TOMS BLOG  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Zigzag fitness for midfielders
By David Clarke


Midfielders need to be strong runners and have the ability to move up and down a pitch quickly, whether it's at 7-a-side or 11-a-side.
So you need to give them a lot of speed fitness training drills to work on. Try to set aside 10 minutes of each coaching session to get all your players performing these drills, which you can set up quickly with just a few cones.
  • Place two lines of markers 3 yards to 5 yards apart, to form a 15 yards-long channel.
  • Your players stand at one end, with their backs to the channel.
  • They must shuffle backwards and sideways, zigzagging down the channel.
  • Get your players to maintain a low centre of gravity throughout.
  • Repeat the drill five times. Rest for 30 seconds between drill repetitions.

Shoot and defend close
By Michael Beale


This session is all about the speed of attack, and getting past defenders before they have realized where the danger is coming from. The clock starts as soon as the defender touches the ball.
Can the attackers move the ball wide and score from a cross before the defender can get organized?

You need to set up a 40 yards by 30 yards playing area using four cones and a goal. Use four players and a goalkeeper.

How to play it

  1. To start, the defender runs out and receives a pass from the central player.
    The defender quickly turns and shoots at goal.
    As soon as the defender has taken a touch, the left-sided player passes into the central player.
  2. The central player now switches the ball out to the right-sided player.
  3. The right-sided player dribbles down the line and crosses into the box.
    The left-sided and central players must try to lose the defender and score.

How to rotate your players

  • The left-sided player becomes the central player.
  • The central player becomes the right-sided player.
  • The right-sided player becomes the defender.
  • The defender becomes the left player.