Warm-ups and cool-downs

Warm-ups and cool-downs are one of the most important aspects of your training and match day routines. It’s vital that your players warm-up and cool-down properly in order to maximise their performance and reduce the risk of injury. We tell you how and why warm-ups and cool-downs work and we suggest some activities that you might try with your team.

A great warm-up for young players - One minute to get a ball and dribble back - then steal from the others.

Warm up with a triangle test - Whether your team is about to start training or preparing for a match, you can quickly set this up while you are putting up the nets or sorting out the team. It's a good one for away matches because you only need cones and balls.

Football warm up to perfect passing skills - A great warm up for training sessions to help passing and shooting technique.

The man in the middle- a warm-up circle - One way of getting your players into the right frame of mind for a match is to use good warm-ups. If you are all in a big circle you can talk to them and remind them about their responsibilties towards the team, the opposition and the officials.

Using a warm up to get your players focused - attackers versus defenders - This is a great warm-up you can employ during a session to get your players' minds back in focus. After the two games above they will need a bit of fun to get them back into coaching mode. This warm-up is a skills game with a competitive angle but one that is fun to play.

Passing wave and sprinting football warm up drill -
This football drill works on the passing ability and co-ordination of your players. They need good reactions and must listen to your explanations of how to play or they will not know what to do. So you can get their attention and keep it because they need to think about what they are doing.

Colour react football warm up drill -
This is a great football warm-up drill. It not only gets your players' muscles working, it is also aimed at making them more alert before a match.

Step jumps football warm up drill -
If you're looking for a football warm-up drill to use when space is limited, the step jumps warm-up is a good one to try.