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Lean-and-Go Starts

Stand tall, lean forward until you must step, and turn that fall into a quick 10-yard acceleration.

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

Set up

Stand tall with feet together at a cone.

Core: 5. Aim for a smooth lean every time.

Ages
10 to 14
Time
10 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Cones
Level · skill
Developing · Footwork

The steps

How it works

  1. Stand tall with feet together at a cone.
  2. Lean forward from the ankles, body straight.
  3. When you start to tip, drive out with short, powerful steps for 10 yards.
  4. Walk back; do 6 to 8 starts with full rest.

Coaching point

Lean from the ankles, punch the knees.

Safety: Warm up first. Take a full walk-back rest between runs; fast running when tired is how pulls happen. Stop if anything hurts.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Lean-and-freeze: lean until you must step, take a few quick steps, then freeze when your partner says “freeze”. Swap.

Challenge

Choose a distance: Less (3 steps), Core (5), More (10 yards). Aim for a smooth lean every time.

Story

You are a skydiver tipping out of the plane and landing softly.

My best

Beat your own count

Aim for a smooth lean every time. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

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