How a full back should train

Hill sprints

Low-impact way to build sprint power and drive mechanics.

Tempo runs

Extends your aerobic base so you repeat sprints late in games.

Single-leg RDL

Loads the hamstring at length on one leg, and trains the balance a two-legged hinge never asks for.

Stride-outs

Primes fast running mechanics without the strain of all-out sprints.

Setup: A wall and a ball. 5–8m back.

1. 1. Pass firmly against the wall with the inside of the foot.
2. 2. Take the return with your far foot, away from where a defender would be.
3. 3. Play it back first time, alternating feet every rep.

Volume: 5 × 60 seconds, alternating feet

Coaching point: Your first touch decides the pass — set the ball outside your body, not under it.

Make it harder: Move closer to speed it up, or restrict yourself to two touches, then one.

Setup: The flank, a goal, cones or targets in the box.

1. 1. Drive 10m down the line, then cross first time off the run.
2. 2. Vary between the near post, the penalty spot and the back post.
3. 3. Whip it — the ball should be moving away from the keeper.

Volume: 5 × 6 crosses each side

Coaching point: Look up once, then cross to the picture — don't stare at the ball.

Make it harder: Add a defender pressing, forcing you to cross earlier.

Setup: A 10×15m channel, an attacker with a ball.

1. 1. Close the ground quickly, then slow into a side-on stance.
2. 2. Show them onto their weaker foot and toward the touchline.
3. 3. Tackle only when the ball is away from their body.

Volume: 8 × 30 seconds, alternating roles

Coaching point: Get there fast, arrive slow. Diving in is how you get beaten.

Make it harder: Shrink the channel; give the attacker a two-touch limit.

Setup: Four cones in a 5m square.

1. 1. Get into a side-on stance, knees bent, weight on the balls of your feet.
2. 2. Shuffle between the cones without crossing your feet, staying side-on throughout.
3. 3. On the last cone, turn and sprint 5m as if the attacker has knocked it past you.

Volume: 8 × 20 seconds, 40 seconds rest

Coaching point: Side-on and patient. A defender who squares up has already committed, and the first touch past you decides the duel.

Make it harder: Have someone point the direction late, or add a ball to shepherd rather than a cone to touch.

Setup: A ball and 40m of space, with a target — a goal, a tree, a cone.

1. 1. Take a settling touch across your body, then strike through the bottom of the ball with your laces.
2. 2. Aim to land it in a 5m target zone, not just to hit it far.
3. 3. Alternate feet every five, and half of them off one touch.

Volume: 5 × 10 passes

Coaching point: The settling touch decides the pass. If it is under your feet you will scoop it; set it half a metre across yourself.

Make it harder: Reduce to one touch entirely, or aim for a partner's chest rather than a zone.

Setup: A ball, a wall to rebound off, and space in front of you.

1. 1. Play the ball against the wall so it returns at an awkward height.
2. 2. Clear it first time — high, long and wide, never straight back down the middle.
3. 3. Reset your feet between every rep rather than standing still.

Volume: 4 × 12 clearances, both feet

Coaching point: Height, distance, width — in that order. A clearance that stays in the box is a second chance for them.

Make it harder: Take them under pressure from a closing partner, or off a bouncing ball rather than a rolling one.

Setup: A ball, three cones down a wing, and a target in the box.

1. 1. Start with the ball, play it wide to a cone, then sprint the overlap outside it.
2. 2. Collect, take one touch to set, and cross first-time on the second.
3. 3. Alternate between a whipped near-post ball and a cut-back.

Volume: 12 crosses, 6 of each type

Coaching point: The sprint is the drill. Crossing fresh teaches you nothing about crossing on 70 minutes and a lung-buster.

Make it harder: Time the run against a stopwatch, or cross first-time with no setting touch.