West Ham 1v1 high-intensity drill

Even in amateur football, a team’s fitness level is crucial. However, fitness drills can be boring. This high-intensity drill will increase your players’ fitness and speed while they have fun.

Setup

You don’t need a football pitch, but you need enough space for the players and goals. In addition, you will need cones, agility poles, two small goals, and a good number of balls. Use cones if you can’t get hold of goals or agility poles. Set the circuit as shown in the picture above.

This high-intensity football drill can be practiced with as few as 2 players and a third player to pass the ball. However, practicing it with 6 players and a helper is best. This last configuration provides intensity while giving enough time for each pair of players to pick up the balls, regroup and start the circuit again. So this football drill is ideal for training sessions with low attendance.

If your entire squad attends training, you can have up to 4 groups (24 players) running this drill simultaneously on a full football pitch.

Instructions

This is a high-intensity drill. Therefore, it is recommended that you practice it after you have completed a good warm-up. The instructions for this exercise are:

• Divide the players into two teams (red and blue in the picture).
• 2 players at a time will compete for that ball, so match up the players in 1v1 pairs.
• The coach, goalkeeper, or an injured player assists by passing the ball to the players when they pass through the main gate opposite the assistant.
• Blue players defend the goal on their right and attack the goal on their left.
• Red players defend the goal on their left and attack the goal on their right.
• Players must way with one foot in the cone marking the start.
• The assistant will shout “GO” to start each matchup.
• In their first matchup, the blue player will run to their first agility pole on the right, while the blue player will do the same on their left.
• In their second matchup, the blue player will run to their second agility pole on the right, while the blue player will do the same on their left.
• After passing the agility pole, they must run through the main gate opposite the assistant.
• As soon as one of the players crosses the main gate, the assistant will throw the ball on the field.
• Players will compete for the ball.
• The first player to reach the ball will have a chance to score but can only use a maximum of two touches.
• The player coming late to the ball will attempt to defend their goal.
• Sliding tackles are not allowed.
• Once players complete two matchups with one player, they match up against a different player and start again.
• The drill finishes when every possible matchup has been completed. In total, players should complete 4 rounds on the circuit.
• The team scoring more goals wins.
• The player scoring the most goals is the man of the day 😊

If the instructions above and the picture are not clear, watch the video below.

Takeaways

The focus is on fitness and speed and having fun. However, this high-intensity football drill will develop the following skills:

• Fitness. This game is physically demanding.
• Speed and reaction. Players must sprint through stations to get to the ball. Then they should quickly react to shoot or block a shot.
• Defensive skills in 1v1 situations without sliding tackles.
• Shooting accuracy. Because the game is played with small goals, it encourages a clinical finish.
• First touch. Players must improve their first touch to control the ball and shoot quickly.