Warming Up with Intent
OK. This is somewhat of a rant on my behalf as someone who is passionate about injury prevention as a Strength and Conditioning Coach. Especially about the role of warming up as an athlete and the responsibility we carry as coaches of athletes to
There have been millions of dollars spent over many years researching the best ways for athletes to warm up. Hamish Ashton, Senior Physiotherapist at TeamVHAP advocates the use of the FIFA 11 as a way for athletes and coaches to complete a standardised warm up, and after reviewing this system, its very similar to the systems and the programs that we use at T
eamVHAP to help athletes warm up in a team environment.
If you are a coach, teacher, athlete, parent, PLEASE have a look at the videos. They are clear, anyone could use them!! The key with these warming up resources are to use them!
Thereare more and more serious injuries happening to both high level competitive athletes and recreational athletes, especially Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries. We KNOW that performing REGULAR work to help with knee stability, ankle mobility, hip mobility and strength of the lower limbs is KEY to decreasing injury risk. If we think about injury in a practical sense, its between 9-12 months to get back to full capacity as a MINIMUM after ACL surgery. If you are 16 years of age, this is a critical age of skill development. From the research I have looked at, it can be said that less than 80% of athletes return to a level of the same or increased skill level after reconstruction surgery. It can be difficult to return to sport after a serious knee injury, because of the damage caused but often the reasons for not returning are just as psychological as they are physical.
If you are a coach or parent, its our job to set a really positive and forward thinking example by making sure we run warm ups with intent. Our intent is for all of our athletes to finish games the same as starting and for our athletes to better their performance by being ready for competition.
For the FIFA11 Warm Up protocol, its similar to the Netball knee program and other programs I have seen previously. The difference is the level of detail in the videos that are mass produced, so if you are a parent or a coach, you can look at these and replicate the program with your team. Start young, develop good habits and keep encouraging your athletes to work on the basics!
Here is the resource in a PDF format that we have found online:
CLICK HERE to download this resource – the FIFA 11 in Written format
There are bunch of videos produced to focus on education around warming up for sport. The FIFA 11 is obviously made for soccer athletes, however its transferable to almost all court and field-sports. The below is a link to the first warm up video of the series.
Here is a Video Link that gives ALL of the videos too that you can click on to watch:
The FIFA 11 Video Series – warming up with intent
Here are some general tips from Hamish for teams when warming up:
Warming up is an important part of any sporting event or game, but how do you warm up properly? In this episode I will talk about team sport warm ups.
A team warm up typically has three components which may be slightly different depending on whether you are about to play or train. They are
- Activities to get the blood flowing and muscles working
- Stretching to prepare the muscles and joints for activity, and
- Game simulation activities
For efficiency we can combine some of these components.
The best example of a good team warm up is the FIFA11+ program for soccer. This warm up not only covers all the above components in a standard easy to follow plan, it has also been shown to reduce the injury rate of not contact injuries, especially things like hamstrings, knees and ankles, by 40-60%. That means 50% less injuries in your team for those who do the program regularly.
What does that mean for you? It means more time doing the things you love on the field. It also means less time lost from work due to injury. We also know that more consistent field time and less injuries is related to better team performance.
Not play soccer? The principals of this program can easily be adapted to any other team sport. For advice on the FIFA11+ for your team or an effective warm up program for any other sport contact Hamish @ Vector Health