- Conditioning for kids
- Football, 7 to 10 year olds
Football conditioning for 7 to 10 year olds
Football conditioning for 7 to 10 year olds at home means speed and strength through 38 drills picked for the age. At 7 to 10, football conditioning is body weight, in short bursts and games: a session stays within 30 minutes at 7 and 8 and within 45 at 9 and 10, on at most 3 to 4 days a week. 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 7 to 10 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
A parent's page. Free to read; no card to start; running a team is always free.
At a glance
- The drills
- 38 physical-focus football drills work at home for 7 to 10 year olds, 9 of them football's own. 9 of them are jump, bound or sprint drills, which a plan limits.
- How it is built
- At 7 to 10, football conditioning is body weight, in short bursts and games: a session stays within 30 minutes at 7 and 8 and within 45 at 9 and 10, on at most 3 to 4 days a week.
- Load rules
- A plan of 7 to 13 year olds holds at most one jump, bound or sprint drill, so legs recover between sessions. No weights, bands or machines: body weight, a ball and open space.
- What you need
- Most used: cones (7 of the 38 drills), music (2), wall (2), ball (1), balloon (1), boxes or cones as targets (1), bucket or target (1), chalk or tape (1). 6 drills need nothing but space. 4 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.
football's own
Football conditioning drills for 7 to 10 year olds
These drills build the body for football itself: speed and strength. Every one is open to 7 to 10 year olds 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 7 to 10 year olds.
catching
Catching
speed
Speed
strength
Strength
A 25-minute session
A conditioning session for 7 to 10 year olds
A warm-up, 1 drill and a cool-down: 25 minutes. A plan of 7 to 13 year olds holds at most one jump, bound or sprint drill, so legs recover between sessions.
- 1Football Warm-Up, Ages 7 to 10An 8-minute moving warm-up for football players aged 7 to 10: easy running, moving stretches, balance and soft landings, then football moves. Before practice, never still stretches first.8 min
- 2Bodyweight Strength CircuitGood form beats more reps.12 min
- 3Football Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 7 to 10A 5-minute cool-down for football players aged 7 to 10 after training: an easy walk, then gentle stretches for the legs, hips and shoulders, each held for a slow count of 10.5 min
Healthy load
How much football conditioning is healthy for 7 to 10 year olds
At 7 to 10, football conditioning is body weight, in short bursts and games: a session stays within 30 minutes at 7 and 8 and within 45 at 9 and 10, on at most 3 to 4 days a week.
A plan of 7 to 13 year olds holds at most one jump, bound or sprint drill, so legs recover between sessions.
No weights, bands or machines: body weight, a ball and open space.
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 6 to 12 are the "sampling years": high play, low deliberate practice.
Côté and Vierimaa 2014Organized 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 7 to 10 year olds?
At 7 to 10, football conditioning is body weight, in short bursts and games: a session stays within 30 minutes at 7 and 8 and within 45 at 9 and 10, on at most 3 to 4 days a week. The 38 drills below are physical-focus football drills that work at home.
What football conditioning drills can 7 to 10 year olds do at home?
A few to start with: Quick Line Hops, Stance and Start and Towel Tail Chase. Most used: cones (7 of the 38 drills), music (2), wall (2), ball (1), balloon (1), boxes or cones as targets (1), bucket or target (1), chalk or tape (1). 6 drills need nothing but space. 4 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.