W drill
Why it works
A backpedal falls apart the moment a kid gets tired or has to change direction, and both happen four times in one rep here. The catch on the end is there so the drill finishes the way a play does, with a ball, rather than with a kid jogging back to the line.
Run it
8 MINThree trips each, with a real rest between. Eight minutes. This one gets worse with fatigue faster than anything else you run, so stop it early.
Say this
“Chest over your toes.”
It is the whole backpedal in four words, and it keeps the weight forward so the plant is possible.
“Plant on the outside foot.”
The inside foot cannot push you back the other way.
“Short steps, not long ones.”
A long backpedal step is a stumble waiting for a direction change.
Good looks like
- The head stays at the same height the whole way through.
- Every plant is on the outside foot and next to the cone, not around it.
- The last sprint is as fast as the first one.
- The catch happens without slowing down for it.
The mistakes
Standing up as they get tired, which is when the hips lock and the turn stops working.
Say: “Chest over your toes.”
Rounding the cone. Make them touch it or they will drift every time.
Say: “Plant on the outside foot.”
Reaching backwards with the heels and sitting down at the first plant.
Say: “Short steps, not long ones.”
Three cones instead of five, and walk the backpedal before you run it. The shape matters more than the speed.
Coach points the direction at each cone instead of the W deciding it, so they cannot learn the pattern.