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Run Through the Ribbon

Family members hold a ribbon as a finish line for you to run through.

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

Set up

Two family members hold a ribbon loosely 30 yards away.

Core: Medium. Aim for tall and relaxed.

Ages
7 and up
Time
8 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Ribbon or towel, family
Level · skill
Beginner · Finishing Kick

The steps

How it works

  1. Two family members hold a ribbon loosely 30 yards away.
  2. Jog, then speed up for the last 10 yards.
  3. Run through the ribbon and keep going 5 steps.
  4. Do 6 runs and take turns holding it.

Coaching point

Through the line, not to it.

Safety: Warm up first. Stop if a muscle feels tight or something hurts. Pain in one spot that gets worse each run, or a limp: stop and see a doctor.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Strong-finish game: build smoothly through the last stretch while a partner cheers, then jog it out together. Swap.

Challenge

Pick a stretch: Less (short), Core (medium), More (a little longer). Aim for tall and relaxed.

Story

You are a train picking up steam toward the station.

My best

Beat your own count

Aim for tall and relaxed. 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

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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