WARM-UP
Why warm – up?
Before taking part in
rigorous exercise/sport it is
really important to ‘warm
up’ your body.
There are four phases to a warm-up;
1. Aerobic phase (e.g. jogging)
2. Stretch and flexibility phase
3. Skill rehearsal phase
4. Psychological preparation
Aerobic phase
The important part in this phase is to
gradually increase your heart rate. This will
increase the temperature of your body and
the blood flow to your muscles. It will also
reduce the risk of injury.
Stretch and flexibility phase
Stretches ease your muscles and joints into
action so they are ready for your
training/sport. Substitutes in soccer will
spend 5 minutes stretching before coming
onto the pitch to make sure they are ready to
enter the match. Stretching also reduces the
risk of injury.
There are 3 types of stretches;
1. Static stretches
2. Assisted stretches
3. Dynamic stretches
30 SPORT IQ 14-16 : MAY 2009