Urban Sprint Warm-Up: Tight Turns, Curbs, and Stairs

A physical warm-up built for urban sprint orienteering, which is full of 90° and 180° turns, surface changes, and steps. It preps ankles and knees for what is coming and cuts the risk of sprains.

How to play

1. Ankle, knee, and hip mobility while jogging easy: circles, butt kicks, and hip openers (3 min).
2. Turns around cones set up like building corners: 90° with a low center of gravity, pushing off the outside foot; then 180° turns (3 min).
3. Steps or a low curb on campus: step up placing the whole foot, one step at a time, and walk down with eyes on the next step (2 min).
4. Surface changes: stretches of grass, dirt, and concrete at medium pace, noticing how footing changes (2 min).
5. Two 30 m build-ups with a corner turn and a final acceleration (2 min).

Rules

• Go up stairs one step at a time and always walk down.
• Turn around the cone, never jump over it.
• If a surface is wet or sandy, drop it from the route.
• Keep your distance from the person ahead on turns.

Variations

Adaptations

• Recent ankle injury: does mobility and turns at a walk, no steps.
• Limited mobility: wheelchair turns around cones on a smooth surface, working on braking and pushing off.
• Visual impairment: high-contrast cones and a guide calling each surface change.

Learning goals

• Prepare ankles and knees for turns and uneven footing.
• Practice fast turning technique without losing balance.
• Identify urban surfaces and their risks.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 20

Teacher tip

Check the steps beforehand: no sand, no leaves, no other classes passing through. The typical mistake is turning on a locked inside foot; cue them to push off the outside foot with hips low.

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