APX Performance Lab

Young players only know one turn.

That’s the problem.

There are actually two different types of direction change — a sharp cut and a wide turn — and each one needs different mechanics. Plant and explode for the sharp cut. More steps and control through the wide one. Miss the difference and you’re always a step slow.

Comment GUIDE below 👇 — we’ll send you the five biggest faults we see in young football players.

Most young players lose speed with this arm fault.

If your arms twist across your body when you sprint, you’re bleeding force with every stride.

Arm drive isn’t just for balance — it’s part of the chain that transfers power into your speed.

Note: the reason we do it is because we see lots of over swinging in front of the body in footballers so the bands are a cue/feel to try and use the back more - when we think about arm drive it’s big at the back and small at the front

Comment GUIDE below 👇 we’ll send you the five biggest faults we see in young players’ sprint mechanics

Most young players leak power when they sprint.

It’s not their legs — it’s their core. When your tummy muscles aren’t strong enough to resist rotation, every arm swing pulls power sideways instead of forward.

That’s what this drill trains: the brace before the twist, so your arm swing stays straight — not across — when it matters in a game.

Most young players lose power before they even move.

It starts at the hip. Load it properly and you get a fast, explosive first step. Skip that load and you’re stuck — no matter how quick your feet look.

Elastic, snappy, out the gate. That’s the difference between wasted reps and real speed.

Comment GUIDE below 👇 — we’ll send you the five biggest faults we see in young football players.

Most young players get their first step wrong.

It’s not about how much effort you put in — it’s about where your foot lands. Toes too high on that first step, and you’re pushing your force down instead of back. Keep it low, drive back, and that’s where real acceleration starts.

Comment GUIDE below 👇 — we’ll send you the five biggest faults we see in young football players.

Most young athletes cut their knee drive short.

It looks like effort, but if the range of motion isn’t full — heel to glute, hip fully driven — the power output drops with it.

Full hip drive is what turns a drill into real acceleration. Half a rep trains half the speed.

Comment GUIDE below 👇 — We’ll send you the five biggest faults we see in young football players

Young players don’t know this about contact.

It’s not about being bigger — it’s about being in control. Drop your hips, hold a strong position, and use a little push from your legs to create separation. That’s what turns contact into a touch, a cross, and a finish.

Comment GUIDE below 👇 — we’ll send you the five biggest faults we see in young football players.

Technical but physically behind.

If your child is technically excellent — great passing, first touch, finishing — but the physical side of their game isn’t matching it, that’s not a lack of ability. It’s a missing piece of training most clubs never address.

Technical and physical development are two separate skills. The earlier this gap is closed, the more their technical ability gets to actually shine.

That’s exactly what APX is built for — a $99 assessment covering acceleration, top speed, and change of direction, followed by a report built specifically for your child. No general programs. No wasted time.

📩 Send us a message and we’ll get your child’s journey started.

Most young footballers stop before they cut.

That hesitation kills your speed — explosive players load and explode through the ball instead of stopping into it.

Where you plant your leg decides whether you redirect clean or leak power on the turn.

Comment GUIDE below 👇 — We’ll send you the five biggest faults we see in young football players.

Most young players don’t know this defending secret

You don’t need to foul to win the ball back. Strong, fair contact — where you load your leg and drive through the challenge — is completely legal, and it’s often the difference between a defender who gets skipped past and one who doesn’t.

It’s not aggression. It’s technique: load, drive, step in front, hold your ground.

Comment GUIDE below 👇 — We’ll send you the five biggest faults we see in young football players