Knee and Ankle Injury-Prevention Warm-Up
A neuromuscular warm-up routine based on injury-prevention programs used in youth sports: running variations, leg strength, single-leg balance, and controlled landings. It lowers the risk of knee and ankle injuries and teaches students how to land well.
How to play
- Set up 6 lanes of 15 yards with cones; 4 students per lane. At the end of each lane, place a mat for floor exercises.
- Minutes 0-3: down-and-back running variations: jog, hip openers and closers, side shuffle, and running with gentle cuts.
- Minutes 3-6: strength: 2 sets of 8 squats with knees tracking over the toes, 8 lunges per leg, and a 20-second side plank on each side.
- Minutes 6-8: balance: 30 seconds on one leg with a slight knee bend, passing an imaginary ball with a partner; then with eyes closed.
- Minutes 8-11: landings: 6 vertical jumps with soft two-foot landings and 6 lateral single-leg hops, holding each landing for 2 seconds.
- Minutes 11-12: two 15-yard runs at 80 percent with a controlled three-step stop.
Rules
- The knee never caves in when lowering or landing: keep it lined up with the second toe.
- Quality over quantity: if form breaks down, slow down.
- Lane partners watch each other and give feedback on knee position.
- Jump only in a dry area with no obstacles nearby.
Variations
Easier
Partial squats, balance with a hand on the wall, and two-foot landings only.
Standard
Full routine of running, strength, balance, and landings.
Harder
Linked lateral single-leg hops and balance on a soft mat.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a parallel routine of trunk and arm strength plus seated balance without a backrest.
- Autism: show the sequence on a picture poster, always in the same order, for predictability.
- Previous injury or lower fitness: do the easier version and skip single-leg hops.
Learning goals
- Use knee and ankle injury-prevention exercises as part of the warm-up.
- Control knee alignment when lowering, jumping, and landing.
- Improve balance and ankle stability.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 12
- mats: 6
Teacher tip
Use a mirror or a short video clip so students can see if the knee caves in. Repeat the routine two or three times a week during the unit so it has an effect and students can lead it on their own.
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