Game version
Coach says: a leader calls the next warm-up move and everyone copies. Everyone leads once.
Ready-Body Warm-Up Game
A warm-up for young children that builds landing, balance and body control through a follow-the-coach game. Do it before every practice.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Jog, skip and gallop between cones for 2 minutes.
Core: Full. Nice and easy.
- Ages
- 6 to 10
- Time
- 10 min
- Players
- Just you
- Space
- Yard or field
- Bring
- Cones
- Level · skill
- Beginner · Hurdles
The steps
How it works
- Jog, skip and gallop between cones for 2 minutes.
- One-leg balance and "statue" freezes: 2 minutes.
- Soft two-foot jumps with frozen landings: 2 minutes.
- Bear crawls and spider walks, then easy runs with stops: 4 minutes.
Coaching point
Soft landings, strong stops.
Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Pick a level: Less (short), Core (full), More (add a balance). Nice and easy.
Story
You are an astronaut getting ready for launch.
My best
Beat your own count
Nice and easy. 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 track and field 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.