Mobility Self-Screen and Fix-It Warm-Up
In pairs, students run through four quick mobility screens (ankle, hip, shoulder, and spine) and, based on the results, pick the corrective exercises they need from a worksheet. It turns the warm-up into a personalized injury prevention routine.
How to play
- Pairs with one dowel and one worksheet. Minutes 0-2: easy jog and general mobility.
- Minutes 2-6: four 1-minute screens: knee to wall (foot 4 inches from the wall and the knee must touch it), deep squat with heels down, dowel behind the back with one hand over the shoulder and one from below, and seated trunk rotation with the dowel across the shoulders.
- For each screen, the partner marks green (easy), yellow (some difficulty), or red (cannot do it) on the worksheet for each side.
- Minutes 6-10: each student does 2 sets of the corrective exercises listed for any yellow or red screen; anyone all green does general dynamic mobility.
- Minutes 10-12: repeat the weakest screen and note whether it improved after the exercises.
Rules
- Do the screens without extra warm-up and without forcing so the results are real.
- Results are personal and are not compared with anyone else's.
- Never bounce or push into pain in any exercise.
Variations
Easier
Only two screens (ankle and shoulder) with one corrective exercise for each.
Standard
Four screens and corrective exercises based on color.
Harder
Students repeat the screens every two weeks and track progress in a spreadsheet.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: adapt the screens to the upper body (shoulder, upper back, and wrist) from the wheelchair.
- Shyness: the student can do the screen with the teacher or a trusted partner.
- Recent injury: skip the screen for the injured area and work on the rest.
Learning goals
- Identify your own mobility limits with simple screens.
- Choose corrective exercises that match each limit.
- Build injury prevention into a personal fitness plan.
Equipment for a class of 25
- dowels: 13
- screening worksheets: 25
Teacher tip
Prepare the worksheet with photos of the corrective exercises for each screen. Keep the sheets so students can repeat the screen at the end of the semester and compare.
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