  See here for more detail.
• Single Leg Shuffle – Line up on the side of the ladder facing the long end.  The foot closest to the ladder will step inside the first rung.  Once inside the first rung that leg will be used as support so the other leg can take a stationary step.  Once done with the step this leg will be used as support as you will remove the leg inside the rung of the ladder and bring it close to the outside leg and outside the ladder.  Once this is done the outside leg will be lifted up and down and then the inside leg will step forward and into the next rung of the ladder.  Keep going until the end of the ladder and then come back using the other leg as the inside leg.  See here for more detail. 
• Double Trouble – Line up at the end of the ladder and the motion will be in-in-out-out.  Use this motion all the way up the ladder and back.  Switch the feet that goes in the ladder first once you get to the end of the ladder.  See here for more detail. 
• Two Legged Hops - Line up at the end of the ladder and hop on both feet touching each rung of the ladder.  Do this drill as quickly as possible. 
• One legged hops – Line up at the end of the ladder and hop one legged touching each rung of the ladder.  Once at the end of the ladder jump using the other leg. 
• Two legged side hops – Line up at the side of the first rung of the ladder.  Jump into the first rung of the ladder with both feet and then jump out on the same side you cam from.  Once back outside the ladder jump into the next rung.  Keep going all the way down the ladder.  Switch sides and come back down.

Sprints – Just like everything that a person does you get better at it the more you practice.  The following are the drills you should do in this bracket (try doing this workout once per week do each exercise 5 times, time player on separate day):

• Sprints – have the player run 20 yard sprints over and over again.
• Shuttle – have your player learn how to start a sprint and stop by having them do shuttle runs.
• Time the kids once every week so they can see their progress.