1. Drills
  2. Cross Country
  3. Hills & Terrain

Hill Bounding Steps

Springy, long steps up a gentle hill to build push for climbing.

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

Set up

Mark 15 yards up a gentle grassy slope.

Core: As written. Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time.

Ages
11 and up
Time
12 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Gentle grassy hill, adult
Level · skill
Developing · Hills & Terrain

The steps

How it works

  1. Mark 15 yards up a gentle grassy slope.
  2. Bound up with long, springy steps and strong arms.
  3. Walk down slowly.
  4. Do 6 trips.

Coaching point

Push off, drive the knee.

Safety: Warm up first, use a smooth gentle hill, walk down, and stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Trail follow-the-leader: one person leads a movement and the group copies. Swap the leader each time.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (slower or smaller), Core (as written), More (one extra twist). Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time.

Story

You are an explorer crossing the woods like a jungle.

My best

Beat your own count

Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time. 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

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.