Game version
Trail follow-the-leader: one person leads a movement and the group copies. Swap the leader each time.
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.
The steps
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
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
Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time. 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
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.