Partner Coach Warm-Up

In pairs, one student does a six-exercise warm-up while the other acts as coach with an observation checklist of key technique cues: they correct, take notes, and give one tip. Then they switch roles. Students learn to warm up properly and give useful feedback.

How to play

1. Form pairs and give each pair a checklist with 6 exercises (squat, lunge, plank, high knees, vertical jump, and side shuffle) and 2 technique cues for each exercise.
2. Minutes 0-1: the teacher demonstrates an exercise and how to give feedback using the phrase "You're doing well at... try..."
3. Minutes 1-6: the athlete does all 6 exercises, about 45 seconds each, between two cones 10 yards apart. The coach watches, checks off each cue on the sheet, and gives one correction out loud.
4. Minutes 6-11: switch roles, using the other column on the same checklist.
5. Minutes 11-12: each pair shares which exercise improved after feedback and the teacher collects the checklists.

Rules

• Give feedback respectfully and start with something positive.
• The coach watches from the side, about 6 feet away, without stepping into the athlete's path.
• The athlete isn't racing: the goal is good reps, not fast reps.
• Switch roles when the teacher says so, not before.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the checklist has a version with trunk and arm exercises, and the student can serve as coach like anyone else.
• Autism or shyness: the feedback phrase is printed on the checklist so the student can read it word for word.
• Lower fitness: shorten each exercise to 30 seconds and allow rest between them.

Learning goals

• Perform warm-up exercises with correct technique.
• Observe a partner and give useful, respectful feedback.
• Build independence in planning and monitoring one's own warm-up.

Equipment for a class of 25

• observation checklists: 13
• pens: 13
• cones: 26

Teacher tip

Technique cues must be very specific ("knees out," "heels down"); if they're vague, the coach won't know what to look for. Keep the checklists to compare during assessment.

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