Star Footwork Drill
From a central cone, players move to five points of a star and back, using the right footwork for each direction. A quick warm-up that builds movement habits.
- Focus
- Shuffle, crossover and back-pedal footwork
- Level
- Beginner
- Players
- 1+
- Equipment
- 6 cones
- Time
- 5 min
Bird’s-eye view
Bird’s-eye view: the player moves from the centre cone to each point of the star and back.
📍 Setup
Place one cone in the middle and five cones about 3 m away in a star shape (left, right, front-left, front-right, back).
🪜 How to run it
- Start at the middle cone in a ready position.
- Shuffle to the left cone, touch it low, and shuffle back.
- Crossover-step to the front-right cone and back.
- Continue around the star, finishing with a back-pedal to the back cone.
- Two full stars, then rest.
🏆 Scoring
Time each star. Faster is good, but only if every cone is touched low with the right footwork.
🧑🏫 Coaching this drill
What success looks like
Low hips all the way round, quick first steps, and a balanced stop at each cone.
Coaching cues
“Stay low”“First step quick”“Stop balanced”
Common mistakes
- Standing up between cones. Fix: Keep the knees bent — imagine a low ceiling over the drill.
- Crossing the feet on short moves. Fix: Shuffle for short moves; use the crossover only for longer ones.
➖ Make it easier
Walk the pattern first, then jog it.
➕ Make it harder
A partner calls the next cone at random, or tosses a ball to pass at each cone.
When to move on
When the footwork is clean at full speed, add a ball at each cone.