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

This is a free sample week of at-home football training for 14 year olds and older, for a receiver: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 14 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

Contested catches 14 minutes

High-point catches · 5 min
Catch it at the top, hands first
Sideline toe-taps · 5 min
Feet down, then secure the ball
Late-head-turn catches · 4 min
Find the ball fast, soft hands

Session 2

Receiver: Single-Leg Hinge Reaches 15 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Single-Leg Hinge Reaches · 5 min
Long line from head to heel. Safety: Use only your body weight or a light load. Good form beats more reps; stop if anything hurts.
Open-Field Leverage · 5 min
Inside-out, keep them going to the sideline. Safety: Only with a coach, in a helmet and pads. Head up and to the side, never lead with the helmet. Bags and pads only; no live tackling in this drill, and never tackle a person at home.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Receiver: Open-Field Leverage 15 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Open-Field Leverage · 5 min
Inside-out, keep them going to the sideline. Safety: Only with a coach, in a helmet and pads. Head up and to the side, never lead with the helmet. Bags and pads only; no live tackling in this drill, and never tackle a person at home.
Plank Shoulder Taps · 5 min
Hips still as a table. Safety: Keep breathing and stop when your hips sag or your back aches.
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

Single-Leg Hinge Reaches

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Balance and back-of-leg strength that help protect hamstrings when you sprint.

Stand on one leg with a soft knee.
Hinge forward and reach toward a cone while your free leg goes back.
Return to tall with control.
Do 3 sets of 8 on each leg.

Coach's cue: Long line from head to heel.

Bring: cone

Safety: Use only your body weight or a light load. Good form beats more reps; stop if anything hurts.

Open-Field Leverage

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Use the sideline as a helper and take away the cutback before fitting on a bag.

Set a 10-yard-wide lane with a bag at the end.
A partner jogs the lane then steps behind the bag.
Stay inside-out, close the space, then fit on the bag.
Do 8 reps each side.

Coach's cue: Inside-out, keep them going to the sideline.

Bring: 6 cones, partner, stand-up bag

Safety: Only with a coach, in a helmet and pads. Head up and to the side, never lead with the helmet. Bags and pads only; no live tackling in this drill, and never tackle a person at home.

Plank Shoulder Taps

Ages 13 and up · 6 min

In a high plank, tap each shoulder with the opposite hand without letting the hips rock.

Hold a push-up position with feet a little apart.
Lift one hand to tap the opposite shoulder.
Keep the hips still.
Do 3 sets of 10 taps.

Coach's cue: Hips still as a table.

Bring: mat

Safety: Keep breathing and stop when your hips sag or your back aches.

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)