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    Footwork drill

    Narrowing Channel Evasion

    Find the exact width at which your evasion breaks down, and then train there.

    Time
    15 minutes
    Players
    2 to 8 players
    Intensity
    High
    Equipment
    Ball, cones
    Space
    Narrowing from 15m to 5m
    Positions
    Wings, fullbacks, centres

    Setup

    A grid you can narrow, marked with cones. One ball, two players.

    How to run it

    1. Start at a width where the attacker beats the defender comfortably, with the defender passing the ball to the attacker to begin each rep and the attacker scoring over the far line.
    2. After every five attempts, narrow the grid by 1m, and keep narrowing until the attacker's success rate collapses - that width is your current skill ceiling and it is where the useful work happens.
    3. Change your foot speed to attack space, change your running line only after the defender has committed, and if they drift, cut back inside them.
    4. Swap roles and repeat.

    Coaching cues

    • Change your line after they commit, not before
    • Vary foot speed to attack the space
    • If they drift, cut back inside

    Common mistakes

    • Only ever trying to go outside, with no cut-back option
    • Widening the grid when it gets hard, which avoids the exact width you need to train at

    All 8 footwork drills