Jumping Diamond then Accelerate

Focus

Fitness Conditioning.

Skills

Footwork & Agility.

Purpose

A warm-up drill for the calves, focusing on sharp footwork

Difficulty

Basic

Players

5⁺

Balls

Cones

Setup
Players line up along baseline and need a 1.5m circle of space to either side. Form 2 lines if too tight a squeeze.
Step 1
On 'go!', players run 5m forward. The running component is as follows:-

Defensive third - 50% pace

Centre-court - 75% pace

Goal third - 100% pace
Step 2
5m (half-way) into the defensive third, start the first footwork component, as follows:-

Low jump on the spot, then step back+left

Medium jump on the spot, then step back+right

High jump and step forward+right, then another high jump and step forward+left to return to the original spot
Step 3
Once a player completes the jumping diamond, resume the running component by running to the transverse line

Players should regain formation during the running component so they're all parallel

Remember, running intensity increases further down-court
Step 4
Continue 5m runs then jumps until players reach the baseline. Repeat back down the court but this time jog backwards