Capitalizing on Warm Ups

Remember as a kid you could walk out your front door and began playing instantly? I mean IMMEDIATELY – out the door you jumped the four steps down to the walkway, ‘flying’ just like superman; your friend was eagerly waiting to race you to the park down the street (you always won); and other kids were already playing at the park so without hesitation you joined right in for your chance at neighborhood stardom.

Fast forward 20 or 30 years and your warm up now takes longer than your actual workout! Getting old is a trip, huh?

Another aspect of the warm-up to consider is switching and/or adding in movements over the course of the year. With neuroplasticity, the more movements we learn, the easier it is to learn additional motor patterns. This makes it ideal to introduce movements to younger athletes which will eventually be incorporated into drills and skill technique.

Team setting or not, the ultimate purpose of the warm-up is to prepare the body for exercise via elevating body temperature, increasing blood flow, and increasing heart rate. Warm-ups can also have the added benefit of reducing the severity of injuries sustained while performing.

Your athletes require a well-designed and thought out warm-up just as much as they do a sound training program. As their trusted coaches, the responsibility is on us to deliver that expertise.