These are activities the students perform immediately upon entering the PE class. They are designed to raise body temp., build core strength, improve mobility and balance, integrate cross-body movements, re-emphasize proper form for basic movements, and prepare the body for more vigorous activity.

A good warm-up should…

  1. Start with easier activities and gradually get more demanding.
  2. Contain movements in all three planes of motion.
  3. Prepare the body for the next activity.
  4. Usually contain movements and exercises from the following major areas…
    1. Balance
    2. Mobility
    3. Prone/ Side/ and Supine Exercises
    4. Squats / Lunges
    5. Movement
    6. Lesson-Specific Movements

More Detail

  1. Balance
    • stand on one foot (eyes open, closed)
    • step to balance (forward, lateral, transverse)
    • bound to balance, or hop to balance (forward, lateral, transverse)
  2. Mobility
    • supine hip rolls (lay on your back with your arms out, roll to one side as you touch your foot to your opposite hand)
    • prone hip rolls (lay on your stomach with your arms out, roll to one side as you touch your foot to your opposite hand)
  3. Squats / Lunges
    • Parallel Stance Squat
    • Staggered Stance Squat
    • Split Stance Squat
    • Forward Lunge
    • Lateral Lunge
    • Transverse Lunge
  4. Prone / Side / Supine Strength
    • Kneeling plane, Inclined plane (push-up position)
    • Kneeling push-ups, Inclined plane push-ups
    • Prone Hot-Footed Lizard (slowly touch hand to opposite foot – under and behind)
    • Side plane (on hand or forearm, on knees, then feet-staggered or stacked)
    • Hip Sways
    • Supine Hot-Footed Lizard (crab position, slowly touch hand to opposite foot in front and under)
    • Dying Bugs (lie on your back, make your body an ‘X’, touch foot to hand as you crunch your body up) touch same side, or rotate to touch opp. side
  5. Movement
    • Foot patterns
      • Wide and Narrow Jumps
      • Twist Jumps or Hops
      • Forward / Backward Jumps or Hops
      • Slalom Jumps or Hops
      • Ali Shuffle
      • Ali Slalom (combines Ali Shuffle w/ slalom movement)
    • Arm movement patterns
      • Jacks, Jills, Wacky Jacks
      • Sprinter Arms
      • Forward / Backward Circles (double and single arm)
      • Butterfly / Breaststroke

Then combine foot and arm patterns, have them travel as a group while doing them, change the tempo, and mix up the rhythm of the arms and legs.