Jumping Volleys + Headers + Over Shoulder Toss

Our game is played on 1 foot.  If you want plyometric exercises to develop each standing leg equally, jumping volleys are a great solution.  These functional and technical exercises are dynamic and fantastic for warm-up.

Coaching Points

• Make sure the toe of your kicking foot is pointed up as high as you can.

• Arms are out for balance and protection because anytime the ball is in the air, it presents the danger of a player knocking heads with one another and causing concussions, so we need to continually train our players that when the ball is in the air, their arms are out protecting their head. 

• This same motion of getting your arms up to protect your head follows right in with the next exercise which is jumping heading.

• The over the shoulder toss provides an opportunity for three different types of controlling the ball: laces to bring the ball down, inside of the foot, and outside of the foot.  Control the ball with the inside of the foot or the outside of the foot to change the direction.  The mantra that we often say here when you are cutting the ball back with the inside or the outside of the foot, "when your retreat get the ball outside your feet". By doing this you automatically get your body between the opponents body and the ball and this gives you time to get your head up to make a good pass on the ground as the ball has just been in the air.

Give this warm-up a try after you've done some of the triangle passing with a partner and a ball on the ground, I think you'll see great improvement in your players and help them in their touch with balls in the air and the explosion through one-legged plyometric movements.