Free drill library · Football

At-home football drills for 7 to 10 year olds: receiver

This is a free sample week of at-home football training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a receiver: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 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 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Receiver: Toss to Yourself 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Toss to Yourself · 4 min
    Watch it in.
  3. Rope Skipping Rhymes · 4 min
    Small jumps, steady beat. 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.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 2

Receiver: Bear Crawl Trail 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Bear Crawl Trail · 4 min
    Flat back like a table. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
  3. Pillow Path Balance · 4 min
    Soft knees, steady steps. Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Receiver: Falling Starts 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Falling Starts · 4 min
    Fall forward, then fast feet. 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. Bear Crawl Trail · 4 min
    Flat back like a table. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
  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

Toss to Yourself

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

Practice watching the ball into your hands with easy tosses to yourself.

  1. Toss the ball a little above your head.
  2. Make a diamond with your thumbs and catch it.
  3. Look at the tip of the ball as it lands in your hands.
  4. Do 30 catches, then 10 low ones with pinkies together.

Coach's cue: Watch it in.

Bring: football

Rope Skipping Rhymes

Ages 6 to 10 · 8 min

Skip rope to a rhyme or song with breaks. Builds stamina, rhythm and springy feet.

  1. Skip to a rhyme or song for 30 seconds.
  2. Rest for 30 seconds.
  3. Try a new rhyme or a new step each round.
  4. Do 8 rounds.

Coach's cue: Small jumps, steady beat.

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.

Bear Crawl Trail

Ages 6 to 10 · 6 min

Crawl like a bear on hands and feet along a trail. Builds arm, shoulder and tummy strength through play.

  1. Set a start and finish 10 steps apart.
  2. Get on hands and feet, knees just off the ground.
  3. Crawl forward with a flat back, then backward.
  4. Do 4 trips.

Coach's cue: Flat back like a table.

Bring: open space

Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.

Pillow Path Balance

Ages 5 to 10 · 8 min

Step across a path of cushions on the floor without stepping off. Wobbly ground trains the ankles.

  1. Lay cushions in a path on a soft floor or grass.
  2. Step from cushion to cushion.
  3. Try it slowly, then on one foot per cushion.
  4. Do 5 trips.

Coach's cue: Soft knees, steady steps.

Bring: cushions or pillows

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

Falling Starts

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Lean forward until you almost fall, then let your legs catch you and sprint ten yards.

  1. Stand tall on a line with your feet together.
  2. Lean your whole body forward like a tree tipping over.
  3. When you feel yourself falling, drive your knees and sprint 10 yards.
  4. Walk back and do 8 starts.

Coach's cue: Fall forward, then fast feet.

Bring: 2 cones

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.

Safety for ages 7 to 10

  • Plans for this age group use beginner 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)

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