05/29/2026
Most of your players aren't warming up
You spend all week planning quality training sessions with great drills.
Then on game day, you rush through a warm-up where half your players are jogging in a line and the other half are standing around doing static stretches.
And then you wonder why the first 10 minutes of the match are always sloppy.
The warm-up isn't just a box to tick before kickoff.
It's the bridge between "I just got out of the car" and "I'm ready to compete."
And if that bridge involves your players doing movements they'll never perform in a game, like standing still in a circle or jogging in straight lines, you're building a bridge to nowhere.
Think about what a game actually demands.
Quick changes of direction, stopping and starting, dodging opponents, adjusting your body to the flight of the ball.
Your warm-up should be a compressed version of those movements.
Not a gentle stroll followed by some toe touches.
Here's what I'd suggest:
Ditch the laps and the circles entirely.
Start with a tag-based game for 3-4 minutes where every player is chasing, evading, and reacting.
Then move into a quick small-sided game on a tight pitch for 5-6 minutes with a ball involved.
By the time kickoff arrives, your players have already been competing, making decisions, and moving at game speed.
The difference in how they start the match will be obvious.
If you need ideas for competitive warm-up games, my "23 Soccer Small-Sided Games" booklet is full of them.
The 3v3 game on page 13 is an excellent place to start, quick to set up, fast-paced, and gets every player locked in.
Download it here:
ββSmart Soccer Coachingββ
Coach Watson