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Prep-and-Protect Warm-Up Sequence

A full injury-prevention warm-up for teens: jog, mobility, strength, landing and cutting in one 15-minute flow. Do it before every session.

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

Set up

Jog and side-shuffle 2 minutes; leg swings and lunge reaches 2 minutes.

Core: Full. Do it before every session.

Ages
13 and up
Time
15 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Cones, mat
Level · skill
Advanced · Footwork

The steps

How it works

  1. Jog and side-shuffle 2 minutes; leg swings and lunge reaches 2 minutes.
  2. Squats, side planks and hamstring lowers: 1 set each, 3 minutes.
  3. Snap-downs and hops with stuck landings: 3 minutes.
  4. Controlled cuts and build-up runs: 4 minutes.

Coaching point

Every rep, knees over toes.

Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Warm-up leader: take turns calling the next move in the sequence while everyone copies.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (shorter), Core (full), More (add a balance). Do it before every session.

Story

You are a superhero putting on armor, piece by piece.

My best

Beat your own count

Do it before every session. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free tennis week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

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An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.