Multidirectional Warm Up

Ben Yauss

We have spent the last few weeks focusing on a proper warm up, or Movement Prep session, introducing the various components of each 20-minute session, explaining the importance of each as they relate to short and long term benefits for the players and going further in depth about each section of the warm up: general warm up, activation, dynamic stretch, movement skills, plyometrics and movement application drills.

Movement Prep: Introduction | Exercise Library

Last week we included a video example of the Galaxy players going through a warm up with a linear or acceleration emphasis.

WATCH: Galaxy Players go through a Linear Acceleration Warm Up

This week we have another video from a Galaxy training session, but this warm up emphasizes multidirectional or lateral exercises. Specifically, this particular sample warm up focuses on shuffle mechanics, which are very important in relation to training the muscles associated with cutting and changing direction on the field.

As you watch this video, look at how each exercise builds off the previous and how each can be tied into teaching and strengthening multidirectional movements. Also note the similarities and differences between how the stretching section is set up this week compared to last week. As mentioned last week, there is no right or wrong organizational approach to setting up your warm up as each coach has a unique style and method for managing players. At the end of the day the most important result you’re looking for is being able to manage the players and making sure they are getting their warm up, so however that needs to be expressed or communicated is up to the person running the session.

Multidirectional Warm Up

Now that we have discussed how to organize a warm up, built a library of warm up exercises, and shown a couple of examples of warm ups we will finish our warm up series next week by setting a weekly plan for what kind of warm up to do on each day and talk about what the focus of each of those warm ups should be as we lead up to game day.

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