Sprint Genny

by Craig Conover
(Palo Alto, CA)

I like to incorporate as much sprint training into my drills as possible so I construct drills such that those with the most hustle are rewarded.

Sprint Genny is a variation on the popular West Genny drill (3 v 2 short field competition). If you are not familiar with that drill, read up on that first.

Instead of the goalie feeding the 3 man offense, the coach stands at midfield and rolls a ball out to the middle and 3 players from each team (on the ground, face down on their chests) sprint from their own goal line extended to the opposite goal line extended and then back to the ball.

The team that fails to gain possession drops the player furthest from the ball (rewards the fastest players with playing time).

Then proceed with the 3 v 2. In this version of the drill, the players shoot against the goal that they started the sprint next to (opposite of traditional West Genny drill).

Kids love West Gennys and hate sprints, but when you combine the two, you don't hear any complaining. Just a lot of heavy breathing happy players.

Safety Rule: put in a "no hitting" rule so that no one gets their clock cleaned go for the ground ball. Remember, they will be running at near top speeds at each other.