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Hop and Hold

Hop forward on one leg and hold the landing for 3 seconds. Trains the knee control that protects ligaments.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Stand on one leg.

Core: 3. Beat your own steady landings.

Ages
10 to 14
Time
8 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Soft ground
Level · skill
Developing · Running Form

The steps

How it works

  1. Stand on one leg.
  2. Hop a short distance forward.
  3. Land softly and hold for 3 seconds, knee over toes.
  4. Do 2 sets of 5 each leg.

Coaching point

Stick it like glue.

Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Hop-and-hold buddies: a partner counts the held seconds while you stick each landing. Swap.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (hold 2 seconds), Core (3), More (4). Beat your own steady landings.

Story

You are a bunny landing on a lily pad.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own steady landings. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

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