Rethinking Warmups
Movement Preparation Through an Ecological Lens
What if I told you most warm-ups aren’t actually preparing athletes for sport?
Picture a typical warm-up: a slow jog, some stretches, and a series of predictable drills. Athletes go through the motions, chatting or waiting for the “real” session to begin. Or maybe it’s a structured routine—lined up, moving in sync, repeating the same movements they’ve done a hundred times before.
But here’s the question: Is any of this truly preparing them for competition, or are we just filling time?
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
✅ Most warm-ups are too predictable and disconnected from the actual game.
✅ Movement preparation should develop decision-making, perception, and adaptability—not just raise heart rate.
✅ An Ecological Dynamics (EcoD) approach makes warm-ups an extension of skill development, not a separate ritual.
The Problem with Traditional Warm-Ups
Most warm-ups are treated as a prelude to real training, a box to check before the “important” work begins. I see two dysfunctional patterns over and over:
The Routine Jog & Chat – Jog a lap (or two if the coach is late setting up their cones), do some high knees, stretch the quads a bit, and move on—either to a casual chat with teammates, throwing the ball around, or grabbing some water.
The Choreographed Drill Lines – Athletes move in tidy lines, going through the same rehearsed sequences designed to "open up" (open up what, exactly?). If they move in perfect sync, the coach is pleased, as if the warm-up’s success is measured by symmetry rather than its impact.
Meanwhile, away from the group, coaches often gather to chat about topics unrelated to training. After all, if one coach takes care of the warm-up, the rest can relax, right?
But if we step back and reconsider what movement preparation is truly about, we see that a warm-up is far more than just getting the body ready to move. It’s the first opportunity to engage with movement problems, sharpen perception, and prepare for the realities of the game.
The warm-up is the first chance to engage with the game’s core challenges. It should help athletes:
Move in ways that actually matter to their sport.
Make quick adjustments and decisions under real-time pressure.
Get mentally and physically tuned in to competition demands.
Right now, most warm-ups are too predictable and too separate from the actual game. If athletes can do them on autopilot, they aren't preparing for anything unpredictable.
A Different Approach
Instead of treating warm-ups as a separate block of training, what if we saw them as the first step in skill development?
What if warm-ups weren’t about repeating the same drills, but instead forcing athletes to engage with their environment, their opponents, and their own movement choices?
This is where Ecological Dynamics (EcoD) comes into play. Instead of treating movement as something that happens in isolation, EcoD focuses on how athletes interact with their environment. A warm-up should reflect that.
This article will show how to redesign movement preparation, making it an extension of learning rather than just a warm-up. The goal is simple: prepare athletes for the game by engaging them from the very first second of training.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
✅ Warm-ups should feel like the sport itself. If they don’t, they’re just a ritual.
✅ The best warm-ups integrate decision-making, movement variability, and perception from the start.
✅ If athletes can do it on autopilot, it’s not preparing them for real competition.
The EcoD Perspective – Why Traditional Warm-Ups Miss the Mark
In an Ecological Dynamics (EcoD) framework, movement emerges from the interaction between the athlete, the task, and the environment. A movement isn’t right or wrong—it’s either effective in context or it isn’t.
Traditional warm-ups often fail because they:
Lack variability. Repeating the same movements under predictable conditions doesn’t prepare athletes for real-world unpredictability. Coaches all heard and used it: "don't just go through the motions!", only to shout the next instruction: "Knee hugs, ready? Go!"
Separate movement from perception. They warm up the body but don’t require athletes to read their environment. A lack of perception is very visible: once the athletes get the hang of a particular movement, they start chatting. The movement is simply too boring!
Over-prescribe mechanics. They assume there is a single correct way to move rather than letting solutions emerge. Does it really matter if an athlete can flawlessly demonstrate both an A- and B-skip?
Key question: If warm-ups don’t reflect game-like challenges, are they really preparing athletes?
Why Not Warm Up With an Extension of Training?
