1. Drills
  2. Football
  3. Catching

Sideline Toe Taps

Catch near the sideline and get your feet down in bounds.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Run toward a line with your partner throwing so you catch right at it.

Core: Medium. Beat your own best of catches out of 10.

Ages
14 and up
Time
12 min
Players
You and a partner
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Football, partner, line or cones
Level · skill
Advanced · Catching

The steps

How it works

  1. Run toward a line with your partner throwing so you catch right at it.
  2. Secure the ball, then tap your feet inside the line.
  3. Fall out of bounds under control.
  4. Do 8 each side.

Coaching point

Catch first, feet second.

Safety: Use a soft, clear area beyond the line.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Catch-and-call: a partner throws and calls a color or number, and you say it as you catch. The pair counts catches, then swaps.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (soft toss), Core (medium), More (on the move). Beat your own best of catches out of 10.

Story

You are a receiver making the big play in the final minute.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own best of catches out of 10. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free football week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.