The Best Right Angle Drills

Most sports require more than straight-line speed. The ability to plant and change directions quickly and efficiently is known as agility. Coaches in several sports have designed drills to develop your agility. In each of these drills you must make 90-degree cuts, which overemphasize the typical movements required in competition. The key to each drill is to sink your hips and lean forward slightly to lower your center of gravity, while accelerating your feet through the change of direction.

  1. Box Drill

    • The most common agility drill is the box drill, used most often by football coaches. Four cones are placed 5 to 10 yards apart in a square. In the most common version of the drill, you sprint to the first cone before shuffling laterally to the second cone, backpedal to the third cone and shuffle across to the starting point. At each 90-degree turn, you must accelerate your feet while decelerating the motion of the rest of your body.

    Defensive Slides

    • Defensive slides have been used by basketball coaches for decades. Each change of direction in the drill is 90 degrees -- a significant cut that is performed in a deep defensive crouch. All of the players are positioned in lines of three or four, with a coach in front directing them to move up, back, left and right in proper defensive position. Planting and changing directions while keeping a wide base with your feet is often awkward at first for many, so this drill, while simple, takes some time to master.

    Reaction Drill

    • Offensive linemen must react to the direction of the defense to carry out their assignments. The reaction drill for offensive linemen has grown in popularity and is used by coaches in the National Football League. You start in a three-point stance; on the snap, pull flat down the line of scrimmage and around a cone before running back towards your starting spot. A coach should be waiting to give you a direction. At that point, you either break to your left or right at a 90-degree angle, displaying your reaction to visual stimuli while in motion.

    Three Cone Drill

    • The three cone drill uses two 90- and one 180-degree turn to gauge a player's ability to accelerate and change directions quickly and efficiently. The three cone drill has become a staple of evaluation in both football and basketball. You begin the drill by sprinting straight ahead for 5 yards before turning 90 degrees to the right and sprinting 5 more yards. Then, execute your 180-degree turn and run the 5 yards back before making a 90-degree left-hand turn through the same position you started.