Turning Up the Heat: Fun and Engaging Warm-Ups for Youth Athletes

The only benefit that really matters in warm-up is to simply get the muscle tissue warm because warm muscles are least likely to get injured. That’s a pretty low bar to clear, which is why I advocate for using warm-up time to work on whatever your team needs at that time. If my team is slow, I’ll warm them up using speed drills, and if their shoulders need to be stronger I’ll warm them up with shoulder strength exercises. Since all they need to be is warm, I don’t think there’s any reason for warm-up to be a boring, repetitive part of practice. Instead, it should be adaptable to the needs of the team and stimulating for the athletes.

Despite the shift toward dynamic warm-ups, many coaches still rely on static stretching before games. Why do you think this practice persists?

Because coaches are human and humans resist change. At the elite levels of almost every sport, nobody static stretches anymore and that knowledge will eventually trickle down to amateur coaches. Fortunately, I don’t think that static stretching is dangerous to do before games, it’s just not optimal for performance. 

Could you walk us through the essential parts of an effective warm-up session for youth athletes? 

The most important thing is to get warm, so the only essential part of a warm-up is a thermogenic activity. I like to use small circuits with some exercises or activities that reflect things my head coach thinks are important mixed with low level strength work, a fun agility drill, or a game that isn’t too intense for the start of practice. After that we take a few minutes to stretch the areas that are important for our sport (mixing in some more strength work here as well), and finally we’ll play a higher intensity game that gets the athletes moving at speeds closer to our sport. 

But, if you don’t have much time - just get warm doing a circuit of 3-4 exercises/drills that get the athletes moving and making sport-specific shapes. 

Maintaining proper intensity to elevate heart rate and body temperature is crucial. What is the most neglected part of the warm-up in this regard, and how can coaches ensure they’re hitting the right intensity levels?

The most neglected part of a thermogenic (warming) routine is in making is stimulating for your athletes. Too many coaches do the same routine of skips, crawls, backpedals, and jumping jacks every warm-up. Instead, every coach should have a menu of games that get their athletes warm while also making decisions, being reactive, communicating and cooperating with teammates. Coaches should use tools like tennis balls, sticks, frisbees, and balloons in warm-up to make these sessions more effective. Monotony is the antithesis of athleticism.

For youth athletes, how can a coach make warm-ups engaging and fun? Is incorporating elements like a fun game or a silly dance 🙂 an effective way to get them focused while still achieving the physiological benefits?

Steal ideas from coaches, like myself, who are dedicated to making warm-ups more effective by making them less stimulating. There are many great Physical Education teachers who provide ideas for games that can be tweaked a bit to fit your sport. Following me @rettasaurus on Instagram is a good place to start.

Should warm-up routines be sport-specific, or is there a universal approach that works across different disciplines?

The more sport-specific you make your warm-ups, the easier it will be to keep your job. I’d say that most of my warm-ups have a few elements that are volleyball-specific - a shoulder exercise, some knee bulletproofing, an agility drill that puts athletes in volleyball-specific positions and actions, etc. But sometimes a warm-up is just fun, because athletes need to just play sometimes.