Wrestling drills for 11 year olds
At 11, practice conditioning, escapes & reversals, stance & motion and pinning: the skills the 24 drills SSTracker opens for 11 year olds train. SSTracker keeps one home session for an 11 year old within 45 minutes and plans at most 4 home days a week, with rest days between. Why: Ages 6 to 12 are the "sampling years": high play, low deliberate practice (Côté and Vierimaa 2014).
What an 11 year old can practice at home: drills the app opens at this age, what changes in wrestling this year, how long and how often, what to have at home, and a free week to start.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated November 5, 2026
USA Wrestling places children by birth year in two-year divisions (8U, 10U, 12U, 14U), so a division holds children of two or three ages in a season.
Free, no account. A week for this sport and age, kept to healthy limits.
At 11
The age at a glance
- This year
- USA Wrestling places children by birth year, so an 11 year old is usually in the 12U division. Folkstyle matches there are a one-minute period and two 1:30 periods in folkstyle championship brackets (three one-minute periods in consolation); freestyle and Greco-Roman are two two-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest.
- Drills this year
- Developing drills start this year, beside the beginner ones. Advanced drills start at 14.
- Division and matches
- USA Wrestling places children by birth year, so an 11 year old is usually in the 12U division. Folkstyle matches there are a one-minute period and two 1:30 periods in folkstyle championship brackets (three one-minute periods in consolation); freestyle and Greco-Roman are two two-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest.
- Skin checks
- Check skin routinely, not only before tournaments; a wrestler with a rash, sore or cold sore stays off the mat and sees a doctor before any partner work (NFHS; SSTracker's rule).
- Partner work
- 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. Training is never about weight: SSTracker never tracks body weight.
- At 11
- Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 11 hours for an 11 year old, with two rest days a week.
- At home
- SSTracker keeps one home session for an 11 year old within 45 minutes and plans at most 4 home days a week, with rest days between.
24 drills
Drills for 11 year olds
Every drill here is one the app opens for 11 year olds, at the level for the age. Each page has the steps, a diagram where the setup can be drawn, three ways to make it a game and a practice log to print.
Conditioning
Escapes & Reversals
Stance & Motion
Pinning
Riding & Control
What you need at home
What you need at home at 11
27 of the 27 wrestling drills for 11 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: mat (22 of the 27 drills), rolled blanket or dummy (7), mat or grass (2), mat or open floor (1), mirror (1), open floor (1), pile of cushions or dummy (1), timer (1). 2 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.
- Balance and Coordination ABCsAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Bear Crawls and Crab WalksAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Bridge and ShrimpAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Build Your BaseAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Hip HeistAges 11 and up · 10 min
- Hip Mobility FlowAges 11 and up · 8 min
- Level Change DropsAges 11 and up · 10 min
- Log Rolls and CrawlsAges 7 and up · 8 min
New at 11
Drills that open at 11
These drills join the list at 11: the app opens them from this age, by its level and age rules. They were not on the page for 10 year olds.
A week to start with
A free week of wrestling at home
- 1Escapes & Reversals at home20 min
- 2Riding & Control at home20 min
- 3Conditioning: Stance Motion Intervals15 min
Questions parents ask
Wrestling for 11 year olds: questions and answers
What wrestling drills can an 11 year old do at home?
27 of the 27 wrestling drills for 11 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: mat (22 of the 27 drills), rolled blanket or dummy (7), mat or grass (2), mat or open floor (1), mirror (1), open floor (1), pile of cushions or dummy (1), timer (1). 2 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.
How long should an 11 year old practice wrestling?
Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 11 hours for an 11 year old, with two rest days a week. SSTracker keeps one home session for an 11 year old within 45 minutes and plans at most 4 home days a week, with rest days between.
How long is a wrestling match for an 11 year old?
USA Wrestling places children by birth year, so an 11 year old is usually in the 12U division. Folkstyle matches there are a one-minute period and two 1:30 periods in folkstyle championship brackets (three one-minute periods in consolation); freestyle and Greco-Roman are two two-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest.
How do you keep an 11 year old safe from skin infections in wrestling?
Check skin routinely, not only before tournaments; a wrestler with a rash, sore or cold sore stays off the mat and sees a doctor before any partner work (NFHS; SSTracker's rule).
Is partner wrestling safe for an 11 year old?
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. Training is never about weight: SSTracker never tracks body weight.
What changes in wrestling at 11?
USA Wrestling places children by birth year, so an 11 year old is usually in the 12U division. Folkstyle matches there are a one-minute period and two 1:30 periods in folkstyle championship brackets (three one-minute periods in consolation); freestyle and Greco-Roman are two two-minute periods with 30 seconds of rest. Developing drills start this year, beside the beginner ones. Advanced drills start at 14.
Free for families and teams
Turn this into your child's week
Pick the days and minutes you have and see a wrestling week for 11 year olds, kept to healthy limits for the age, with no account. A free account saves it and shows progress against your child's own start. Coaches can send the same drills to the whole team as homework.
30 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.