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

This is a free sample week of at-home football training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a running back: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 11 to 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

Circle the cones 11 minutes

  1. Weave through cones with the ball · 4 min
    Ball tucked high and tight
  2. Circle each cone, face the next · 4 min
    Small steps around the turn
  3. Cone sprint relay · 3 min
    Walk back to rest

Session 2

Running back: High and Low Catches 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. High and Low Catches · 4 min
    Hands first, then tuck it away.
  3. Towel Tail Chase · 4 min
    Change speed to escape. Safety: Grab the towel only, never the shirt or body. 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.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Running back: 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. Overarm Target Throw · 4 min
    Point, step, throw. Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
  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

High and Low Catches

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Learn the right hand shape for balls above and below your waist.

  1. Stand 8 yards from your partner.
  2. For high throws make a diamond with thumbs together.
  3. For low throws put your pinkies together.
  4. Catch 15 high and 15 low.

Coach's cue: Hands first, then tuck it away.

Bring: football, partner

Towel Tail Chase

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

A family chase game: tuck a towel in your waistband and keep it while a partner tries to grab it.

  1. Mark a 10 by 10 yard box with cones.
  2. Tuck a towel in the back of your waistband.
  3. Run, dodge and change speed for 30 seconds while your partner chases.
  4. Swap roles; play 6 rounds with a rest between.

Coach's cue: Change speed to escape.

Bring: small towel, cones, partner or parent

Safety: Grab the towel only, never the shirt or body. 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.

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.

Overarm Target Throw

Ages 6 to 10 · 8 min

Throw overarm at a target, stepping with the opposite foot. A basic movement skill every child should learn.

  1. Stand side-on to a target 4 to 6 steps away.
  2. Point your free hand at the target.
  3. Step with the opposite foot and throw overarm.
  4. Count hits out of 10, then try the other hand.

Coach's cue: Point, step, throw.

Bring: soft balls or beanbags, bucket or target

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

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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