Repeated-sprint conditioning

Setup

1. Only after a full warm-up. Never at the end of a hard session.
2. Two lanes from the halfway line, with a turn cone in each at the 10 m mark.
3. Coach (CO) with the balls in the middle; a goalkeeper in goal if available.
4. Players in pairs: one works while the other rests, then swap.

How it runs

1. Each rep: sprint to the cone, plant and turn, sprint back towards halfway, receive from CO and shoot first time. About 6 seconds of work.
2. Walk back to the start: 25 to 30 seconds' rest between reps (about 1:5).
3. 6 reps make a set. Rest 3 minutes between sets, walking and sipping water.
4. Senior squads: 3 sets. First time, or early in the season: 2 sets.
5. CO times each rep. If a player is more than 10% slower than their first rep, they stop for the day.

Coaching points

• Every rep flat out. Repeated-sprint work only counts at full speed.
• Low centre to turn: short steps into the cone, push off the outside foot.
• Keep the finish sharp even when tired. That is when games are won.
• Use the rest: walk, breathe, don't sit down.
• Stop at once and tell the coach if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, chest pain or feel sick.
• Drink water between sets.

Common mistakes

• Pacing the first reps to survive the last ones.
• Cutting the rest short to finish sooner.
• Rounding the turn instead of planting and pushing off.
• Sloppy finishing that gets ignored because it's fitness.