Free drill library · Track and Field

At-home track and field drills for 7 to 10 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home track and field training for 7 to 10 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 track and field for 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Sprint Speed at home 13 minutes

  1. Arm Action in a Mirror · 4 min
    Hip to chin, loose hands.
  2. Tall and Quick Runs · 5 min
    Tall hips, quick feet.
  3. Red Light, Green Light Runs · 4 min
    Quick go, soft stop.

Session 2

Starts & Relays at home 13 minutes

  1. Falling Starts · 4 min
    Lean, catch, drive.
  2. Walking Baton Passes · 5 min
    Call it, reach, place it.
  3. Drop the Ball Starts · 4 min
    Eyes on the ball, first step fast.

Session 3

Jumps: Hopscotch Patterns 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Hopscotch Patterns · 4 min
    Light and bouncy. Safety: Warm up first. Land softly on a non-slip surface or soft sand and stop if your knees or ankles hurt.
  3. Pillow Path Balance · 4 min
    Soft knees, steady steps. Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 track and field 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

Arm Action in a Mirror

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

Learn the fast, relaxed arm swing that drives good sprint running.

  1. Stand tall in front of a mirror with elbows bent about 90 degrees.
  2. Swing your arms from hip pocket to chin height.
  3. Keep your shoulders low and hands loose.
  4. Do 4 sets of 20 seconds, then 3 sets seated on the floor.

Coach's cue: Hip to chin, loose hands.

Bring: mirror or window

Safety: Keep your shoulders relaxed and stop if your shoulder hurts.

Tall and Quick Runs

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Short, relaxed sprint runs that teach you to run tall with quick feet.

  1. Mark a 20-yard lane with two cones.
  2. Run it at about three-quarter speed, standing tall.
  3. Walk back slowly to rest.
  4. Do 6 runs and feel each one get smoother.

Coach's cue: Tall hips, quick feet.

Bring: cones

Safety: Warm up fully first. Run on flat, dry ground and stop if a muscle feels tight.

Red Light, Green Light Runs

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

A stop-and-go game that teaches you to burst into a sprint and stop under control.

  1. An adult stands at the far cone and calls "Green" or "Red".
  2. On green, run fast and tall; on red, stop in two steps.
  3. Walk back to the start after each round.
  4. Play 6 rounds and try to stop smoother each time.

Coach's cue: Quick go, soft stop.

Bring: cones, adult or friends

Safety: Warm up fully first. Run on flat, dry ground and stop if a muscle feels tight.

Falling Starts

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Learn to push out low and fast by leaning until you have to step.

  1. Stand tall with feet together behind a line.
  2. Lean forward like a plank tipping over.
  3. When you have to step, drive out for 10 yards.
  4. Do 8 reps and walk back.

Coach's cue: Lean, catch, drive.

Bring: cones

Safety: Warm up fully first. Run on flat, dry ground and stop if a muscle feels tight.

Walking Baton Passes

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Learn a clean upsweep hand-off at walking pace with a partner.

  1. Walk one behind the other, a step apart.
  2. The front runner holds a hand back, palm open, on the call "Stick".
  3. Place the baton firmly into the open hand.
  4. Swap roles and do 20 passes each.

Coach's cue: Call it, reach, place it.

Bring: baton or rolled paper, partner

Drop the Ball Starts

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

A reaction game: run and catch a ball your partner drops before it bounces twice.

  1. Stand 3 yards from your partner, who holds a ball out at shoulder height.
  2. When they let go, start fast and catch it.
  3. Move back half a yard after each catch.
  4. Do 10 tries, then swap.

Coach's cue: Eyes on the ball, first step fast.

Bring: small soft ball, partner

Safety: Warm up fully first. Run on flat, dry ground and stop if a muscle feels tight.

Hopscotch Patterns

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Draw a hopscotch course and hop on one foot and two feet for springy legs.

  1. Draw a hopscotch grid with chalk.
  2. Hop on one foot in single boxes and land on two in double boxes.
  3. Turn at the end and hop back.
  4. Do 6 rounds; switch your hopping foot.

Coach's cue: Light and bouncy.

Bring: chalk

Safety: Warm up first. Land softly on a non-slip surface or soft sand and stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Pillow Path Balance

Ages 5 to 10 · 8 min

Step across a path of cushions on the floor without stepping off. Wobbly ground trains the ankles.

  1. Lay cushions in a path on a soft floor or grass.
  2. Step from cushion to cushion.
  3. Try it slowly, then on one foot per cushion.
  4. Do 5 trips.

Coach's cue: Soft knees, steady steps.

Bring: cushions or pillows

Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.

Safety for ages 7 to 10

  • Plans for this age group use beginner 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: track and field

  • Foam javelins and soft balls for beginners; real implements only with a coach in a cleared throwing sector.
  • Throw only when the sector is clear; nobody stands in front, and fetch only on the coach's call.
  • Jumps: high jump only onto a full landing mat; long jump into a raked sand pit.
  • Thunder or lightning: stop and go inside. Open tracks and throwing fields are exposed to the storm.
  • Young athletes: up to three events per meet at 12 and under, and 1-2 rest days a week.
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 30 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.

Track and Field: governing bodies, safety and development (10)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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