Conditioning for kids
Football, 14 year olds and older

Football conditioning for 14 year olds and older

Football conditioning for 14 year olds and older at home means speed and strength through 80 drills picked for the age. From 14, conditioning can be most of a session: up to 75 minutes from 15, on up to 5 days a week, 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 14 year olds and older, 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: 80 physical-focus football drills work at home for 14 year olds and older, 29 of them football's own. 20 of them are jump, bound or sprint drills, which a plan limits.
How it is built: From 14, conditioning can be most of a session: up to 75 minutes from 15, on up to 5 days a week, with rest days between.
Load rules: Box jumps and contact drills open at 14 for practice with a coach; neither is ever in an at-home plan. Loaded lifting is not in an at-home plan: strength work with weights is for a coach or trainer in a gym.
What you need: Most used: cones (34 of the 80 drills), mat (5), stopwatch (5), wall (5), soft ground (4), ball (2), solid wall (2), agility ladder (1). 5 drills need nothing but space. 12 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.

football's own

Football conditioning drills for 14 year olds and older

These drills build the body for football itself: speed and strength. Every one is open to 14 year olds and older by the app's age gates and works at home with one parent.

speed

Speed

strength

Strength

Every sport

Athletic drills football players share

Speed, balance and control carry across sports. These athletic drills are the same for every sport, picked from the ones open to 14 year olds and older.

catching

Catching

speed

Speed

strength

Strength

A 40-minute session

A conditioning session for 14 year olds and older

A warm-up, 2 drills and a cool-down: 40 minutes. Box jumps and contact drills open at 14 for practice with a coach; neither is ever in an at-home plan.

1Football Warm-Up, Ages 14 and UpA 12-minute moving warm-up for football players 14 and up: moving stretches, strength, single-leg control, cuts and build-up runs, then football moves at practice speed.12 min
2Short SprintsDrive low, then rise.12 min
3Wall Drive MarchStraight line from head to heel.8 min
4Football Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 14 and UpA 8-minute cool-down for football players 14 and up after training: stretches for the legs, hips, shoulders and inner thighs, each held 20 to 30 seconds, never to pain.8 min

Healthy load

How much football conditioning is healthy for 14 year olds and older

From 14, conditioning can be most of a session: up to 75 minutes from 15, on up to 5 days a week, with rest days between.

Box jumps and contact drills open at 14 for practice with a coach; neither is ever in an at-home plan.

Loaded lifting is not in an at-home plan: strength work with weights is for a coach or trainer in a gym.

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

Ages 13 to 15 are the "specializing years", after the sampling years of 6 to 12.
Côté and Vierimaa 2014
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

Questions and answers

What is football conditioning for 14 year olds and older?

From 14, conditioning can be most of a session: up to 75 minutes from 15, on up to 5 days a week, with rest days between. The 80 drills below are physical-focus football drills that work at home.

What football conditioning drills can 14 year olds and older do at home?

A few to start with: Timed 40-Yard Dash, Build-Up Strides and Chalk Ladder In-and-Outs. Most used: cones (34 of the 80 drills), mat (5), stopwatch (5), wall (5), soft ground (4), ball (2), solid wall (2), agility ladder (1). 5 drills need nothing but space. 12 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.