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Wake-Up Body Circles

Draw circles with your arms, hips, knees and ankles to wake the body up before you play.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Big arm circles forward and backward, 10 each.

Core: Medium. Gentle.

Ages
5 to 10
Time
5 min
Players
Just you
Space
Gym or court
Bring
None
Level · skill
Beginner · Flexibility

The steps

How it works

  1. Big arm circles forward and backward, 10 each.
  2. Hip circles like a hula hoop, 10 each way.
  3. Ankle circles on each foot, 10 each way.
  4. Finish with 10 gentle neck nods.

Coaching point

Big, smooth circles.

Safety: Move into a gentle stretch, never pain. Never bounce, and never let anyone push you deeper.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Circle leader: take turns choosing the next body part to circle while everyone copies.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (small circles), Core (medium), More (add the ankles). Gentle.

Story

You are a robot warming up.

My best

Beat your own count

Gentle. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

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