Before Leaving for the Game:

Hydration is the Key!!

Water regulates your body temperature and lubricates your joints. It helps transport nutrients to give you energy and keep you healthy. It will make a big difference especially as our days are starting to (slowly) get hotter. As a very basic approach, aim to start drinking water 2-3 hours preceding your game, then small regular amounts during the game.

Warm Up:

It is what it says it is, a way to warm up your body and get the blood flowing into your skeletal muscles. Ideally you will do up to 5-10 minutes of brisk walking/jogging/exercise to elevate your heart rate and encourage a light sweat. You never want to start a game “cold”.

Within your warm up try to include:

Dynamic Warm Up:

This is a series of sport specific exercises where you mimic similar actions that you will undertake during your chosen activity, it helps prepare your muscles and joints for what is about to happen when you start your game/exercise. Examples of this are lunges/sie lunges for tennis to mimic retuning a low ball or a wide ball, or simple agility exercises for sports like football, netball, basketball, soccer that require quick reactive movements.

On field/court practice:

Once you take to the field/court and you start to warmup with your equipment try to go through all the types of movements you will use in a game. Taking tennis for example make sure you include all types of shots: Forehand, backhand, slice, top spin, overhead, Different serve types.

A good warm up does not have to be overly complex or long just remember to focus on 3 key things:

1. Hydrate
2. Elevate your heart rate
3. Mimic movements and actions that you will do during your game.

Then get out there are perform at your BEST!!!!

QUICK LINKS: Osteopathy | Remedial Massage | Relaxation Massage | Myofascial Cupping | Dry Needling | Naturopathy