T-Drill
Agility & Change of Direction
Legend
- player
- cones
- movement path
How it works
Sprint, shuffle laterally, and backpedal through a T-shaped cone pattern to build multidirectional speed and body control.
What you need
- cones
Your focus
The T-drill tests the three movement planes that matter in every field sport: linear acceleration, lateral deceleration, and backward running. The pattern forces a sharp hip drop at each cone , the same movement that happens when a defender breaks on a cut, a wrestler scrambles, or a volleyball player dives. Timed repetitions give athletes a repeatable benchmark for tracking agility improvement.
Set up 4 cones: one Start cone, one Center cone 10 yards ahead, one Left cone 5 yards left of Center, one Right cone 5 yards right of Center.
Athlete starts at the Start cone in an athletic stance.
Sprint forward to the Center cone and touch it with the right hand.
Shuffle left to the Left cone and touch it with the left hand, do not cross your feet.
Shuffle right all the way to the Right cone (passing through Center) and touch it with the right hand.
Shuffle left back to the Center cone.
Backpedal to the Start cone.
Record time. Rest 90 seconds and repeat. Run 3 timed trials.
Goal
You've got it when you complete the pattern without standing upright at any cone and your time drops below 10 seconds.
Helpful cues
- Stay low through every shuffle, don't stand up at the cones
- Touch the cone, don't kick it
- Drive hard off the outside foot when reversing direction
- Keep your eyes forward, not down
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Reduce the distance, 7 yards to Center, 3 yards to each side.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Call 'Left' or 'Right' after the athlete reaches Center, they can't anticipate which direction first.No account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.