1. Drills
  2. Cross Country
  3. Race Tactics

Start Line Plan

Practice a calm start so you do not go out too fast.

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

Set up

Line up with a partner behind a cone line.

Core: Two. Compare only with your own last plan.

Ages
7 and up
Time
8 min
Players
You and a partner
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Cones, partner
Level · skill
Beginner · Race Tactics

The steps

How it works

  1. Line up with a partner behind a cone line.
  2. On "Go", run 30 yards at a controlled speed.
  3. Settle into easy pace and jog 1 minute.
  4. Do 4 starts.

Coaching point

Controlled start, then settle.

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

Course planner: walk a short course with a partner and decide together where to settle and where to surge. Then jog the plan together.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (one surge), Core (two), More (three). Compare only with your own last plan.

Story

You are explorers with a map, planning the best path.

My best

Beat your own count

Compare only with your own last plan. 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.