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

This is a free sample week of at-home football training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a running back: 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

Ball security cuts 13 minutes

High and tight carries through cones · 4 min
Five points of pressure on the ball
Plant and cut at a cone · 5 min
Sink the hips before the cut
Switch hands on the sideline side · 4 min
Ball always in the outside arm

Session 2

Running back: Short Sprints 14 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Short Sprints · 5 min
Drive low, then rise. Safety: Warm up first. Stop if a muscle feels tight.
Bodyweight Squat Pattern · 5 min
Knees follow the toes. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Running back: Comeback Route Catches 14 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Comeback Route Catches · 5 min
Come back to the ball. Safety: Use a clear, soft area and throw at a speed your partner can handle.
Bodyweight Squat Pattern · 5 min
Knees follow the toes. Safety: Good form beats more reps: stop the set when your form slips. Muscles may feel tired; stop if a joint hurts.
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

Short Sprints

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Build explosive speed over 10 to 20 yards.

Set cones at 10 and 20 yards.
Start in a three-point or ready stance.
Sprint at full speed to the far cone, then walk back.
Do 8 sprints with full rest.

Coach's cue: Drive low, then rise.

Bring: cones

Safety: Warm up first. Stop if a muscle feels tight.

Bodyweight Squat Pattern

Ages 9 to 14 · 8 min

Learn the body-weight squat with heels down, knees over toes and chest up. The base of lower-body strength.

Feet shoulder-width, toes slightly out.
Push hips back and bend the knees, keeping heels flat.
Go as low as you can with a flat back, then stand up.
Do 3 sets of 8 to 10, slowly.

Coach's cue: Knees follow the toes.

Bring: none

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

Comeback Route Catches

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Run up the field, stop and come back toward the ball to catch it.

Jog 8 yards up the field.
Plant, turn back toward your partner and come to the ball.
Catch with your hands out in front and tuck it.
Do 8 each side.

Coach's cue: Come back to the ball.

Bring: football, cones, partner

Safety: Use a clear, soft area and throw at a speed your partner can handle.

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)