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Follow the Crawler

A game: a parent crawls slowly and you stay behind them on your knees with a hand on their waist.

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

Set up

Your parent or partner crawls slowly in any direction on the mat.

Core: 5. Beat your own steadiest base.

Ages
14 and up
Time
6 min
Players
You and a partner or parent
Space
Gym or court
Bring
Mat, parent or partner
Level · skill
Beginner · Riding & Control

The steps

How it works

  1. Your parent or partner crawls slowly in any direction on the mat.
  2. Stay behind them on your knees with one hand on their waist.
  3. Keep up without pushing or pulling.
  4. Play 6 rounds of 20 seconds, then swap.

Coaching point

Stay behind the hips.

Safety: Slow crawling only, with an adult in charge. No pushing or pulling. Pair with a partner of similar size and age. Skin check first: no partner work with a rash, sore or cold sore until a doctor clears it. Clean the mat before you start and shower after.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Strong-base game: hold a low, balanced base on all fours while a partner counts slowly. No contact. Swap.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (hold 3 seconds), Core (5), More (8). Beat your own steadiest base.

Story

You are a turtle with a strong shell.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own steadiest base. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

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