ROAD TO GAMEDAY: Dynamic Warmups | Agility | Speed | Traditional Strength | Conditioning | Metabolic Strength


EDITORS NOTE: In ESPN RISE's new series, Road To Gameday, we look at exercises and drills players can perform to help them prepare for the rigors of the high school football season.

A large part of any proven training program is the warm up. An athlete who is properly warmed up and possesses strength and flexibility in his joints through a full range of motion in multiple planes will have the ability to perform at a higher level and with a decreased potential of injury. 

The dynamic warm up assists in developing coordination, motor ability and “wakes up” the nervous system. It is important to be physically and psychologically prepared to get to work. 

It is important to mention that these exercises should be done after a light warm up lap or a few minuets jumping rope. Run these drills two at a time over a distance of 20 yards or a full basketball court.

Dynamic Warm up (10-15 minutes)

Walking Quad stretch
In the process of your walk, pull one ankle to your butt for a two second stretch in the quadriceps. Take a step and pull the opposite leg.

Walking lunge with iso hamstring stretch 
Take an exaggerated lunge step with your left leg. Put both hands on the ground for support outside your left foot. Raise your hips and attempt to straighten out your left leg stretching your hamstring. At the same time raise your right leg off the floor and extend straight out behind you. Kick your right leg out into an exaggerated lunge step and repeat the stretch on the other side.

Walking knee hug 
As you are walking pull one knee to the chest and hug for a two-second stretch. Take a step and pull the opposite leg. Be sure to keep the back straight, bottom foot flat, and pull the knee to chest, don’t just lean back. 

Walking cross knee hug 
In the process of your walk, put one hand on your left knee and one hand on your left ankle. From there pull both your knee and ankle in toward your chest. Take a step and repeat on the other leg.

Inchworm 
Assume pushup position on the ground. Walk your feet close to your hands while keeping the legs as straight as possible. Attempt to get your feet flat while having your palms on the ground. From this position, then walk your hands back out to the original push-up position.

Spiderman’s
Start in a push-up position. Take a big step with your right foot and put on the outside of your right hand, then step with your left foot and put on the outside your left hand. Drop your hips into a squat position making sure to keep a flat back with your shoulders retracted. With your elbows, press on the inside of your thighs to stretch the groin. Next walk back into a Push-Up position and repeat starting with the left foot.

Walking lean back lunges 
Begin as if you were going to perform walking lunges. Step out into a lunge, but drop the knee to the ground and shift your hips forward while leaning your trunk back and raising your arms overhead until you feel a good stretch in the hip flexors. Rise out of the lunge and repeat on the other side. 

Walking lunges with rotation 
Begin as if you were going to perform walking lunges. Step out into a lunge, but drop the knee to the ground and shift your hips forward while leaning your trunk back until you feel a good stretch in the hip flexors. Extend your arms in front of your chest and rotate them across your front knee and then back across to the other side. Rise out of the lunge and repeat on the other side. 

Crossover and drop lunge
Assume a lateral position with the feet parallel and spread shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. With the trail leg take a big step behind the lead leg and drop into a lunge so that the knee of the trail leg is behind the foot of the lead leg. Rise out of the lunge and step out with the lead leg so as to be in the start stance again. From there, step with the trail leg, crossover the lead leg and drop into a lunge. Rise out of the lunge and step out with the back leg so as to be in the start stance again.

Frankenstein skips
Extend your arms out in front of your chest. In the process of your skip, swing one leg into the air keeping the leg as straight as possible to achieve a hamstring stretch, and attempt to hit your hands.

Backward over the fence skips
While skipping backwards bring your knee to your chest and then rotate it out and down as if stepping over a fence repeat with the other side.

Walking alternating lateral lunge with shuffle
Take a wide step laterally with your right leg. Bend the lead knee and drop the butt down so that the thigh is close to parallel and the trail leg is straight. Then shift the body weight to the left leg and bend the left knee while dropping the butt. Be sure to keep both heels flat on the ground. Shift back to the right and shuffle two times being sure to stay low.

Snap shot
While walking simulate proper sprinting mechanics, lock the elbows at 90 degrees and drive the knee to the belt line with the toes flexed – with left knee up and right arm by the cheek pause as if taking a picture.

Sprinter lunges
While performing walking lunges simulate proper sprinting mechanics, lock the elbows at 90 degrees and drive the knee to the belt line with the toes flexed. With left knee up and right arm by the cheek pause as if taking a picture. Step into a lunge maintaining proper mechanics and explosively drive back up into the snap shot position.

Sprinter skips (A-skips)
Perform just like snap shot but now faster with a skip.

Backward sprinter skips (A-skips)
Perform just like sprinter skips, but now backwards.

Lateral sprinter skips (A-skips)
Perform just like sprinter skips but now lateral for 10 yards in each direction.

High knees
Lock the elbows at 90 degrees. Use the cheek-to-cheek principle for arm and elbow movement. Quickly drive your knees up towards your chest as you move forward. Perform this movement with slight forward lean.

Butt kicks 
Arm drive description same as above. While running kick your heel back until it hits your butt repeat quickly on both sides. Perform this movement with a slight forward lean.