Game version
Gate game: sell a move, then cut through a narrow gate. Pairs count clean cuts.
Explosive Cut Through a Gate
Sell a move at speed, then cut hard through a narrow gate and accelerate away.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth soccer coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Set a gate 2 steps wide at an angle 8 steps ahead.
Core: Medium. Beat your own best out of 10.
- Ages
- 14 and up
- Time
- 10 min
- Players
- Just you
- Space
- Yard or field
- Bring
- Soccer ball, 4 cones
- Level · skill
- Advanced · Dribbling
The steps
How it works
- Set a gate 2 steps wide at an angle 8 steps ahead.
- Run at the gate with the ball.
- Sell a move, then cut sharply through the gate.
- Accelerate for 5 steps. Do 6 reps each side with a full minute of rest.
Coaching point
Sell it, then go.
Safety: Warm up first and run on grass or a flat, dry surface. Full rest between sprints, and stop if anything hurts. Not on a team-training day.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Levels: Less (wide gate), Core (medium), More (narrow). Beat your own best out of 10.
Story
You are a fox slipping through a hole in the fence.
My best
Beat your own count
Beat your own best out of 10. Only your own number counts: today against last time.
Practice makes progress
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