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Traffic Light Pace

An adult calls colors: green for jog, yellow for quicker, red for walk.

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

Set up

Start jogging on "green".

Core: 60. Beat your own steadiest pace.

Ages
7 and up
Time
10 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Adult, open grass
Level · skill
Beginner · Pacing

The steps

How it works

  1. Start jogging on "green".
  2. On "yellow", run a little quicker.
  3. On "red", walk.
  4. Play for 10 minutes and notice how each pace feels.

Coaching point

Know your colors.

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

Pace-match pairs: run beside a partner and hold the same easy pace for a count of 60. Swap who sets the pace.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (30 counts), Core (60), More (90). Beat your own steadiest pace.

Story

You are a metronome keeping a steady beat on the trail.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own steadiest pace. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

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