The term warm-up has traditionally implied that the warm-up was simply an activity to get an athlete ready for the practice or the competition that was to follow. The most commonly utilized warm-ups involve having the young athletes jog around the field or court a couple of times, perform a sequence of static stretches, and is often followed by the oldest kid or the best athlete “leading” the other athletes through a series of kicks, lunges, jumps or movements. Unfortunately, the warm -up is often treated like a unwanted task and is frequently not taken seriously. Warm-up often becomes a good opportunity for kids to gossip and coaches to meet or set up practice. However, when done in a focused manner with attention to form, a warm-up can become much more. Properly performed warm-ups can actually reduce injury risk while improving sports performance.
The Flagstaff Sports Institute believes that there are specific core components of a good warm-up program, and that these components can be incorporated into most sport specific warm-ups. By keeping most warm-up elements the same, kids moving from team to team or sport to sport don’t have to learn an entirely new sequence of movements and exercises. The Flagstaff Sports Institute will help coaches modify the Warm-Up For Injury Prevention (W.I.P.P) for their specific team or sport. The Flagstaff Sports Institute can create warm up programs for all ages and abilities.
Contact the Flagstaff Sports Institute to learn how your team or organization can implement a sport specific warm-up program focused on injury prevention and sports performance.
Tiffany Kobordo MS, ATC, OTC
e: admin@flagstaffsportsinstitute.com
p: (928) 440-5302
