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Warming up is essential in any pre-practice, pre-training or pre-game
preparation. The goal
of a well designed warm-up
is
to:
1. Increase core temperature
2. Increase heart rate and blood flow to muscles
3. Carbon Dioxide removal and removal of lactate
4. Increase activation of CNS (central nervous system)
5. Increase rate and force of muscular contractions
6. Increase suppleness of connective tissue
The result is to improve the the athlete's capability to perform the high
intensity work that will follow. Most typical warm-ups do little to
improve the above goals and do not physiologically prepare athletes to
train and compete.
The typical warm-up usually consists of light aerobic work (jog, bike,
treadmill, etc.) for 5-10 minutes and is often followed by static
stretching for another 5-10 minutes. These activities are staples in most
coaches' warm-ups. But we must ask:
Why
are we warming this way?
What
are we accomplishing?
If the training session is going to consist of holding various positions
it makes complete sense to static stretch before
the workout.
This
is rarely the case. Athletes have to perform well coordinated, fluid,
athletic movements that occur with high speed and force.
We
must train our athletes with dynamic movements that improve our capability
to move, react, and perform.
Light
jogging
must be replaced by activities such as skipping, bounding, shuffling, and
other multi-directional movements. Static stretching must be replaced by
dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching is moving a joint through a full
range of motion, continuously and actively while under control. Any
static stretch can be dynamic
if it
is not held for
more than 3-4 seconds.
Dynamic stretching specifically prepares muscles to contract
and
relax as they would in sport. Dynamic stretching will do little to
improve long term increases in range of motion,
however
it helps to improve active range of motion which is required in sport.
Static
stretching should be performed after the session is complete
to help restore muscle length and function.
A
complete
warm-up should be progressive (start with slower movements increasing to
faster movements) and take 5-20 minutes to complete.
Take a look at our Ready to Use Warm-ups CD-ROM for
ideas on a variety of different warm-ups.
©2004 S B Coaches College, LLC. All
Rights Reserved
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