Free drill library · Wrestling

At-home wrestling drills for 11 to 13 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home wrestling training for 11 to 13 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 14 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 wrestling for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Escapes & Reversals at home 13 minutes

  1. Hip Heist · 4 min
    Swing the leg through fast.
  2. Shrimp Across the Mat · 5 min
    Push off, hips away.
  3. Stand-Up Shadow · 4 min
    Back up, hands busy.

Session 2

Riding & Control at home 13 minutes

  1. Top Position on a Dummy · 4 min
    Hand on elbow, arm around waist.
  2. Spin Around a Dummy · 5 min
    Chest down, feet fast.
  3. Breakdown Shadow on a Dummy · 4 min
    Chop and drive.

Session 3

Stance motion: Lean-and-Go Starts 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Lean-and-Go Starts · 5 min
    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.
  3. Springy Ankle Pogo Series · 5 min
    Hot ground, quick bounce. 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.
  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 wrestling 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

Hip Heist

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Turn your hips quickly from your back to your belly, the movement behind many escapes.

  1. Sit on the mat with both hands behind you.
  2. Lift your hips and swing one leg under the other.
  3. Land facing down on hands and knees.
  4. Do 4 sets of 10.

Coach's cue: Swing the leg through fast.

Bring: mat

Safety: Use a clean mat or soft carpet with space around you. Stop if anything hurts.

Shrimp Across the Mat

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Move the length of the mat by shrimping your hips on your side.

  1. Lie on your side.
  2. Push off your top foot and slide your hips back.
  3. Turn to the other side and repeat.
  4. Do 4 lengths of the mat.

Coach's cue: Push off, hips away.

Bring: mat

Safety: Use a clean mat or soft carpet with space around you. Stop if anything hurts.

Stand-Up Shadow

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Practice getting from hands and knees to your feet in good position, alone.

  1. Start on hands and knees.
  2. Bring one foot up, push off, and drive your back up.
  3. Keep your hands in front and turn to face forward.
  4. Do 20 stand-ups.

Coach's cue: Back up, hands busy.

Bring: mat

Safety: Use a clean mat or soft carpet with space around you. Stop if anything hurts.

Top Position on a Dummy

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Learn the referee's top position and where your hands and knees go.

  1. Kneel beside a rolled blanket as if it were a wrestler.
  2. One hand on the near elbow, the other arm around the waist.
  3. Knee beside the hip, weight forward.
  4. Set the position 20 times.

Coach's cue: Hand on elbow, arm around waist.

Bring: mat, rolled blanket or dummy

Safety: Use a clean mat or soft carpet with space around you. Stop if anything hurts.

Spin Around a Dummy

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Move around a body on your knees and toes while keeping your chest on it.

  1. Lie with your chest on a rolled blanket.
  2. Walk your feet around to circle it, chest staying on top.
  3. Change direction when you hear a clap.
  4. Go 20 seconds, rest 40, for 6 rounds.

Coach's cue: Chest down, feet fast.

Bring: mat, rolled blanket or dummy

Safety: Use a clean mat or soft carpet with space around you. Stop if anything hurts.

Breakdown Shadow on a Dummy

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Practice the chop and drive breakdown on a rolled blanket.

  1. Set up in top position by a rolled blanket.
  2. Pull the near "arm" in toward you.
  3. Drive your hips forward over it.
  4. Do 20 slow reps.

Coach's cue: Chop and drive.

Bring: mat, rolled blanket or dummy

Safety: Use a clean mat or soft carpet with space around you. Stop if anything hurts.

Lean-and-Go Starts

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

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

  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.

Coach's cue: Lean from the ankles, punch the knees.

Bring: cones

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

Springy Ankle Pogo Series

Ages 10 to 14 · 6 min

Small, quick, springy hops using stiff ankles. Builds the bounce in running and jumping.

  1. Stand tall with soft knees and arms relaxed.
  2. Hop on the balls of your feet with quick, small bounces.
  3. Keep the knees almost still; the ankles do the work.
  4. Do 3 sets of 10 hops with rest.

Coach's cue: Hot ground, quick bounce.

Bring: soft ground or mat

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.

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: wrestling

  • Headgear and wrestling shoes; a clean mat.
  • No partner work with a rash, sore or cold sore until a doctor clears the skin. Clean the mat first and shower after.
  • Training is never about losing weight. Eat and drink normally; we never track body weight.
  • Partners of similar size, age and experience, at drill speed, with a coach watching.
  • No slams, nothing around the neck, and finish takedowns to the side.
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 25 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.

Wrestling: governing bodies, safety and development (5)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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