Game version
Make “Rocket Run” a team game: you and a grown-up are on the same team and cheer for each other.
Rocket Run
Count down from 3 and blast off: a short run to a grown-up and back, then a rest. Short, fast runs build speed.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Put a marker about 10 big steps away and stand by it.
- Ages
- 4 to 6
- Time
- 3 min
- Players
- Just you
- Space
- Yard or field
- Bring
- 2 cones, shoes or toys
- Level · skill
- Beginner · Sprint Speed
The steps
How it works
- Put a marker about 10 big steps away and stand by it.
- Your child crouches like a rocket at the start.
- Count “3, 2, 1, blast off!” and they run to you.
- Walk back together and go again, about 6 times.
Coaching point
Praise the effort: “Wow, you zoomed like a rocket!”
Safety: Play on grass or a soft, flat, clear space with nothing to trip on. Stop for a drink and a rest whenever they want one.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Story
You and a grown-up are explorers, and “Rocket Run” is the map to the treasure.
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.