Fun warm up games for gaelic football

From injury prevention, bodily preparation, and increased mental focus, a quality warm-up is vital. In this article we'll dive into what makes a warm-up great and include some fun ideas you can use with your team. Warming up before a football match or training session is essential to prepare the body for activity and focus the mind for what lies ahead.

In addition by preparing the body steadily, acute injuries such as strains or pulls are much less likely to occur. In terms of mental preparation, a quality warm-up provides an opportunity to clear the mind and focus on the task at hand. It effectively sets the tone for the upcoming practice or game. In this article we'll go over seven ideas for effective, fun, and engaging warm-ups. If you're more of a video person, the video below highlights five extremely simple and effective warm-up ideas.

View our Privacy Policy for more information. Deny Accept. Activate is a GAA specific warm up for training and matches that improves movement skills and reduces injury. It is a dynamic warm up which includes the ball. This website contains resources and training videos to complement GAA coaching courses and support the delivery of the warm-up to squads.

It is suitable for use by Gaelic Football, Hurling and Camogie squads. Initially, coaching Activate properly requires 30 minutes but it can be completed in 20 minutes when refined.

Current injury surveillance data suggest that one male per squad will tear their cruciate every other season, with females at even greater risk. Setup: Make two parallel lines of cones 20 yards long with 10 yards of space between each line.

Have the players divide into two lines starting at the bottom of each cone line. The two lines of players start the activity by jogging down along the inside of the cone and back along the outside of the cones. The players will complete the following runs in the same pattern as step 1: - Jog. At least four times before moving to the next movement. The players will then complete the dynamic stretched listed below. The players will hold the stretch for seconds before taking a few steps forward and completing the same stretch on the opposite leg.

The players will continue that process all the way down and then complete a light jog back. Grad one ankle and pull it back into the bottom. Bend one knee up and grab the outside of the knee and pull it up and towards the stomach. Move one leg straight out in front of the other and place the heel on the ground with a straight leg and toe pointing up.

Bend over and sweep back-and-forth three times before standing up, walking forward and repeating the process. Kick one leg up in front while keeping the leg straight. Lunge forward with arms raised above head. Complete a side lunge before standing up, walking a few steps, and switching to the other side. Complete at least four higher intensity runs at the end of the dynamic stretching.

Add more stretches, or runs, as needed. Listen to the players and what their bodies need to be warm. Give the players time to stretch anything extra they need before moving onto the next activity.

Variations: Stretches and runs — Depending on the players and how their bodies feel, add more stretches, or runs, to complete their warmup and ensure their bodies are ready for the next activity. Coaching Points: Start slow with the jogs and let players work into the movements. Older and more experienced players will know their bodies and what they need to warmup.

For younger, less experienced players, make sure they are focused and completing the movements correctly.

Remind the players of the importance of warming up and its role in injury prevention. Increase the intensity of the warmup at the end when players complete their higher intensity runs. Make sure players are putting forth the effort to prepare their bodies for the remainder of the session. Pull The Tail. Purpose: Fun warmup activity for all ages. Setup: Set up a square playing area using cones. The size depends on the number of players, but a good starting point is a 25x25 yard square.

Give each player a jersey. The color of the jersey does not matter. Instruct each player to tuck a third of the jersey into the back of their shorts. Make sure the jerseys are visible and easy enough for players to pull out. Decide on a time limit for each round and the number of rounds. After the time is up, tell the players to rest and to reset their tails if they need. Give players a minute or two to rest and stretch if needed. Repeat the process for the remaining rounds. View variations to add new game modes as the players get familiar with the game.

Make sure to give players time to stretch and get water at the end of the activity before moving on to the next drill. Challenge the players to pull as many as they can while also protecting their own tail! Encourage the players to be quick and to use cuts and fakes to get away from other players. Remind the players to have some fun and be creative!

Run Up. Dribble Back. How the Drill Works: Players move through a series of cones before running around a cone and receiving a pass from their teammate to dribble the ball through another series of cones before returning back to their starting position. Purpose: Warm up activity that incorporates running, passing, and dribbling. Setup: Divide the team into groups of players.

For each group, set up two cones yards away from each. On each side of the cones, add a series of cones that players must dribble and move through.

See the diagram below for more information. Each group of players forms a line behind the cone closest to the cones setup to move through. See diagram for more information. Each player in line should have a ball except the player who is starting in front of the line. Decide on a time limit that the players will complete this drill.

Five minutes in each direction should be plenty of time for the players to warm up. Add more time, or raise the intensity if players need more to warm up. After completing the first series of cones, the player runs to, and around the top cone before receiving a pass from the player who was behind them in line. The player receiving the pass takes a good first touch towards the second series of cones and dribbles through the cones before returning to the back of their group line.

As soon as the player in line passes to the player in front of them, they immediately begin their turn. The warm up activity continues in this manner for the remainder of the time limit.

After the players have completed the first round, have them stretch for minutes before switching directions and raising the intensity in the second round.

Stretch once more after the second round for minutes. Variations: Patterns — Switch up the arrangement of cones for the players to run and dribble through.

Coaching Points: Start slow and increase tempo as players gradually warm up. Do not push the players at the beginning while their bodies are still working into the movements. Encourage players to use the proper footwork while moving through the cones. Players should not cross their feet at any point. Remind the players to look up when dribbling to build good habits.

Challenge the players to make firm, good passes to the players in front of them. The passes should be on the ground and just in front of the moving player.

Purpose: Fun warm up activity for players to prepare their bodies for training. Setup: Depending on the number of players, use an appropriate sized space. The space should be large enough for players to run into open space, but not too large that they are running too much. Use half of the field for players and the whole field for more than 20 players.

Click on this link to view a recording of the Gaelic 15 warm up been performed with an academy squad at the Connacht GAA centre. Finally one of the criticisms of the warm up is that it does not involve a football or hurl.

I would advice coaches to do the Gaelic 15 warm without the ball or hurl for the first six weeks so that you; the coach and the players can get to know the structure of the warm up and all the exercises. Once everyone is familiar with the techniques and structures, you can be creative and integrate a football or hurl into the warm up once you follow the correct sequence and structure outlined by the warm up.

In the coming weeks we will post a video of how you can incorporate a football into this warm up. Remember keeping your players injury free and on the field all year round will be key to your teams development. Quicklinks: Coaching Calendar. Connacht Counties.