Imagine two scenarios:
1️⃣ A football player warming up by jogging in a straight line and stretching their hamstrings.
2️⃣ A football player warming up by navigating space while a defender applies light pressure, forcing them to adjust their positioning.
Which one prepares them better for competition?
This is the difference between warming up in isolation and warming up in context. Movement preparation should look, feel, and behave like the sport itself, ensuring that every step is useful, adaptable, and transferable to competition.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
✅ Warm-ups should prepare athletes for real movement challenges, not just go through motions.
✅ Game-relevant warm-ups improve adaptability, decision-making, and engagement.
✅ Athletes should interact with their environment from the first second of training.
The Three Pillars of an 'Ecological' Warm-Up
1. Give Athletes Autonomy
Too many warm-ups tell athletes what to do instead of letting them figure things out. But when athletes have ownership over their movement, they engage more, explore more, and retain more.
Examples of autonomy-based warm-ups:
Flow Crawls: Athletes move across the floor with freedom—bear crawls, crab walks, and variations they create themselves.
Hops/Jumps: Instead of strict “jump here” instruction, athletes explore landing strategies, adjusting for different surfaces and distances.
Self-Directed Activation: Athletes choose how they want to prepare, given broad constraints (e.g., “Find a way to activate your legs for sprinting”).
2. Abundance Underpins Performance
Repetition without repetition is key. Athletes must experience movement variability to build adaptable skills.
Examples of exploration-based warm-ups:
Partner Battles: One player applies light pressure, forcing the other to adjust movement dynamically.
Jumps and Holds with Perturbations: Athletes hold a position while a coach or teammate lightly pushes them off-balance.
3. Skill Is Linked to the Environment
Athletes don’t just need physical readiness; they need perceptual readiness—the ability to recognize and react to the demands of their sport.
Examples of attunement-based warm-ups:
Game-Relevant Drills: Athletes read defenders' movements or adjust footwork based on space.
Constraints-Led Activities: Set challenges where athletes must adapt, not just execute.
Building a Movement Prep Routine That Works
10-15 Minute Movement Prep Example (Quick Session)
Start with self-directed movement: Crawls, hops, skips, and jumps where athletes vary their movement freely.
Introduce movement challenges: Partner battles or mirroring footwork duels.
Finish with game-relevant drills: Quick evasion drills, reacting to an opponent, or space-based footwork adjustments.
Call to Action – How Coaches Can Implement This Today
You’ve read this far. Now, it’s time to act.
If you keep running warm-ups the old way, nothing changes. Your athletes will keep going through the motions. You have the power to fix that—right now.
Pick ONE of these and do it this week:
Scrap one scripted drill and replace it with a decision-making challenge.
Turn a warm-up into a problem-solving game with constraints.
Step back and observe—let athletes take charge of their movement.
No excuses. Try it, and reply to this email with what happened.
Bonus: Real-World Examples to Try Today
Flag Football – Instead of static warm-ups, start with a 1v1 evasion drill where the defender reacts to the runner.
Soccer – Instead of cone drills, warm up with small-sided rondo variations with quick passing decisions under pressure.
Basketball – Instead of scripted layup lines, start with live finishing drills where players adapt to defenders in real time.
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Rolf is a seasoned performance coach and coach developer, with a unique perspective that challenges conventional thinking. He works across both the business and sports worlds, supporting teams and individuals through change. Currently, he coaches multiple teams and provides personalized guidance to leaders in both fields.
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Email: rolf@beyondchampionships.eu
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Amazing post! In Jiu-Jitsu we suffer from traditional warm ups.
One warm up game that I like to use is putting the players on a Guard Passing situation but not letting them using their arms in any way. This reduces the intensity of the exercise (allowing them to properly warm up their body) and makes them work towards an objective and problem solve.
Rolf, Great post. How do you contrast practice warm up with pre competition warm up? Asking because I agree with your post, but I think there's a time and a place for ritual and the comfort of a process-particularly before competition.