At-home football drills for 11 to 13 year olds: quarterback

This is a free sample week of at-home football training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a quarterback: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 14 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 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Read and throw 13 minutes

Grip and short throws · 4 min
Fingers on the laces, front shoulder to the target
Three-step drop footwork · 5 min
Quick feet, set and balance
Throw to the hand a parent raises · 4 min
Eyes decide first, then throw

Session 2

Quarterback: Light Ball Chest Throws 14 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Light Ball Chest Throws · 5 min
Step and push through the wall. Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
Cross-Crawl Rhythm · 5 min
Smooth rhythm, opposite sides.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Quarterback: Rope Footwork Tricks 14 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Rope Footwork Tricks · 5 min
Wrists turn the rope. Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.
Light Ball Chest Throws · 5 min
Step and push through the wall. Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
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

Light Ball Chest Throws

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

Throw a light weighted ball from your chest into a wall with a step. Builds whole-body power safely.

Stand 2 to 3 yards from a solid wall.
Hold the ball at your chest, step forward and push it hard into the wall.
Catch it on the rebound or let it drop.
Do 3 sets of 6.

Coach's cue: Step and push through the wall.

Bring: light ball of 1 to 2 kg (2 to 4 lb), solid wall

Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.

Cross-Crawl Rhythm

Ages 9 to 14 · 6 min

Touch opposite hand to opposite knee and foot in a rhythm. Builds left-right coordination.

March and touch your right hand to your left knee, then left hand to right knee.
Next touch behind you: hand to opposite heel.
Mix front and back in a 4-count rhythm.
Do 4 sets of 20 touches.

Coach's cue: Smooth rhythm, opposite sides.

Bring: none

Rope Footwork Tricks

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

Learn new skipping-rope footwork: side-to-side, boxer step, one foot, high knees.

Warm up with basic two-foot skips for 30 seconds.
Learn one new trick at a time.
Do 20 clean skips of each trick.
Rest between tricks.

Coach's cue: Wrists turn the rope.

Bring: skipping rope

Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.

Safety for ages 11 to 13

Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
Tackle-football contact drills are never shown under 14; younger players keep flag and non-contact fundamentals.
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)