Injury Prevention – Why warm up and cool down? 

WARM-UP

​​​​​​​Warming up is vital in the preventing or minimising the risk of injury for youth players. Junior players should focus on warm-ups with the ball at their feet to give them maximum time learning control and technique (see coaching information for junior coaching tips).General Guidelines for a warm-up are

  • 10-15 min duration
  • Low intensity activities first building to higher intensity movement
  • Activities should move from general to specific
  • Consider modifying activities to suit weather conditions
  • A good indication of a sound warm-up is a light sweat.

Example Warm-Up

  • A gentle 3 minute jog followed by some swinging of the arms & twists of the hips.
  • Functional stretching - warming up the muscles specifically for the movements that will be used in the activities of the training session. Each exercise below should be performed over a 15 meter area with a walking or jogging recovery between.
  • Lunge walk - Loosens up the hips. Lunge walk is when you take large steps keeping the chest up, looking straight ahead and moving the arms and legs together. 
  • High knees - For hip flexor and ankle strength. Extend up to the toes and lift each thigh to a parallel position with the ground as you move forward. 
  • Calf walk - For lower limb strength and Achilles flexibility. Extend the ankle on each step will warm up the calf muscles and Achilles tendons. 
  • Sideways running - For lower limb strength, agility and flexibility. Remember to do both sides.
  • Backwards skipping - For lower limb strength, agility and flexibility, and works on strengthening quads and calf muscles. 

Cool-DownAn effective cool-down consists of a gradual reduction in activity levels for 10 - 15 minutes while still putting the body through a full range of motion. These are all easy movements.Example Cool-Down

  • 2-3 minute light jog
  • 5-10 minutes of very gentle static stretching emphasising the major muscle groups you have used during your training session/match. This might include lunges on both sides held for a count of ten, bend one knee with ankle held behind you with knees together then other side, circle ankles individually, feet hip width apart circle hips in circles in both directions, gentle forward bend with knees soft and head and arms dropping forward like a rag doll.