1. Conditioning for kids
  2. Diving, 11 to 13 year olds

Diving conditioning for 11 to 13 year olds

Diving conditioning for 11 to 13 year olds at home means line & form, takeoff and approach & start through 18 drills picked for the age. At 11 to 13, conditioning can build: a session may run to 45 minutes at 11 and 60 at 12 and 13, on up to 5 days, with rest days between. Why: Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week (NATA youth sport specialization recommendations).

For parents and coaches: the physical drills that work at home for 11 to 13 year olds, one session to follow and the load rules the app applies to the age group.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated November 5, 2026

Start your free trial Or build a free week first, no account

A parent's page. Free to read; no card to start; running a team is always free.

At a glance

The drills
18 physical-focus diving drills work at home for 11 to 13 year olds, 14 of them diving's own. 5 of them are jump, bound or sprint drills, which a plan limits.
How it is built
At 11 to 13, conditioning can build: a session may run to 45 minutes at 11 and 60 at 12 and 13, on up to 5 days, with rest days between.
Load rules
Still at most one jump, bound or sprint drill in a plan, so the legs have a day to recover. Box jumps and depth jumps wait until 14, and loaded lifting is not in an at-home plan.
What you need
Most used: mat (7 of the 18 drills), mat or grass (4), low step (1), rail (1), soft ground (1), step or stair (1), tape or chalk (1), tape or chalk line (1). 1 is for two, and a parent can be the partner.

diving's own

Diving conditioning drills for 11 to 13 year olds

These drills build the body for diving itself: line & form, takeoff and approach & start. Every one is open to 11 to 13 year olds by the app's age gates and works at home with one parent.

line & form

Line & Form

takeoff

Takeoff

approach & start

Approach & Start

spin & flight

Spin & Flight

Every sport

Athletic drills diving players share

Speed, balance and control carry across sports. These athletic drills are the same for every sport, picked from the ones open to 11 to 13 year olds.

line & form

Line & Form

A 26-minute session

A conditioning session for 11 to 13 year olds

A warm-up, 1 drill and a cool-down: 26 minutes. Still at most one jump, bound or sprint drill in a plan, so the legs have a day to recover.

  1. 1Diving Warm-Up, Ages 11 to 13A 10-minute moving warm-up for diving players aged 11 to 13: running, moving stretches, plank, balance, landings and build-up runs, then diving moves, with a note on growth spurts.10 min
  2. 2Hurdle Knee Drive HopsKnee up, arms up, land quiet.10 min
  3. 3Diving Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 11 to 13A 6-minute cool-down for diving players aged 11 to 13 after training: stretches for the legs, hips, arms and sides, each held 15 to 20 seconds, never to pain, with growth-spurt notes.6 min

Healthy load

How much diving conditioning is healthy for 11 to 13 year olds

At 11 to 13, conditioning can build: a session may run to 45 minutes at 11 and 60 at 12 and 13, on up to 5 days, with rest days between.

Still at most one jump, bound or sprint drill in a plan, so the legs have a day to recover.

Box jumps and depth jumps wait until 14, and loaded lifting is not in an at-home plan.

Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week. (NATA youth sport specialization recommendations).

The research behind it

Questions and answers

What is diving conditioning for 11 to 13 year olds?

At 11 to 13, conditioning can build: a session may run to 45 minutes at 11 and 60 at 12 and 13, on up to 5 days, with rest days between. The 18 drills below are physical-focus diving drills that work at home.

What diving conditioning drills can 11 to 13 year olds do at home?

A few to start with: Pike Stretch Routine, Straddle Stretch and Ankle Point and Flex. Most used: mat (7 of the 18 drills), mat or grass (4), low step (1), rail (1), soft ground (1), step or stair (1), tape or chalk (1), tape or chalk line (1). 1 is for two, and a parent can be the partner.