Free drill library · Cheer

At-home cheer drills for 11 to 13 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home cheer training for 11 to 13 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 14 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of cheer for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Jumps at home 13 minutes

  1. Tuck Jump Height · 4 min
    Drive up, knees high.
  2. Straddle Leg Lifts · 5 min
    Lift from the hip, toes pointed.
  3. Pike Jump Floor Prep · 4 min
    Legs straight, reach long.

Session 2

Motions at home 13 minutes

  1. Motion Sequences on Counts · 4 min
    Hit on the number, not after.
  2. Mirror Sharpness Check · 5 min
    One fix at a time.
  3. Motion Speed Ladder · 4 min
    Sharp first, then fast.

Session 3

Jumps: Light Ball Chest Throws 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Light Ball Chest Throws · 5 min
    Step and push through the wall. Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
  3. Cone Circuit Intervals · 5 min
    Steady effort, easy walk. Safety: Bring water, go at a pace where you can still talk, and stop if you feel dizzy, sick or have chest pain.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 cheer plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Tuck Jump Height

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Build jump height and knee drive with tuck jumps.

  1. Do your jump prep.
  2. Jump straight up and pull your knees to your chest.
  3. Land with soft knees and feet together.
  4. Do 3 sets of 6 with a full rest.

Coach's cue: Drive up, knees high.

Bring: mat

Safety: Warm up first. Land on two feet with soft knees on a mat or sprung floor, never concrete. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Straddle Leg Lifts

Ages 11 and up · 8 min

Strengthen the muscles that lift your legs high in jumps.

  1. Sit in a straddle with your hands on the floor in front of you.
  2. Lift one leg off the floor, hold 2 seconds, lower.
  3. Switch legs, then try both at once.
  4. Do 3 sets of 8.

Coach's cue: Lift from the hip, toes pointed.

Bring: mat

Safety: Stretch to a gentle pull, never pain. Nobody pushes you down, and no oversplits.

Pike Jump Floor Prep

Ages 11 and up · 8 min

Build the pike jump shape sitting down: straight legs together and a long reach.

  1. Sit in a pike with legs together and toes pointed.
  2. Reach your hands past your knees with a flat back.
  3. Lift both heels off the floor for 2 seconds.
  4. Do 3 sets of 8.

Coach's cue: Legs straight, reach long.

Bring: mat

Safety: Stretch to a gentle pull, never pain. Nobody pushes you down, and no oversplits.

Motion Sequences on Counts

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Hit a chain of eight motions on the counts without a stop.

  1. Pick eight motions, one per count.
  2. Say the counts out loud and hit each motion on its number.
  3. Speed up the counts once it is clean.
  4. Do 10 run-throughs.

Coach's cue: Hit on the number, not after.

Bring: music or counter

Mirror Sharpness Check

Ages 11 and up · 8 min

Check your own motions for bent arms, soft wrists and late hits.

  1. Do one eight-count in front of a mirror or camera.
  2. Watch for one thing at a time: arms, wrists, then timing.
  3. Fix the weakest one and do it again.
  4. Do 6 checks.

Coach's cue: One fix at a time.

Bring: mirror or phone camera

Motion Speed Ladder

Ages 11 and up · 8 min

Hit the same eight-count at slow, medium and fast counts, staying sharp at every speed.

  1. Pick an eight-count of motions.
  2. Do it slow, then medium, then fast.
  3. If arms bend at fast, go back to medium.
  4. Do 5 ladders.

Coach's cue: Sharp first, then fast.

Bring: music or counter

Light Ball Chest Throws

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

Throw a light weighted ball from your chest into a wall with a step. Builds whole-body power safely.

  1. Stand 2 to 3 yards from a solid wall.
  2. Hold the ball at your chest, step forward and push it hard into the wall.
  3. Catch it on the rebound or let it drop.
  4. Do 3 sets of 6.

Coach's cue: Step and push through the wall.

Bring: light ball of 1 to 2 kg (2 to 4 lb), solid wall

Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.

Cone Circuit Intervals

Ages 10 to 14 · 15 min

Run around a cone circuit for 30 seconds, then walk for 30. Builds fitness in short, manageable bursts.

  1. Set a loop of cones about 40 yards around.
  2. Run the loop at a strong, steady pace for 30 seconds.
  3. Walk for 30 seconds.
  4. Do 2 blocks of 6 rounds with 2 minutes rest between.

Coach's cue: Steady effort, easy walk.

Bring: cones

Safety: Bring water, go at a pace where you can still talk, and stop if you feel dizzy, sick or have chest pain.

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: cheer

  • Mats or a sprung floor for stunts and tumbling; never concrete, asphalt or wet ground.
  • Stunts only with a coach and a spotter present. At home: no lifting or standing on anyone.
  • Pyramids no higher than two people (AAP).
  • Any hit to the head, or dizziness after a fall: stop, no more stunting until a doctor clears it.
  • Rest your voice: cheer from the belly and drink water.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 28 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Cheer: governing bodies, safety and development (8)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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