Warm-ups

Ask most people how to warm up and you will get a response along the lines of a five minute run then stretching the major muscles, holding the stretch for 30 seconds. Ask why we should do this and the answers are around improved performance and injury prevention. But plenty of research is telling us to think about it again. It's not wrong but there is a better approach.

Warmup

Running for five minutes is good but what is better is getting your heart rate up while performing related exercises to your sport. A slow jog may be a good warmup for a 1500m race but something more dynamic is required for the movements done in Rugby and Rip. Replicating these movements in a controlled and progressive manner will better ready the body. Doing a few minutes of controlled shuttles better replicates Rugby and Rip requirements of short bursts and changing direction movements.

By focusing on the heart rate and movements we trigger responses in the body to better prepare it for those actions in the game ahead.

A warmup for the J8 team will look a lot different than a warmup for a J1 team. The games and physical involvement along with the maturity dictate the difference. For J8 it's a lot about getting them up and moving, changing direction and focusing on what they need to be doing. It may only last a few minutes before heading into some skill drills. Whereas a J1 side will be a bit longer and involve more movements and physicality.

Another important aspect of a warmup is mentally preparing for the exercises ahead. A rugby match doesn't start with players slowly getting into it. Going onto the field focused and ready is a lot safer for players. The warm-up is the starting point, preparing the body for physical activity. Once prepared it is then ready to practice particular game skills and increase the intensity to eventually take the field ready to take on the opposition who will have been doing the same.

Stretches

There are two types of stretches. Static stretches are where we stretch a muscle and hold it for a period. Then there are dynamic stretches where we may swing the leg forward and back in a range of motion.

There are some things to be wary of. First are no studies/evidence that stretching improves performance or prevents injuries.

There is also another important thing to consider. Stretching done incorrectly can cause injuries and problems. If you have ever watched a group of 7-year-olds perform a simple quad stretch, even with fantastic instructions and guidance, they are all hopping around, falling over and generally doing it incorrectly. This is also true in 12-year-olds. A good stretch needs to be taught and learned. This is true for both static and dynamic stretches.

This is not to say that stretching is bad. It is good and has well-researched benefits but it should be looked at as a conditioning routine like weights and fitness.

What we really want to be doing is preparing the muscles, tendons and ligaments for the range of motion and impacts that they will experience in our sport.

ACC

ACC has a high care factor in preventing injuries and with that being the case they have produced a fantastic, well-researched guidelines of good warm-up routines. As you look through it you will see there are no stretching routines and they are all movement-based. By following this guideline you will get what is currently considered the best approach to preparing your players for the game.

ACC Sport Smarts Warm -Up Guide

When preparing my team for training and games I am more pedantic and focused on the warm up than I am with skill drills that follow. I know that a high quality warm-up produces high quality starts to games and a more successful application to training tasks. - Darrin Robertson