Drag-back and hook turns
Transcript
The drag-back and the outside hook take the ball back the way you came. You need a ball and two cones, ten metres apart, on flat grass. Watch. Dribble out, drag it back at the far cone, then hook it round the start cone. Now the turns, up close. First, stop the ball dead with your sole, drag it back and go. The hook uses the outside of your other foot. Not this. A wide, slow turn that lets the ball run away. Then, turn tight at the cone. Our target is two laps with each turn, then mix them up. Then take the free test at footballreach.com.
What it trains
Two ways to turn and go back the way you came: the drag-back with the sole, and the outside hook with the outside of the foot. The FA lists both among its turns, so you can choose.
Set up
- A ball on flat grass
- 2 cones
- 10 m apart
Kit used here:
Training football
Training footballPU-covered training football in size 4 or size 5, in a choice of designs.Trend Checkout, our own shop - opens in a new tab, Disc cones
Disc conesFlat disc cones, about 19 cm across, for gates, boxes and grids. Packs of 10, or 50 with a carry bag.Trend Checkout, our own shop - opens in a new tab. Sold by Trend Checkout, our own online shop (run by Apps 365 Ltd, the company behind Football Reach). Any similar kit works just as well.
How it works
- Put 2 cones 10 m apart on flat grass. Start at one cone with the ball.
- Dribble to the far cone, turn, dribble back and turn again at the start cone. That is one lap.
- Drag-back: stop the ball dead with your sole, drag it back past your standing foot, spin round and go.
- Outside hook: step past the ball, turn your toe out and hook it back with the outside of your foot as you spin.
- Do 2 laps with each turn, using either foot (our target). Then mix them up: choose your turn at each cone, as in the video.
Coaching points
- Stop it dead, then go. Put your sole on top of the ball to stop it dead, drag it back past your standing foot, then spin after it and go. Keep the ball close and keep a tight turning circle, as the FA's turning session puts it.
- Turn tight at the cone. At the cone, step past the ball with your toe turned out and hook it back with the outside of your foot as you spin. Turn tight to the cone and take the ball away.
Not this
A wide, slow turn. The ball runs away from you, and you need extra touches to catch it before you can go.
Dose
- 2 laps with each turn
- Then mix them up
Our target: 2 laps with each turn, then mix them up: our own target, not an FA or FIFA rule.
Harder / Easier
Harder
Use your weaker foot for both turns, and turn without slowing down. Then add the inside hook: hook the ball back with the inside of your foot and turn the other way.
Easier
Walk it first: stop the ball, then do each turn slowly from standing. Then add a slow dribble, and shorten the lane to 5 m.
Safety
- Flat, dry grass with clear space around the lane, never a road or a driveway.
- Your sole goes on top of the ball, so start slowly and use grass or a non-slip surface, never a polished floor.
Sources
Not sure which skill to work on first? The free Football Reach test gives you a Player Development Score and shows which of the four corners of your game to work on next, in about two minutes.
Take the free test
