Track and field drills for youth teams, with video, setup and coaching points, grouped by sprints, distance, jumps and throws. For 8U to 14U.
3 drills · 32 minutes if you ran them all
Line the team up on a straight and lead them through the dynamic flexibility series: walking lunges, knee hugs, leg swings, skips and backward runs, 20 meters out and jog back for each one. Keep the group moving the whole time and finish with two easy strides.
Big movements, no bouncing. If they are warm and a little out of breath at the end, the warm up did its job.
Watch: Championship ProductionsHave the distance group jog for 6 to 8 minutes at a talking pace, then do the mobility and drill series shown in the video on the infield. Close with four strides of 60 to 80 meters, walking back between each.
Easy and relaxed until the strides. The warm up should leave them loose and ready, not tired.
Watch: Championship ProductionsAfter an easy two lap jog, run the sprint group through the warm up drills in the video over 20 meters: ankling, A march, A skip, high knees and straight leg bounds, two reps of each. Finish with three build up runs that get a little faster each time.
Tall posture, hips up, toes up. The drills are rehearsal for sprinting, so do them with the same posture you want in the race.
Watch: Championship Productions8 drills · 84 minutes if you ran them all
Set up the acceleration drill from the video with cones at 10, 20 and 30 meters. Athletes start from a falling or three point start and drive out hard to the first cone, then relax and run through the last cone. Four to six reps with full recovery.
Push the ground away behind you, stay low for the first eight steps, then let the body rise on its own. No popping up early.
Watch: Championship ProductionsSet two cones 20 meters apart and run the group through Doug Case's drill series: A skips, B skips, fast leg and straight leg runs, two reps of each with a walk back. Keep reps short so the quality stays high.
Knee up, toe up, heel up on every rep. Punch the ground down and back under the hips instead of reaching out in front.
Watch: Championship ProductionsSet three to five low hurdles close together so beginners can clear them in five steps between each, a rhythm that keeps the lead leg alternating. Run the line three or four times, raising or spacing the hurdles only when the rhythm looks easy.
Attack the hurdle, do not jump it. Lead knee drives up and the foot snaps back down fast on the other side.
Watch: Championship ProductionsTeach the four point start on the track without blocks first: hands behind the line, strong leg forward, hips rise on set. On the command, push with both feet and drive 15 to 20 meters. Six to eight starts with a walk back between each.
Full push out of the start, both legs extend. First step lands under the body, head stays down and in line with the back.
Watch: Championship ProductionsPlace hurdles at the lowest height along the side of a lane so the athlete runs beside the hurdle and only the lead leg goes over. Walk it, then skip it, then run it, three reps of each, then switch to the other side for the trail leg.
Lead with the knee, not the foot. Drive the opposite arm forward to keep the shoulders square.
Watch: Championship ProductionsOver 30 meters, run the Mach series: A march, A skip, A run, then B skip and B run, two reps each with a walk back. Follow with two flying 30s where they build for 30 meters and hold full speed for 30.
Quick ground contact, foot lands under the hip. Stay relaxed in the face and shoulders at top speed.
Watch: Championship ProductionsPair runners and have them walk through the exchange standing still, then jog it, then run it at speed inside a 20 meter zone marked with cones. Outgoing runner starts from a mark, looks back once, then runs with the hand back and steady.
Outgoing runner keeps the hand still and high. Incoming runner runs through the zone and calls early. The baton moves, the hand does not.
Watch: Championship ProductionsWork the mechanics points from the video one at a time: arm action standing still, then marching, then skipping, then running at half speed over 30 meters. Finish with three 40 meter runs at about 80 percent focusing on one cue each.
Arms drive from the shoulder, hands cheek to pocket. Run tall and let the legs cycle under you.
Watch: Championship Productions5 drills · 59 minutes if you ran them all
Run the rhythm drill David Neville shows: segments of the lap at controlled speed where the athlete holds the same stride rate and relaxation through each 100. Three to four reps of 200 to 300 meters with a full walk recovery.
Same rhythm the whole way. Fast and relaxed beats fast and tight every time.
Watch: Championship ProductionsRun 4 to 6 reps of 150 to 200 meters where the first part is at race pace and the last 60 meters is a hard, controlled drive to the line. Jog back for recovery and keep the group together.
Change the arms first and the legs follow. Head and eyes up, run through the line, not to it.
Watch: Championship ProductionsUse Troy McDonough's form running cues over 60 to 80 meters: posture, arm carriage and foot strike, one cue per rep. Six to eight relaxed runs with a walk back, building speed gently across the set.
Lean from the ankles, not the waist. Land under the hips, not out in front.
Watch: Championship ProductionsRun the drills from the video on the infield grass: high knees, butt kicks, A skips, carioca and bounding, 30 meters each with a jog back. Do two rounds and finish with four relaxed strides.
Run tall with a slight forward lean from the ankle. Quick feet and a loose upper body.
