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Sports training

Australian football warm-up: built on Prep to Play, for every session and match

Prep to Play is the AFL and La Trobe University's programme to reduce serious knee and head injuries in women and girls playing community football. Its warm-up has 8 activities, each with three options: do all 8 in order, start at the option players can do well, and work towards option C. In a trial in 165 community teams, coach support more than doubled its use, and players who did more of it had fewer injuries. Men's teams can use it too: its content matches the programmes tested in men's community football. You need 16 cones, a partner and a football.

10 minBeginner13 movesCardio machine · A wallQuads · Calves · Glutes · Hamstrings · Hip abductors · Abs
Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

1. Jog and mobility

  1. Treadmill joggingAt least 200 m
    Intermediate · Quads, Calves, Glutes · 3D demoEasy joggingEasier: Treadmill walkingHarder: Sprint intervals
  2. Hip-hinge practiceOption A: 5 each side
    Beginner · Glutes, Hamstrings, Back · 3D demoThe hamstring sweep: get low and sweep your fingers to the grass, alternating sidesHarder: Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
  3. Front-to-back leg swingsOption B: 5 each side
    Beginner · Hamstrings, Hip flexors · 3D demoLeg swings, forwards and backwards or side to sideHarder: Contract-relax hamstring stretch (PNF)
  4. Standing hip circlesOption C: 5 each side
    Beginner · Hip abductors, Adductors, Hip flexors · 3D demoOpen and close the gate: lift your knee to hip height, sweep it out, then inHarder: Lying IT band stretch with a strap

2. Deceleration

  1. Shuttle runsOption A: twice through the cones
    Advanced · Quads, Glutes, Calves · 3D demoStutter steps: at each cone, slow down and move your feet fast on the spot for 3 seconds. Option B: one-leg stops, once each side. Option C: forward 2 cones, back 1, twiceEasier: Treadmill jogging

3. Change of direction

  1. Lateral bound (skater jump)Twice through the cones
    Beginner · Glutes, Quads, Hip abductors · 3D demoOption A: 45-degree zig-zag cuts with short, quick steps, pushing off the outside leg. Options B and C: zig-zags racing a partner, without and then with contactHarder: Box push-off jump

4. Jump and land

  1. Standing broad jump with stuck landingOption A: 10
    Intermediate · Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings · 3D demoDot the i: jump forward, then straight up, landing in an athletic stanceEasier: Snapdown to athletic landingHarder: Single-leg hop and stick
  2. Alternate-leg boundingOption B: 10 each side
    Advanced · Glutes, Quads, Calves · 3D demoBounding: leap off one leg, land on the other, moving forwardsEasier: SkippingHarder: Diagonal bounds
  3. Single-leg hop and stickOption C: 10 each side
    Intermediate · Quads, Glutes, Calves · 3D demoHops: hop forward as far as you can, keeping foot, knee and hip in lineEasier: Standing broad jump with stuck landingHarder: Alternate-leg bounding

5. Jump and land with contact

  1. Jump squat5 each side
    Intermediate · Quads, Glutes, Calves · 3D demoOption A: from standing, jump high while a partner bumps you in the air, and land in an athletic stance. Options B and C: from a run, C with a quarter turn in the airEasier: Bodyweight squatHarder: Box jump

6. Contact

  1. Forward shoulder rollOption C: 3 to 5 each side (our reading of the AFL sheet)
    Intermediate · Abs, Neck, ShouldersFalling and rolling: tuck the arm and head through and roll diagonally across your back. Option A: partner bump and check, 5 each side. Option B: tackling breakdown, chest on chest, 2 × 30 s (our reading of the AFL sheet). No 3D demo for this moveEasier: Bird dogHarder: Ab wheel rollout from the knees

7. Sprints

  1. Treadmill running2 to 3 × 30 m
    Intermediate · Quads, Calves, Glutes · 3D demoBuild up to 80 to 90% of top speedEasier: Treadmill walkingHarder: Sprint intervals

8. Balance

  1. Single-leg stand1 minute each side
    Beginner · Hip abductors, Calves, Glutes · 3D demoBalance on one leg while handballing with a partnerEasier: Tandem stance and heel-to-toe walkHarder: Single-leg reach matrix

Tips

  • At every training session and match. On match days, the warm-up only; at training, add at least 5 minutes of contact skills (tackling and being tackled, aerial contests and ground balls) and the three strength exercises in our strength workout.
  • The doses are Prep to Play's, as its coaching manual's diagrams show them. Check them against the AFL's own Prep to Play sheet and videos on its Play AFL coaching site.
  • Teach contact as the AFL's tackle curriculum does: a low, balanced position, wrap and hold, head safe, built up from controlled drills. Juniors follow the AFL's contact rules for their age.
  • It was tested in women's and girls' teams. In men's community football, a programme with similar content, done twice a week, was tested in the PAFIX trial.

The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.

Guides that recommend it

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Questions people ask

How long does the australian football warm-up: built on prep to play, for every session and match take?

About 10 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.

What equipment do I need?

You need: Cardio machine, A wall. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.

Is it suitable for beginners?

It is written for beginners. 9 of its 13 moves have an easier option listed beside them if you need one.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.