7 Fun Football Drills for 10 Year Olds! (Get Started Today)

The goal for youth football is that kids want to play next year.  Too often we place emphasis on things that do not male much impact, like winning.

Football practice for youth should be fun and enjoyable, but also teach discipline, teamwork, dedication, and all of the great things one learns from playing sports.

As parents and coaches, it is imperative that we make sports enjoyable.  If your child wants to play football the following year, then it was a success.

Fun Football Drills for 10 Year Olds

1. Team Agility
2. Ball Handling Drill
3. Stance and First Step Drill
4. Rush Drill
5. Tackling Drill
6. Find a Way to Win
7. Punt Drill

The drills we are trying to incorporate are designed to be both instructional and enjoyable.  

The skills that we are trying to develop from these drills below include the following:

• Speed and balance
• Hand-eye coordination
• Quick first step
• Using hands on defense
• Safety with form tackling
• Competitiveness and acceleration
• Physicality

#1 Team Agility

We usually begin practice with this drill.  This drill improves speed, quickness, and change of direction.  This drill also emphasizes the concept of playing in a low athletic stance.  This drill should be encouraging and have high energy.

How the Drill Works

• There will be three lines.
• Set up players in defensive positions as best as possible.
• Each line will have 5 bags, preferably agility bags.
• A cone will be set up 5 yards after the first and last bag.
• The players will move through the bags as quickly as possible and always finish by sprinting through the cone.
• The activities include: One foot in each, two feet in each,  shuffle over, serpentine, figure 8, sprint through (one foot in each)
• Perform each activity two times

Benefits

• This drill should increase agility and speed.
• This is a great conditioner.
• This is a great warmup

Skills Developed

• Speed and balance
• Coordination
• Mental toughness

#2 Ball Handling

This drill is mostly for the skill positions, but we incorporate this drill for everyone early on.  As youth coaches, it is important to let everyone try all of the drills.  It is not our job to determine positions at this age right away, so letting a bigger kid handle the ball can be fun and also important for development.

How the Drill Works

• Set up multiple stations, about six players in each group
• Players will be spit and in lines across from each other
• Use one ball at each station
• Coach the idea of handing the ball off and accepting a handoff
• The handoff should be soft 
• The pocket should be made
• The players will start 10 yards away
• The players will jog at about 50% speed to start
• The players will jog towards each other and hand the ball off
• Emphasis should be on taking the ball after it is in the stomach

Benefits

• This drill should encourage not letting the ball on the ground
• This drill should teach ball handling and coordination
• This drill should include all players

Skills Developed

• Ball handling skills
• Coordination

#3 Stance Drill

This drill seems simple, but is extremely important for players of all ages.  If we can teach stances at an early age, we will avoid bad habits later on.  In this drill, it is imperative that coaches are active and engaged and all eyes are on players.

How the Drill Works

• Get players spaced out in a 20 yard area.
• There should be enough space for each player to take a step or two
• Start with a 3-point stance
• Get each player with feet shoulder width apart
• Each player should squat down and put one hand in the ground
• Coaches should check the amount of weight on the hand
• Tendencies are to have too much weight forward, so it is important to check this by pushing the players arm forward, they should stay in a stance.
• Have players take their first step: steps could be at any angle with one foot, determined by the coaches.
• Move on to 4-point stances.  This isn’t much different than 3-point stances
• Make sure the drill is controlled and organized throughout.

Benefits

• Coordination and core strength
• The stance is very important to determine first step

Skills Developed

• Quick first step
• Players learn that if their stances are bad, their first step is bad
• Players begin to develop core strength and coordination

#4 Rush Drill

This drill is a great way to warm up also at the beginning of practice.  This is a one-on-one drill where the players can work on offense and defense.  Players learn how to rush by using their hands and feet.  Players also learn how to block, by also using their hands and feet.

How the Drill Works

• Group players into groups of five or six, with similar abilities/sizes.
• A coach will hold a tackling bag about 10 yards from the line of scrimmage
• One player will be on offense, one of defense
• On the cadence, the defensive player will rush to the bag and the offensive player will try to keep him from getting to the bag
• The goal for the offense is to protect the bag for five seconds
• The goal of the defense is to tackle the bag that the coach is holding, within five seconds

Benefits

• Competition is definitely created.
• Players get to play both offense and defense
• Players learn to use their hands and feet

Skills Developed

• Quickness
• Physicality
• Tackling skills are improved

#5 Tackling Drill

This drill is to teach proper tackling techniques and also develops physicality and toughness.  This drill is very controlled and coaches should blow the whistle quickly.  We do not want players twisting ankles, and sometimes the offense does not need to be brought to the ground completely.

How the Drill Works

• Group players into similar ability groups.
• Set up 5×5 yard areas.
• Each station will have a coach.
• One player will be on offense and one player will be on defense.
• Players will start directly opposite them.
• The coach will toss the ball to the offensive player.
• The player will try to gain five yards and the defender will try to stop the ball carrier.
• The offensive player is not allowed to lower his head.  The offensive player is required to make only one move and try to score.
• Coaches should blow the whistle early to avoid injuries.

Benefits

• Improved tackling skills
• Tackling safely
• Ball handling for offense
• Physicality and toughness

Skills Developed

• Tackling skills
• Coordination
• Proper body control
• Physicality

#6 Find a Way to Win

This is one of my favorite drills as it creates a lot of competition.  This is typically done at the end of practice, it is a great conditioner and also a team building drill.  This drill creates competition, toughness, and determination.  It also develops endurance and speed.

How the Drill Works

• Group players into six groups.
• Groups should be similar speed.
• Five coaches will grab a bag and position themselves anywhere on the field.
• Players will lay down on their backs where they can not see where the coaches are located.
• On the whistle the players will get up and try to tackle a bag.
• Six players will race for five bags.
• After each group, the coaches will relocate with their bags.

Benefits

• Determination
• Team building
• Tackling 
• Speed

Skills Developed

• Speed
• Endurance
• Tackling improved

#7 Punt Drill

This is absolutely a fun drill, a drill that is used at the end of practice.  This is controlled by the coaches and should be motivational and exciting.

How the Drill Works

• Determine the number of sprints that your team will run for conditioning.
• Pick all of the linemen.
• The linemen will catch punts, preferably punted by a coach so that the punt is catchable.
• For each punt that is caught, remove one sprint from the total.
• Be motivating and bring energy throughout the entire drill.

Benefits

• Team chemistry
• Confidence
• Performance under pressure

Skills Developed

• Team trust
• Catching skills

Final Thoughts

10 year olds need to have fun through sports.  Sports are available so that young players can be competitive, learn life skills, but ultimately have fun with friends.  These drills are designed so that players at young ages learn and develop in the game ofg football, but also have fun doing it.

Coaches should incorporate drills where players are active and not standing around.  The main goal at the end of the season is that every player comes back the following year.