1. Drills
  2. Football
  3. Speed

Jump Cut in a Lane

Running back work: a lateral hop that moves you a full gap while you stay square.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Set a 5-yard-wide lane with a cone in the middle as a defender.

Core: 10. Aim for a smooth start, not a faster time.

Ages
14 and up
Time
10 min
Space
Gym or court
Bring
Football, 6 cones
Level · skill
Advanced · Speed

The steps

How it works

  1. Set a 5-yard-wide lane with a cone in the middle as a defender.
  2. Run at the cone with the ball tucked.
  3. Hop sideways to the next lane, land balanced and go upfield.
  4. Do 8 cuts each side.

Coaching point

Stay square, land ready to run.

Safety: Land softly on two feet with knees over toes. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Cone-call game: a partner calls a cone and you move to it with a smooth start. Swap callers and rest fully.

Challenge

Pick a distance: Less (5 yards), Core (10), More (15). Aim for a smooth start, not a faster time.

Story

You are a receiver leaving the line smoothly on the signal.

My best

Beat your own count

Aim for a smooth start, not a faster time. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free football week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.