PhysicalIsolatedMovement
Agility reaction game (under-10)
Work on reaction time and change of direction through a simple cue-based game, keeping physical demand low with the playful component front and centre.
Choose a session and the exercise is added to today’s plan.
Load
- minutes
- 8
- Intensity
- Medium
- Sets and reps
- 2 × 4
Microcycle days it fits
MD-4
Each bar’s height is that day’s dive ceiling.
Setup
- Goalkeepers
- 1
- server
- 0
- outfield player
- 0
Space: 8 × 6 m
Equipment: Markers, Balls
The coach serves and manages the breaks.
1 steps
The goalkeeper stands centred between two markers. On the coach’s cue, they move quickly to the matching marker and back to the centre, repeating it as a game.
Exercise sequence
Coaching points
- Celebrate effort and quick reaction, not just correctness — at this age, attention to the cue is what’s being trained.
- Keep sets short; losing focus is normal and is not a behaviour issue.
- Vary the cue (voice, gesture, colour) to keep the activity interesting across sessions.
- Stop as soon as movement quality drops, even short of the planned number of reps.
Progressions
- Add a third marker, forcing a choice between two directions.
- Ask them to catch a thrown ball after reaching the marker.
Regressions
- Reduce the distance between the markers and the centre.
- Announce the cue further in advance.