Warm-Up Sequencing Envelopes
Each group gets an envelope with eight shuffled exercise cards and has to put them in order, general to specific and easy to hard, before doing them. The teacher checks the order and the group leads it, learning the principles of warm-up progression.
How to play
- Prepare six envelopes with eight cards each: two joint mobility moves, two easy locomotor moves, two general activation moves, and two sport-specific or higher-intensity moves, all shuffled.
- Make six groups of four; on the signal, each group opens its envelope next to its cone and has 2 minutes to lay the cards on the floor in order.
- Walk around and, without saying which ones are wrong, tell each group how many cards are out of place; the group gets 30 seconds to fix them.
- Each student leads two cards in a row; the group performs all eight moves in order, about 40 seconds each, in a 10-yard space.
- While they practice, the teacher secretly swaps one card in a group's line; if the group catches it before they reach it, they earn a point.
- In the last minute, each group explains to another group why it put the last two cards at the end.
Rules
- Cards are ordered as a team, and anyone can suggest a change.
- No practicing until the teacher has checked the order.
- Each leader demos their move before the group does it.
- Safety: higher-intensity moves are done at no more than 80 percent effort.
Variations
Easier
Envelopes with six color-coded cards that hint at the phase.
Standard
Eight cards with no hints, plus a teacher check.
Harder
Each envelope includes a trick card that doesn't belong in a warm-up, and the group has to discard it and explain why.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student helps order the cards and leads moves with the seated versions printed on them.
- Autism: provide a visual chart of the warm-up phases to support the sorting.
- Fitness level: each card lists reps for two levels, and students choose theirs.
Learning goals
- Apply progression principles when ordering a warm-up.
- Lead moves within a sequence the group organized.
- Explain the reasoning behind the order of warm-up exercises.
Equipment for a class of 25
- envelopes: 6
- cards: 48
- cones: 6
Teacher tip
Use a different card color for each envelope so they're easy to collect without mixing. This works great as a step before students design their own warm-up.
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