Watch: Championship ProductionsOn the track or a loop, run 10 to 15 minutes continuous where the coach calls gear changes: two minutes steady, one minute faster, back to steady. Younger athletes can do shorter segments. Finish with a few minutes of easy jogging.
Comfortably hard, not racing. The gear changes teach them to speed up without tightening up.
Watch: Championship Productions5 drills · 54 minutes if you ran them all
From a four to six stride approach, athletes jump into the pit and practice the hang position in the air, then the landing with legs extended. Alternate between hang reps and landing reps, six to eight total.
Arms up and hips forward in the hang, then swing everything through for the landing. Never land straight legged on heels, fold the knees.
Watch: Championship ProductionsPick three or four of the drills from the video for the day: short approach pop ups into the pit, takeoff off a low box, and landing practice from a standing jump. Each athlete gets five or six jumps per drill with a walk back.
Drive the free knee up at takeoff and keep the chest tall. Land with feet forward and heels together, then let the hips slide through.
Watch: Championship ProductionsPlace a low box or landing mat edge a few steps before the pit. From a short run of four to six strides, athletes take off from the box and focus on the up and out drive and a soft landing. Six to eight jumps each.
Hit the box flat footed and drive up. The box gives them extra air time to feel the takeoff, so no rushing it.
Watch: Championship ProductionsWork the triple jump progression on the grass or runway: standing hop, step, jump into the pit, then from three strides, then from six. Each athlete gets five reps at each stage before moving on.
Flat, quick contacts and even phases. Keep the jumps low and long, not high and short.
Watch: Championship ProductionsSet the bar or bungee low and have jumpers start two steps from the takeoff spot. Step, step, drive the knee and arms up, and go over. Six to eight jumps each, raising the bungee only when everyone clears easily.
Plant the takeoff foot and drive the knee straight up. Stay tall at takeoff, the arch over the bar comes later.
Watch: Championship Productions4 drills · 42 minutes if you ran them all
Use a rubber youth discus or a ring and run Mike Judge's drills: grip and bowling the discus on the ground, arm swings, then standing throws into a fence or open field with everyone throwing on command and retrieving together.
Discus comes off the index finger and spins clockwise for a right hander. Long relaxed arm, the body does the work.
Watch: Championship ProductionsTeach the grip Larry Judge shows: shot on the base of the fingers, not the palm, thumb on the side, held against the neck. Then run his drill with partners for ten reps each, checking the grip before every throw.
Fingers not palm. If the shot is sitting in the hand, fix the grip before anything else.
Watch: Championship ProductionsPair athletes with one shot or medicine ball and set up the partner drill from the video, where one partner gives resistance or a target while the other works the power position and release. Switch every five reps.
Push the hips through before the arm. The partner is there to slow it down so they feel the order of the movement.
Watch: Championship ProductionsUse John Dagata's progression with a light shot or a ball: grip and neck position, standing throw, then step and throw. Everyone throws from the same side, retrieves on command, and rotates. Eight to ten throws per stage.
Shot stays on the neck until the push. Legs and hips first, arm last, and finish with the elbow high.
Watch: Championship Productions3 drills · 32 minutes if you ran them all
Set a hurdle or a stable object at hip height and have athletes push against it in a sprint start posture, driving the legs for five to six seconds. Three to four sets per athlete with a walk around between.
Low body angle, drive the knees, keep pushing through the whole count. This is about feeling full leg extension.
Watch: Championship ProductionsOn grass, run the plyometric drills from the video: two foot hops, single leg hops, bounds and low box jumps, 10 to 15 meters each or six reps for box work. Two rounds with full recovery.
Quick off the ground, soft on the landing. Stop the set when the hops get slow or sloppy.
Watch: Championship ProductionsPair athletes with one light medicine ball and run the routine: chest passes, overhead throws, rotational throws and slams, ten reps of each. Two rounds with a short break between.
Throw with the whole body, hips and legs included. Catch soft, throw hard.
Watch: Championship Productions2 drills · 16 minutes if you ran them all
After the last hard rep, jog an easy lap, then gather on the infield and go through the stretching series from the video: hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, calves and glutes, 20 to 30 seconds each side.
Hold it and breathe, no bouncing. This is where tomorrow's practice gets easier.
Watch: Championship ProductionsFinish practice with the flexibility drills shown: leg swings, hurdle walkovers, hip circles and lunges with a reach, ten reps each. Keep the group together and moving slowly.
Smooth and controlled through the full range. If it hurts, back off, this is a cool down.
Watch: Championship ProductionsVideos are linked, not hosted, and belong to Championship Productions. Drill write-ups are by Cheat Code Coaching. Durations are what we run them at with a youth team; adjust for your group.
Every drill here is already in the Cheat Code Teams Practice Builder for Youth Track and Field. Drag them into a plan, tap Start practice, and the clock, the whistle and the next drill are on your phone and your lock screen.