Game version
Trail follow-the-leader: one person leads a movement and the group copies. Swap the leader each time.
Build your running time a little at a time with short walks in between.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Run easy for 2 minutes.
Core: As written. Aim for smooth form and compare only with your own last time.
The steps
Coaching point
Small steps, every week.
Safety: Drink water and eat a meal or snack before and after, run in the cool part of the day, and stop and tell an adult if you feel dizzy or sick. Thunder or lightning: go inside now and wait 30 minutes after the last one.
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.
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