The 15-Minute Warm-Up to Prevent Injuries and Boost Performance

Are you a coach tired of seeing avoidable injuries? Are you a parent worried about that inevitable ankle twist during Sunday football?

You’re not alone. The truth is, many children today lack the foundational muscular strength and movement competence needed to handle the demands of modern sports.

Despite public health guidelines that recognize the many benefits of regular physical activity, only 1 out of 5 adolescents meet international physical activity recommendations. Worrying trends show a steady decline in muscular fitness – strength, endurance, and power in youth worldwide.

The Real Problem: Weaker Kids are Less Active Kids

Because a certain amount of strength is needed to move and play skillfully, weaker youth are less likely to accumulate at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Without early exposure to appropriate strength-building activities, these trends will continue as young athletes fail to gain the confidence and competence in their physical abilities.

We need a structured intervention that is easy to implement.

Introducing: ‘Ready, Steady, Go’

Ready, Steady, Go is an integrative, evidence-based framework designed to prepare children for a lifetime of physical activity. It converts your standard warm-up into the most important 15 minutes of your session.

This program is not about complex drills; it’s about building a robust physical foundation.

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The Four Pillars of the Ready, Steady, Go Difference

Our framework systematically improves and develops four key areas in every child:

1. Engagement: Activities are fun and enjoyable, boosting motivation, competence, and confidence to take part.
2. Activation: The progressive nature of the program improves muscle activation and joint mobilization, ensuring muscles are ‘turned on’ before play begins.
3. Movement: Over time, functional power and strength increase, which directly improves movement skills and physical literacy – the building blocks for all sports.
4. Protection: We specifically develop the muscles, tendons, and ligaments’ ability to endure physical demands and forces placed on them, significantly reducing the risk of exercise-related injury.

Developing these pillars contributes to overall health benefits, builds a foundation for lifelong sport, and even helps improve mental well-being.

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How to Implement the Ready, Steady, Go Framework

The beauty of the ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ framework is its structure. Allow up to 15 minutes at the start of each session, splitting the time into three simple, 5-minute parts:

Quality Over Quantity: Your Crucial Role

The real secret to the framework’s success is quality over quantity. Even with young children, you should look to correct technique and body positions to develop appropriate control and balance.

Ready, Steady, Go is about introducing children to key movement patterns so they start to learn and understand how to control their bodies through balance and coordination. You play a crucial role in monitoring your children and effectively communicating key coaching points that will improve performance.

Stop making the warm-up an afterthought. Start using these 15 minutes to build resilient, competent, and confident young athletes for life.