At-home swimming drills for 11 to 13 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home swimming training for 11 to 13 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 to 13 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 swimming for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Core for a long body line 12 minutes

Front plank · 3 min
Straight line, breathe
Superman holds · 3 min
Lift arms and legs, eyes down
Flutter kick on your back · 3 min
Low back flat
Streamline squat jumps · 3 min
Arms locked, land soft

Session 2

Starts and walls 13 minutes

Streamline jumps on land · 4 min
Arms locked, tall
Reaction starts on a "go" · 4 min
React fast, then hold the streamline
Wall push-offs with dolphin kicks · 5 min
Only with a lifeguard or coach watching; no diving

Session 3

Steady kicking 13 minutes

Easy warm-up swim · 3 min
Only with a lifeguard or coach watching
Kick lengths with a board · 7 min
Steady pace, rest at the wall
Easy swim down · 3 min
Long and relaxed

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 swimming 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

Streamline Squat Jumps

Ages 11 and up · 8 min

Train a powerful push-off by jumping in streamline.

Stand with arms in streamline above your head.
Squat a little and jump straight up.
Land softly and reset.
Do 4 sets of 6.

Coach's cue: Jump tall, land quiet.

Bring: flat surface

Safety: Use a non-slip surface. Stop if your knees hurt.

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.
Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: swimming

Goggles and a cap; a lifeguard or certified coach watching every swim.
No breath-holding games or contests. One normal breath before going under, no fast breathing, and come up when you want air.
Never dive into shallow water. Start from in the water unless your coach has checked you off for dives in deep water.
Always swim where a lifeguard or certified coach is watching.
Short sessions and technique first for young swimmers.

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 26 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.

Swimming: governing bodies, safety and development (6)

Youth athletic development and safety (20)