Stimulate circulation
The first part of the warm-up is about picking up the participants and getting them in the right mood for the upcoming sports lesson. To avoid an excessive cool-down phase between the warm-up and the main part, some explanations/demonstrations can be carried out before the actual start of the lesson, which would otherwise take up unnecessary time in the transition to the main part and lower the load curve. The focus of the general active warm-up, e.g. in the form of a warm-up run, is to increase the body core and muscle temperature. When the optimum temperature is reached, all physiological reactions that are decisive for motor performance take place with the most favourable efficiency. During the warm-up, the work of the large muscle groups results in greatly increased heat production. Trotting for 15-20 minutes, for example, leads to an increase in body temperature to around 38.5° Celsius. The optimum temperature for subsequent sporting activity is around 38.5-39° Celsius.
The classic form of stimulating the circulation is light jogging, whereby some exercises can be integrated for both the lower and upper extremities (e.g. heel lifts, knee lifts, lateral transfers, arm circles - see running ABC). Stimulating the circulation is therefore combined with mobilising the joints. However, this part of the warm-up does not have to consist solely of doing laps and integrated standard exercises, as it can also be used as an opportunity to integrate games and team spirit. This guarantees that the warm-up is more varied and more fun/motivating. For children, there are practically no limits to the choice of small and large games, which is different for older athletes. For the higher levels, it is desirable to choose games that do not contradict the core elements of the following main section. For example, basketball is suitable for the topic of high jump in athletics thanks to the jumps (e.g. for the basket shot) or handball-like games such as baseball are suitable for warming up throwers.
Finally, the introductory part of the training session should be organised efficiently and, if possible, with the same equipment (e.g. balls, skipping rope, mats, playbands, power hose) that will be used in the subsequent lesson. This is because a loss of time in the organisation always means less training.
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