Start Here: 14-Day Football Dad Jumpstart

If your kid is starting football soon, the goal isn’t perfection — it’s confidence.

This plan is built for dads who can do 10–20 minutes a day, 4–5 days a week.

What matters most (in order)

1. Catch the ball consistently with soft hands
2. Throw a spiral with basic accuracy
3. Footwork — quick feet, change of direction, balance
4. Know the positions — what each player does and where they line up
5. Understand basic plays — simple routes and formations

What you need (minimal)

• A football (youth size for younger kids)
• Cones or shoes as markers
• A small space: yard/park/field works
• A stopwatch (phone is fine)

The 14-day plan (10–20 minutes)

Days 1–2: Catching foundation

• 5 min: warmup (arm circles, high knees, shuffles)
• 10 min: basic catching — start close, both hands, “look it in”
• 2 min: easy tosses, focus on clean catches

Days 3–4: Throwing basics

• 5 min: warmup
• 10 min: grip, stance, step and throw — aim for a target (bucket, chair, partner)
• 2 min: throw to a moving target (walk and catch)

Days 5–6: Footwork and agility

• 5 min: warmup
• 10 min: lateral shuffles, backpedal drills, cone weaves
• 5 min: combine catch + footwork (catch on the move)

Day 7: Light day + confidence

• 10 min: repeat what felt best
• End with a “win” (easy reps)

Week 2: repeat + level up

Repeat Days 1–7, but:

• increase throw distance slightly only if form stays clean
• add simple route running (out routes, slants)
• start introducing “ready position” for stance

Positions 101

Offense:

• Quarterback (QB): throws or hands off the ball
• Running Back (RB): carries the ball on run plays
• Wide Receiver (WR): runs routes and catches passes
• Tight End (TE): blocks and catches — a hybrid
• Offensive Line (OL): protects the QB and opens running lanes

Defense:

• Defensive Line (DL): rushes the passer and stops the run at the line
• Linebacker (LB): tackles, covers short passes, reads the play
• Cornerback (CB): covers wide receivers
• Safety (S): last line of defense, deep coverage

Special Teams:

• Kicker / Punter: kicks field goals, extra points, and punts
• Returner: catches kicks and punts and runs them back

Printables

• Printable: 7-day practice plan
• Printable: drill time checklist
• Printable: equipment checklist

Safety note

Football is a contact sport. At young ages, focus on flag football fundamentals before contact. If your kid plays tackle, make sure they have properly fitted equipment and learn safe tackling technique (heads-up tackling). If they complain of headaches, dizziness, or confusion after any hit — stop play immediately and follow concussion protocol.