1. Warm-ups and stretches
  2. Football

Football Warm-Up, Ages 7 to 10

An 8-minute moving warm-up for football players aged 7 to 10: easy running, moving stretches, balance and soft landings, then football moves. Before practice, never still stretches first.

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

Ages
7 to 10
Time
8 min
When
Before training
Bring
Football

Before training

  1. 01Jog easy for
  2. 02Moving warm-up over
  3. 03Leg swings holding
  4. 04Walking lunges with
  5. 05Balance on one
  6. 06Jump and land
  7. 07Sport moves
Moving, never still holds: the still stretches come after training.

Core: All 8 minutes, before practice. Same order every time, so it becomes your own habit.

The steps

How it goes

  1. Jog easy for 1 minute, then skip for 30 seconds.
  2. Moving warm-up over about 10 yards and back, once each: high knees, heel flicks, side shuffles facing both ways, and grapevine steps.
  3. Leg swings holding a fence, wall or partner’s shoulder: 8 forward and back, then 8 side to side, each leg.
  4. Walking lunges with a reach to the sky, 5 each leg, then 5 slow squats.
  5. Balance on one leg for 15 seconds each side, then again while you circle your arms slowly.
  6. Jump and land: 5 two-footed jumps forward, landing softly with knees over toes; freeze each landing for a count of 2.
  7. Sport moves: backpedal and turn, then catch 10 easy tosses from a partner while jogging. No contact in a warm-up.

Coaching points

  • Start easy and finish at practice speed.
  • Land soft and quiet, knees over toes.
  • Move first: save the long, still stretches for after practice.

Safety: A flat, clear space with room to run. Stop if anything hurts: a warm-up should leave you ready, not tired.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Shadow warm-up: one player leads the moves across the space and a partner copies like a shadow; swap leaders after each move.

Story

Rocket countdown: each move fills the fuel tank a little more, and the sport moves are lift-off.

Practice makes progress

Start every session this way

In SSTracker every planned session starts with the warm-up for the child's age and ends with the cool-down, so the habit is built in.

Free for families and teams

Save the week with this routine built in, free

Sign up and the free football week opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits for the age, with progress your child sees against their own start. Coaches can send the same drills to the whole team as homework.

Start free training for your child Coach? Set up your team free

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.