PACER Test Warm-Up: Turns and Pacing
A specific warm-up for the 20 m shuttle run (PACER): students run the first levels with the audio, rehearse the turn at the line, and do a few short build-ups. It readies the body and teaches pacing from the very first beep.
How to play
- Set two cone lines 20 meters apart with lanes about 5 feet wide, one per pair. One partner warms up while the other watches; then they switch.
- Mobility (2 min): ankles, knees, hips, and leg swings on the lines while the teacher explains how the test works.
- Levels 1 and 2 with the audio (2 min per turn): the runner follows the beeps, reaching the line right on the beep without getting ahead; the partner calls out if they arrive too early.
- Turn practice (1 min): 4 slow round trips, planting the outside foot on the line, dropping the hips, and turning to the same side every time.
- Build-ups (1 min): two 20 m runs at 70% and 85% effort, walking back.
- Partners switch roles and repeat steps 3-5; to finish, each pair takes 30 seconds to discuss which early pace was hardest to hold.
Rules
- One foot touches the line on every turn; no turning early.
- Nobody runs faster than the audio pace during the warm-up: the goal is to learn to arrive right on time.
- Safety: dry floor and tied shoes; anyone who feels dizzy or has pain steps out and tells the teacher.
Variations
Easier
Run only level 1 with the audio and practice the turn at a walk and a jog.
Standard
Run levels 1 and 2, practice the turn, and do two build-ups.
Harder
Add level 3, and the partner records how many laps the runner reached the line before the beep.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a student in a wheelchair uses 10 m laps with a wide turn around a cone and an individual reference pace.
- Hearing loss: the partner raises an arm on every beep so the runner can see the cue.
- Lower fitness: encourage the student to start the real test conservatively and show them how to walk the turns in the early levels.
Learning goals
- Prepare the body specifically for a progressive endurance test.
- Learn to match running speed to an audio cue.
- Master the line turn to save energy.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 28
- portable speaker: 1
Teacher tip
The most common mistake is going out too fast in the early levels: stress arriving with the beep, not before it.
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