Dynamic Warm-Up encourage coaches to begin any practice or game with a dynamic warm-up,” Michele stated. For “I younger players, 10 minutes total of blood-pumping, body-moving activity can help raise the body’s core temperature and loosen up muscles for the practice or game. Older players may need 15 minutes of warm-up. These are not static stretching exercises, but active dynamic warm-ups. Agility Exercises Start by having players run from foul pole to foul pole, then do some agility exercises: High knees (short jog, lift knees high), Butt kicks (short jog, try to kick feet backwards up toward bottom), Karaoke run (crossover steps laterally), Jumping (standard), Arm windmills (forward and reverse), Neck circles (left & full rotation). goal is to work on all the body trunk, arms, legs and neck,” Michele said. stretch “The “Muscles more easily if the body is warmed up properly before you stretch.” Keys to conditioning: Michele notes you should not get too serious too early with conditioning for the younger players. Most kids 5-8 years old are getting all the exercise they need to build their muscles to play by playing, and don’t need conditioning workouts. Graduate the amount and intensity of workouts for the age of the participants. Developing good, moderate training habits with the players will help them as they grow. Fitness conditioning For fitness training, Michele stresses fundamental exercises that everyone can do like jogging, biking, aerobics and anything that gets the cardio-vascular sysem pumping blood. Sustaining elevated heart and lung functions helps the body prepare for hard exercise, like games, and increases the body’s ability to function at this increased activity level for longer periods. Fitness training also is beneficial for weight management, for more sedentary players. Weight conditioning Weight training should be undertaken only for those 12 years of age or older, as younger bodies are still growing and developing. Placing too much stress on growth plates and other fragile areas through weight training can cause developmental injuries. For the athlete, weight training offers increased lean body mass for higher metabolism and healthier, stronger muscles. All major muscle groups should be worked: chest, arms, shoulders, back and legs.
Dynamic Warm-Up “I encourage coaches to begin any practice or game with a dynamic warm-up,” Michele stated. For younger players, 10 minutes total of blood-pumping, body-moving activity can help raise the body’s core temperature and loosen up muscles for the practice or game. Older players may need 15 minutes of warm-up. These are not static stretching exercises, but active dynamic warm-ups. Agility Exercises Start by having players run from foul pole to foul pole, then do some agility exercises: High knees (short jog, lift knees high), Butt kicks (short jog, try to kick feet backwards up toward bottom), Karaoke run (crossover steps laterally), Jumping (standard), Arm windmills (forward and reverse), Neck circles (left & full rotation). “The goal is to work on all the body trunk, arms, legs and neck,” Michele said. “Muscles stretch more easily if the body is warmed up properly before you stretch.” Keys to conditioning: Michele notes you should not get too serious too early with conditioning for the younger players. Most kids 5-8 years old are getting all the exercise they need to build their muscles to play by playing, and don’t need conditioning workouts. Graduate the amount and intensity of workouts for the age of the participants. Developing good, moderate training habits with the players will help them as they grow. Fitness conditioning For fitness training, Michele stresses fundamental exercises that everyone can do like jogging, biking, aerobics and anything that gets the cardio-vascular sysem pumping blood. Sustaining elevated heart and lung functions helps the body prepare for hard exercise, like games, and increases the body’s ability to function at this increased activity level for longer periods. Fitness training also is beneficial for weight management, for more sedentary players. Weight conditioning Weight training should be undertaken only for those 12 years of age or older, as younger bodies are still growing and developing. Placing too much stress on growth plates and other fragile areas through weight training can cause developmental injuries. For the athlete, weight training offers increased lean body mass for higher metabolism and healthier, stronger muscles. All major muscle groups should be worked: chest, arms, shoulders, back and legs.
2016_Spring_IRLL_Safety_Manual.docx