- All static stretching should be done first if needed! Follow with slow movements, then faster movements and end with agility/sports specific exercises.
- Elevate your heart rate for 5-10 min before warm-up: Jog (backwards, forwards), bike, speed walk, side shuffle.
- Avoid sprinting until after fast movements.
- Do slow and fast pace movements for about 12-15 feet: Basketball—End line to the top of the 3 point line; Women’s Lacrosse—End line to goal circle; Soccer Field: End line to top of goal area.
- To maximize warm-up time, try adding exercises together.
- Warm-up should total about 15-20 minutes for heart rate elevation, slow and fast movements.
- Choose exercises that are similar in movement to the activity you will be doing.
- All lunge activities can be done forward or backward.
| Slow Movement | Fast Movement | Sports Specific / Agility |
|---|---|---|
| Band walk | Skips: A, B, straight leg, skips with arm circles | Agility ladder |
| Straight leg march | Jogging butt kicks / high knees | Running technique drills |
| Lunges | Sideway shuffle | Reaction drills |
| Leg swings | Sideway crossover | T-drill, W-drill |
| Figure 4 sits | Carioca | 2 foot zigzag hops |
| Frankenstein sit | Skater jumps | Hurdle jumps |
| Marching with running technique | Leg swings | Bounding |
Lateral Band Walking:
Place a band slightly above your knees.
Easy band to start, when you get stronger, start using a harder band.
Arm movement should be like that of running: Arm moves forward when opposite leg moves forward.
The entire Dynamic Warm-up with many more stretches and photos can be viewed as a 2.2 MB PDF: DYNAMIC WARMUP.