Bounce and go

A simple warm-up to get your players thinking about speed – both when running without the ball and when dribbling with the ball.

Difficulty rating ☆☆★★★

This is a simple warm up that gets players to understand why speed matters when covering ground without the ball but with the ball they can only go as fast as their dribbling skills allow.

Set up

Mark out two baselines that are set 20 yards apart. We have used eight players for this warm-up. You will need balls and cones.

How to play it

Split the players into two teams and line them up on the far side of the playing area. One player from each team starts the session.
The two rival players must jump up and down and bounce around turning this way and that but stay in the area just in front of the far line. On your call the players must react and sprint to baseline of the area to see who gets past you first. The first player past scores a point.
Once all the players have had their turn, do the same warm-up again but players now have a ball and they must bounce around until your call, when they must try to dribble past you. This time the winner is based on their dribbling skills, not their speed.

Technique

In this warm-up players must be able to master ball control before they can go at full speed. This session gets young brains thinking about when to run full pelt and when to concentrate on their dribbling skills.

1. Players jump around and turn about on the spot

2. On your call the players must now focus on where they are and sprint past you

3. The first player past the coach scores a point for the team

4. Now the players have a ball and must bounce around ready to dribble with the ball

5. Here good control and forward movement is more important than speed