Walking on the balls of your feet
“Short strides, heels raised, head up, elbows at 90 degrees, arms driving,” barks Richards. “This will stretch the shins, improve ankle mobility and develop balance and co-ordination. Flick out each foot when you walk to increase range.”
Skips
“Work those upper legs!” says Bale. “With your feet shoulder-width apart, skip forwards, raising your thigh to 45 degrees and driving the left arm with the right leg and vice versa. Try this with your legs further apart and your knees pointing outwards (good for hips and ankles), then drive you knees across your body to improve outer hip flexibility.”
Lateral running
“This stretches the quads and develops an economic knee drive,” adds Bale. “Run sideways, pushing with the back foot and gliding with the front – head up, arms driving.”
Carioca
“This is named after the people of Rio, who have rhythm in their hips,” says Richards. “Run sideways, with smaller steps, twisting your hips as you go.”
Russian walk
“As you walk, raise your thigh and kick the leg out,” says Bale. “Good for the hamstrings, as are keepy-uppies.”
Also see:
Phil Neville: Pre-match warm up
Reo-Coker: The complete warm up
The ultimate half-time warm up
Don Goodman: Warming up as a sub
Kick-off on the front foot
