A change of direction is three moves in one: slow down, plant, push off. Most players only practise the push — but the players who feel quickest in a game are the ones who can stop fast and get low before the turn. This routine trains the whole cut, one piece at a time. It pairs with agility & reaction, which mixes cuts into shuttles and reactions.
Warm up first — movement prep or running drills. You need two or three markers and a few metres of grass or dry ground. Shoes that grip.
What each part is:
- snake runs — easy jog weaving between the markers, getting the feel of leaning in and out of turns.
- 45° cuts — jog in, plant the outside foot past the marker, push off at an angle. stay low through the plant; short quick steps in, long push out.
- 90° cuts — same plant, sharper angle. the deeper the turn, the lower the hips. don’t let the feet cross.
- sprint-cut-sprint — a few quick steps in, one sharp cut, and accelerate away hard. this is the game version: the cut only counts if you’re fast after it.
Cues: hips low into the plant, outside foot does the work, eyes up, not at the ground. If your feet slide, slow down a touch — a clean cut at 80% beats a skid at full speed.
progression. widen the angle before you add speed — a clean 90° cut is the prize. then cut on a call (“left!” at the last moment), then add a ball: dribble in, cut with the outside of the foot, burst away.
background: speed, and what it actually predicts