Many of us avoid (well, run away from) warm-up and cool-down exercises, but they are crucial components of any physical activity, including Ultimate Frisbee. They help prepare your body for the demands of the sport, reduce the risk of injuries, enhance performance and aid in recovery.
Speaking to our Co-founder & Coach Samarth, he explains why warm-up and cool-down exercises are important in Ultimate Frisbee:
Warm-up Exercises & Ultimate Frisbee:
1. Injury Prevention:
This is an obvious reason, but important to emphasise this as our first point – a proper warm-up routine increases blood flow to the muscles, making them more flexible and reducing the risk of strains, sprains and other injuries.
It prepares our body for the physical demands of Ultimate Frisbee, where quick movements, jumping, and changes in direction are common.
2. Increased Performance:
Warm-up exercises activate our muscles, improving their efficiency and responsiveness. This helps enhance our overall performance, including agility, speed, and coordination. A thorough warm-up primes your body for optimal movement, reaction time and control during the game.
3. Mental Preparation:
Warm-up routines also provide an opportunity for mental preparation – it gets us in the zone, helping us to focus better and gets us into the right mindset for the game, boosting concentration and reaction speed. This has always been an opportunity for me to visualise my strategies, review game plans, and mentally prepare for the challenges ahead – so I would always advise everyone to use warm-ups for warming up the mind!
Read here for:
- Why You Need Coaching for Ultimate Frisbee | What Does a Coach Do?
- Developing Self-Confidence & Self-Esteem in Children Through Ultimate Frisbee
4. Team Cohesion:
Ultimate Frisbee is a team sport, which is why it’s always best that our warm-up activities are done collectively, allowing teammates to bond, synchronise their movements and build camaraderie. It promotes a sense of unity and teamwork before stepping onto the field.
Cool-down Exercises & Ultimate Frisbee:
1. Enhanced Recovery:
An Ultimate Frisbee game has ended, but the body is still racing. This is where cool-down exercises help gradually reduce our heart rate, cool down body temperature and facilitate the removal of metabolic waste products, such as lactic acid, from our muscles. This promotes faster recovery and reduces muscle soreness and stiffness.
“If you do not cool down, the lactic acid may pool in your muscles, causing increased soreness.”
Ref.: Penn State University Extension
2. Injury Prevention:
Cooling down properly helps prevent blood pooling and sudden drops in blood pressure that can occur after intense physical activity. It allows our body to gradually transition to a resting state, reducing the risk of dizziness or fainting.
Read here for:
3. Muscle Relaxation:
Something I’ve learnt from the experience of playing and interacting with physiotherapists, that gentle stretching or foam rolling, help relax and elongate muscles that may have tightened during play. This promotes better muscle recovery, reduces muscle imbalances and maintains or improves flexibility over time.
4. Mental Relaxation:
Just as important mental relaxation is during a warm-up to gain focus for a game, it’s equally important during a cool-down period because it provides us with a mental break and a chance to unwind after an intense game. It allows time for reflection, celebration of achievements and a transition to a relaxed state of mind. Something which is facilitated by the spirit circle, which I share more about here:
To summarise, by incorporating a warm-up and cool-down routine into our Ultimate Frisbee sessions it becomes an essential tool for improved short-term performance and long-term injury prevention, which is why we allocate sufficient time for these activities, but it’s also important to customise them to address the specific needs of your body. Please remember, that we all must listen to our body, engage in dynamic stretches, perform ultimate frisbee-specific movements and gradually decrease the intensity during the cool-down phase.
We hope this introduction to warm-ups and cool downs help.
But if you would like to diver deeper into what you can do, then read here for more:
- Coach’s Guide: How to Warm Up for Ultimate Frisbee
- Coach’s Guide: How to Cool Down for Ultimate Frisbee
—–
We, School of Ultimate work to coach children the various aspects of Ultimate Frisbee through our sessions in Mumbai. We’ve begun sessions for kids and young adults aged 7-13 years old.
To know more, check out our About Us page or FAQs on our Coaching.
View this post on Instagram
