What Is Lateral Change of Direction?
Lateral Change of Direction (COD) = your ability to stop, plant, and explode sideways with control.
Think: cutting on a dime, locking someone down on defense, or reacting in open space.
Why It Matters:
✅ Game-Speed Agility – React faster, cover ground, and stay balanced.
✅ Joint & Tendon Strength – Build the structure to handle quick stops and cuts.
✅ Sport-Specific Skill – Shows up in football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse & more.
How To Train It:
Start in an athletic stance (hips back, chest tall).
1️⃣ Shuffle or hop laterally
2️⃣ At a cue, plant off your outside foot
3️⃣ Explode back the other way—quick and clean
Key Coaching Cues:
- Stay Low – Hips loaded = quicker redirection
- Push, Don’t Reach – Drive off the outside leg
- Eyes Up – Scan the field or court, don’t look down
Try These Variations:
- Mirror Drill – React to a partner’s movements
- Cone Touch & Cut – Redirections with precision
- Pause-and-Go – Stick the plant before exploding
Why This Drill Works:
Lateral COD trains control in chaos.
It sharpens your ability to redirect momentum and make plays in tight windows.
Final Take:
Speed isn’t just forward.
If you can stop and explode sideways—you become harder to guard and harder to stop.
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