Warm-ups: why kids should move, not hold stretches, before practice

Picture the start of a lot of youth practices. Kids sit in a circle on the grass, reach for their toes and count to thirty while the coach sets up cones. It looks responsible. It is what many of us did as kids.

The research says there is a better way to spend those ten minutes. Kids should move before they play, and save the long, still stretches for after. Here is what the studies found, what we do in SSTracker, and why it matters for your child.

What the research says

Moving warm-ups with balance and landing work prevent injuries

The best evidence comes from soccer, where researchers have tested whole warm-up programs in large trials. In one, teams of players under 9, under 11 and under 13 in four countries (3,895 players, average age about 11) did a 15 to 20 minute warm-up called "11+ Kids" before practice. It mixed running, hopping and landing, balance, trunk strength and learning how to fall. Compared with teams that warmed up as usual, injuries fell by 48% overall and severe injuries by 74%. The more often teams used it, the fewer injuries they had. The authors recommend doing it at least once a week, and twice is better.¹

That was not a one-off. A 2022 review that pooled six studies of the same program, with 10,565 players aged 7 to 14, found about half the injury risk compared with a usual warm-up.² A broader review of 16 trials of this kind of training in athletes 21 and under found 42% fewer leg injuries. Two or three times a week did best, and 10 to 15 minute sessions worked as well as longer ones.³

The common thread: a warm-up that moves, with balance, landing and some strength work built in.

Long still stretches before play cost a little jump and sprint

When researchers compared warm-ups in 60 children with an average age of 11, kids who walked and then did static stretches jumped lower and ran a slower shuttle than kids who did 10 minutes of dynamic movement. Their flexibility was the same either way.⁴

A large review in adults and active people found the same pattern. Holding stretches right before activity lowered performance a little, especially holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle. Short holds followed by moving activity made little difference. Moving (dynamic) stretching, done within minutes of the activity, gave small gains.⁵

Stretching alone does not prevent injuries

This is the surprising part for a lot of parents. A review of 25 trials with 26,610 people found that stretching showed no clear benefit for preventing sports injuries. Balance training and strength training did.⁶ Stretching still has a job. It keeps the range of movement, and it is a calm way to end practice. It is just not the injury shield we were told it was.

Where stretching belongs: after, and every session from about age 10 or 11

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons tells young athletes to warm up first, never to bounce a stretch, and says stretching after exercise is even more important than before.⁷

There is a good reason to make it a habit early. Many girls start their growth spurt around 10, and boys on average about two years later.⁹ Those are the years when growth-related knee pain like Osgood-Schlatter shows up, and the AAOS says stretches for the front and back of the thigh may help relieve the pain and keep it from coming back.⁸ So our advice is simple: a short, gentle cool-down with stretches from the very first practice, and a regular part of every session by U11.

How SSTracker does it

One honest note: our warm-ups use the same kinds of moves as the tested programs, but they are not those programs and have not been tested in a trial themselves. A team that wants the exact program from the soccer trials should use it as written, at least twice a week.

Why this is better for your child and your family

The first reason is the obvious one: fewer injuries. A kid who is not hurt keeps playing, keeps having fun and keeps getting better. Every week on the bench is a week of missing friends and the game.

The second reason is how practice feels. A moving warm-up is more fun than sitting in a circle counting. Tag, hops, quick feet and short races wake kids up and get them laughing before the first drill. For younger kids especially, the warm-up can simply be a game.

The third reason is the habit. A kid who learns at 9 that practice starts by moving and ends with a quiet stretch carries that into high school and beyond. The cool-down is also a natural moment to talk: what was fun today, what felt easier, what do you want to try next time.

And for parents helping at home, it is one less thing to worry about. You do not need to know which stretches to hold for how long before the session. Start by moving, play, and finish with a few easy stretches together. Practice makes progress, and a good warm-up helps make sure your child is healthy enough to keep practicing.

Something to try this week

Before your next session in the yard, skip the toe-touches. Try five minutes of moving instead: an easy jog, skips, side shuffles, a few hops with soft landings, and a short game of tag. Then, at the end, sit down together for three or four gentle stretches for the front and back of the thighs and the calves. No bouncing, nothing that hurts.