5-10-5 Drill: How to Run the Pro Agility Shuttle
Updated · Fact checked
The 5-10-5 is the 20 yard shuttle from the NFL Combine. You start straddling a line, sprint 5 yards one way and touch, sprint 10 yards back the other way and touch, then finish 5 yards through the start. It is three short sprints joined by two hard stops.
On NFL.com, Gil Brandt wrote that with running backs, quickness is king, and that a back's burst can be measured through the shuttle run. It is a test, but you can also train with it: every rep practices stopping and restarting at full effort.
How to do it
Straddle the middle line
Feet wide, one hand down, hips low, with the middle line under you and cones 5 yards to each side.
First 5 yards
Turn and drive to the first line. Plant the outside foot past it and touch the line with your outside hand.
Back 10 yards
Push off hard, sprint 10 yards back past the middle to the far line, then plant and touch again.
Finish 5 yards
Push off and sprint through the middle line without slowing down. Alternate the first direction each rep.
- Sets and reps
- 4 full shuttles (20 yards each), max effort, 120 seconds rest; 3 or 4 in season.
- Equipment
- 3 cones or lines 5 yards apart, Stopwatch or timing app (optional)
- Muscles and skills
- Glutes, Adductors, Quads
- Used in these 440 plans
- Running Back, Linebacker, Athlete
Coaching cues and common mistakes
Coaching cues
- Low, wide 3-point start
- Plant the outside foot beyond the line, hips low
- Touch with the outside hand and push out
Common mistakes
- Standing up before the turn
- Rounding the cut
- Touching with the wrong hand and turning the hips too far
The stance and the first step
At the combine the shuttle starts from a three-point stance over the middle line. Set your feet wider than for a straight sprint, put a hand down and keep your hips low. On the start, turn and push toward the first line without standing up.
Winning the turns
Each turn is a full stop. Plant the outside foot just beyond the line with your hips low, touch the line with your outside hand and push back the way you came. Combine rules require a touch at each stop except the finish, so get used to touching every rep, not reaching at the line.
The common errors are standing up before the turn, rounding the turn instead of planting, and turning the hips too far so you have to unwind them before you can go. If your time stalls, film the turns from the side and check your hips stay low through each plant.
Who runs it in 440
440 uses the 5-10-5 as the change of direction drill in the running back plan, and it is in the linebacker and ATH plans as well. The Atlanta Falcons' guide to the combine drills calls shuttle performance vital for running backs, offensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs.
FAQ
Is the 5-10-5 the same as the pro agility shuttle?
Yes. The 5-10-5, pro agility shuttle, short shuttle and 20 yard shuttle are names for the same drill: 5 yards one way, 10 yards back and 5 yards through the start line.
How often should you run the 5-10-5?
In 440's plan it shows up on speed days: 4 full shuttles at max effort with 2 minutes of rest. In season it stays at 4 on the change of direction day and drops to 3 on the top speed day.
More running back drills
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Build my position planSources
- What does the combine data mean? Depends on your position (Gil Brandt, 2011-02-24), NFL.com
- NFL Combine: What you need to know about the shuttle drills (Deepi Sidhu, 2020-02-21), Houston Texans (houstontexans.com)
- Training to Improve Pro-Agility Performance: A Systematic Review (Forster, Uthoff, Rumpf, Cronin, J Hum Kinet 2022;85:35), PMC / Journal of Human Kinetics
- Breaking Down the NFL Combine Drills (Andrew Hirsh, 2017-02-26), Atlanta Falcons (atlantafalcons.com)
Program numbers (benchmarks, sets, reps, loads, protein targets) are 440 Football's own prescriptions. For athletes 13 and older; check with a physician or a registered dietitian before major training or diet changes.