T-drill defensive footwork

Four cones in a T: sprint forward, shuffle sideways to the left and right, backpedal home. There is deliberately no ball involved — the only thing being judged here is whether a player can stay low while changing direction.

1 player 6 phases ± 10 min 4 cones From U15 upwards

Phase 1 of 6Start at the back cone

The player running the course Equipment Ball

This animation comes straight out of the Koach app. In the app you play it at your own pace and the positions carry your players' real names.

Open in the app

How the drill runs

What you are training

Four cones in a T: forward, shuffle sideways left-right, backward; stay low.

Moving sideways without crossing the feet.
Staying low for the whole round, including the backpedal.
Changing direction without standing up first.

Coaching points

Your hips stay at the same height for the whole round.

Going up and down costs more time than the movement itself. Stand next to the player with your hand at hip height: everything that rises above it is wasted time.

In the shuffle your feet never touch.

Crossing over or clicking the feet together makes the first step back impossible. On the court that leaves you stuck at exactly the moment the ball goes the other way.

You backpedal on the balls of your feet, with a glance over your shoulder.

Backpedaling flat-footed is the classic way to fall over backwards. One glance over the shoulder every two steps is enough to know where you are.

Four to six rounds, with a minute of rest in between.

This is footwork at maximum quality. If the player starts rising up or crossing over, the set is finished — even if the number has not been reached, because from that point on he is practicing the mistake.

Variations

Easier: Only forward and backward between two cones, at an easy pace, until the posture is right. The shuffle is added after that.
Harder: Only point out which way to go once the player reaches the middle cone, or have the player finish every round with a lunge out to the side.
With twelve players: Three T's side by side and groups of four. Within a group the players run in turn, so the rest time takes care of itself.
As a game: Against the clock, but every cone not touched by hand costs two seconds. That keeps running it accurately worth more than charging through.

Volleyball drills

4 players · 6 phases SafeVolley base round Warm-up 3 players · 5 phases Shoulder activation with band Warm-up 2 players · 6 phases Dynamic movement patterns Warm-up 5 players · 5 phases Core plank with rotation Warm-up

Read on in the knowledge base: the defensive posture and position · footwork along the net when blocking · what a growth spurt does to coordination