3º y 4º ESO: WARM UP AND COOL DOWN

Every PE lesson should begin with a warm-up and finish with a cool-down activity.

WARM- UP

A warm-up is a group of exercises performed immediately before more strenuous physical activity. It helps the body to adjust from a state of rest to a state of exercise. Warming-up is an essential element of every physical education lesson as it prepares the body appropriately for involvement in the main body of the lesson. The warm up may also be used as a opportunity to recap and revise established skills and knowledge or it can introduce new movement ideas that can be developed later in the session.

In addition to this, warm-up activities can aid social development by incorporating the formation of groups and encouraging social interaction among individuals. Warm- up activities are useful to establish group sizes for later tasks, such as arranging participants into pairs or small groups. Indeed the warm-up can be viewed as a starting of the lesson, a lead-in to the main activity, or as a way of establishing the focus of the session.

Every warm-up should include

l pulse-raising aerobic activities to prepare the cardiovascular system and warm the muscles of the body mobility exercises to prepare the joints stretches to prepare themuscles and their associated ligaments and connective tissue activity- related movements to prepare the children for the focus of the main activity.

The warm-up should begin with very gentle exercises to allow a steady increase in the body and muscle temperature. This gentle exercise could take the form of a game or jogging, depending on the size of the area, and can then be followed by mobility and stretching exercises.

Mobility exercises increase the range of movement of the limbs whilst stretching improves the flexibility range of the muscles.

Guidelines for safe, effective warm- ups

Keep the warm-ups simple and relevant to the main activity that will follow.

Begin all warming-up activities in a slow and controlled manner increasing the intensity gradually.

Modify games and activities depending on the age level, weather conditions and space available.

Avoid games and activities that involve chasing in the early stages. Sprints and tag games are not recommended in the early part of the warm- up.

Include mobility and stretching exercises later in the warm-up.

Establish a routine to initiate activity immediately on entering the play area.

Ensure that the warm-up is fun.

Time allocation for warming-up and cooling- down

The warm-up and cool-down should take approximately one fifth of the total lesson time.