PatioLab
Home › Activity library › Warm-ups for Middle School › Activation Ball Relays

Activation Ball Relays

Ball relays in which each runner completes a course dribbling with the hand, dribbling with the feet or passing, depending on the round.

PhaseWarm-up
Duration9 min
Ages12–16
SpaceField
Equipmentball, cones
IntensityModerate

How to play

  1. Teams of four line up behind a line, with a cone 12 meters (about 40 ft) away.
  2. Round 1: down and back dribbling the ball with the hand.
  3. Round 2: dribble with the feet around the cone.
  4. Round 3: pass to a teammate from the cone and run back.

Rules

Variations

Easier

8-meter distance and hand dribbling only.

Standard

Three rounds with different skills.

Harder

Zigzag course and non-dominant hand or foot.

Adaptations

Learning goals

Add this activity to your lesson

PatioLab has "Activation Ball Relays" and 599 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.

More warm-ups for Middle School

4v1 Warm-up Rondo

⏱ 10 min👥 Ages 13–16📍 Field
Equipment: ball, cones

4v1 rondo: four players keep possession inside a square while one player tries to win the ball.

Coordination Moderate intensity

5v2 Technical Warm-up Rondo

⏱ 10 min👥 Ages 13–16📍 Field
Equipment: ball, cones

5v2 rondo to warm up with the ball: five keep possession while two try to win it.

Coordination Moderate intensity

Activation with Agility Ladder

⏱ 9 min👥 Ages 12–16📍 Outdoor yard
Equipment: Agility ladder

Agility ladder warm-up: footwork patterns of increasing difficulty to coordinate and activate.

Coordination Moderate intensity

Active Chain Stretching

⏱ 7 min👥 Ages 12–16📍 Any space
Equipment: No equipment

Linked active stretches from feet to head, holding each position for just a few seconds with smooth movement.

Mobility Low intensity

Active Corners

⏱ 8 min👥 Ages 7–12📍 Outdoor yard
Equipment: cones

Active corners: each corner of the area has an exercise; students run to the corner called and do that exercise.

Activation Moderate intensity

Active Mobility with Wooden Sticks

⏱ 7 min👥 Ages 13–16📍 Any space
Equipment: Poles

Active mobility with wooden dowels for the shoulders, spine and hips.

Mobility Low intensity