All athletes need to warm up both before training and competition. A warm up helps prepare the athlete for training or competition both physically and mentally.

The warm up helps prevent injury and assists with technique so plays an important part of an athletes programme.

This dynamic warm up is a series of drills that help athletes with their running technique. The focus is on foot placement (toe pointing up) and a cycle action of the legs with the knee going up, over, round and driving down.

Each exercise should be done twice.

Outlined below is a brief explanation of each drill shown in the video above:

Skipping Forwards Arms Forwards

This drill is about coordination and raising the heart rate. Ensure your arms are relaxed and sweep forward over your head with your arms close to your ears. Get into a relaxed rhythm.

Skipping Backwards Arms Backwards

This drill is the same as the first but in reverse. This helps strengthen your muscle in a different range of movement. It also improves your balance,  coordination and spacial awareness.

Skipping Forwards Alternate Arms

Same as the previous drills but have one arm going forwards and the other backwards. A great one to test your brain.

Skipping Backwards Alternate Arms

Again working the body in reserve to keep you on your toes.

Side Stepping

The next four exercises are side stepping making sure you use the whole body ensuring the arms are raised above your head each time. Do these drills facing both sides forwards and back.

Hamstring Kicks

A great drill to stretch off your hamstrings. This drill works on your flexibility and can be done over a distance of 10 – 30m. Focus on getting the leg as high as you can and pointing your big toe towards your knee.

Marching Forwards and Backwards

These drills are done at walking pace and the emphasis is on lifting the knee so it is parallel to the ground with the foot place below the knee. The foot should be placed with the big toe pointing up. Hold the knee up in position for a count of 3 seconds. These drills help with balance as well. Complete forwards and backwards

Marching With a Skip

These drills are done at a faster pace with an emphasis in driving the knee up fast. It should be like a footballer doing a keepie up.

Dead Legs

The next few drills isolate each leg to work on the cycle action and the knee driving up, over and down. One leg works the other is dead. This one takes some time to learn.

One, Two, Three (Hold)

During this drill you are working on your knee drive and keeping it high at all times. On the third hold the knee for a count of 2-3s. Ensure the knee is high throughout and your big toes are pointing up.

Cycles

The final drill is bringing the cycle action into a running form. Here you need to work on knee up and over then drive down.