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At-home football drills for 14 year olds and older: defensive back

This is a free sample week of at-home football training for 14 year olds and older, for a defensive back: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 15 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of football for 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Read and react 13 minutes

  1. Backpedal, watch the passer · 4 min
    Eyes on the shoulders
  2. Break on the throw · 5 min
    Plant and drive to the ball
  3. Catch the interception at the high point · 4 min
    Hands up, attack the ball

Session 2

Defensive back: Partner Nudge Balance 15 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Partner Nudge Balance · 5 min
    Absorb and recover. Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.
  3. Single-Leg Hinge Reach · 5 min
    Hips square, long line. Safety: Only with a coach or trained adult watching. Light load only, never a maximal lift. Stop the set when form slips.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Defensive back: Four Corner React 15 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Four Corner React · 5 min
    Hear it, see it, go. Safety: Warm up first, run on flat, dry ground and stop if a muscle feels tight. On hot days drink water and rest in the shade, and stop if you feel dizzy or get a headache. If you hear thunder, go inside.
  3. Pad Swat Ball Security · 5 min
    Catch, tuck, cover. Safety: Gentle swats at the ball only, never the body or head. Use a clear, soft area and throw at a speed your partner can handle.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 football plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Partner Nudge Balance

Ages 13 and up · 8 min

Stand on one leg on a soft pad while a partner gives gentle nudges to the shoulders. Trains quick balance reactions.

  1. Stand on one leg on a folded mat.
  2. Your partner gives small, gentle pushes from different sides.
  3. Stay steady without hopping.
  4. Do 3 rounds of 20 seconds per leg.

Coach's cue: Absorb and recover.

Bring: partner, folded mat or pad

Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.

Single-Leg Hinge Reach

Ages 13 and up · 10 min

Hinge forward on one leg while the other reaches back. Builds hamstring and hip strength plus balance.

  1. Stand on one leg with a soft knee.
  2. Hinge forward as the other leg reaches straight back, hips level.
  3. Reach down toward the shin, then return to standing.
  4. Do 3 sets of 6 each leg; hold a light weight only once the shape is solid.

Coach's cue: Hips square, long line.

Bring: light dumbbell (optional)

Safety: Only with a coach or trained adult watching. Light load only, never a maximal lift. Stop the set when form slips.

Four Corner React

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

React to a called number and attack that corner with the right footwork.

  1. Set 4 numbered cones in a 5-yard square around you.
  2. Your partner calls a number.
  3. Sprint, shuffle or backpedal to it, then back to the middle.
  4. Do 6 sets of 4 calls with rest.

Coach's cue: Hear it, see it, go.

Bring: 4 numbered cones, partner

Safety: Warm up first, run on flat, dry ground and stop if a muscle feels tight. On hot days drink water and rest in the shade, and stop if you feel dizzy or get a headache. If you hear thunder, go inside.

Pad Swat Ball Security

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

After the catch, keep the ball high and tight while a partner gently swats at it with a foam pad.

  1. A partner throws from 10 yards.
  2. Catch and tuck right away.
  3. A second partner gently swats a foam pad at the ball only.
  4. Do 15 reps and swap jobs.

Coach's cue: Catch, tuck, cover.

Bring: football, foam pad, 2 partners

Safety: Gentle swats at the ball only, never the body or head. Use a clear, soft area and throw at a speed your partner can handle.

Safety for ages 14 and up

  • Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: football

  • Helmet fitted by a coach, mouthguard and full pads for any contact.
  • A cup and well-fitted cleats.
  • Tackling and blocking contact only with a coach, in a helmet and pads. Never practise tackling at home.
  • Tackle with the head up and out of contact (shoulder tackle). Never lead with the helmet.
  • Full-contact practice is capped (USA Football: 30 minutes a day, 120 a week). Many experts advise flag before 14.
  • Hot preseason: 14 days to get used to heat and gear, water at every break, stop on dizziness or headache.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 28 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Football: governing bodies, safety and development (8)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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