Game version
Ladder-and-catch pairs: one does the pattern while the other tosses. Swap after each pass.
Run a footwork pattern while a partner tosses you a ball to catch and return. Feet and hands working together.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Step through the ladder with a chosen pattern.
Core: Medium. Beat your own best.
The steps
Coaching point
Feet keep going.
Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
Make it fun
Game version
Ladder-and-catch pairs: one does the pattern while the other tosses. Swap after each pass.
Challenge
Pick a level: Less (an easy pattern), Core (medium), More (add a spin). Beat your own best.
Story
You are an acrobat in the circus.
My best
Beat your own best. Only your own number counts: today against last time.
Practice makes progress
Free for families and teams
Sign up and the free cross country week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.
14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free
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An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.