Underage Warmup Games 

Sample Underage Warm Up Activities

For underage players:

Compiled by Terence McWilliams – Ulster Games Development Manager

http://www.ulstergaa.ie/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/under-age-warm-ups.pdf
1. Free Movement: Spatial Awareness 

i. Set out square area that all players must remain inside. 

ii. Allow players to move about the square as they wish but may only 

take 4 steps before changing direction. 

iii. Demonstrate the use of the out side foot in transferring weight to 

make the change in pathway i.e. use the inside of the outside foot to 

drive off. 

iv. This encourages players to move in all different directions and avoid 

contact with other players. 

v. Introduce joint mobilisation exercises (e.g. high knees, heel flicks, 

skipping etc.) every 15/30 seconds, depending on fitness levels. 

vi. Challenge them to travel in different directions i.e. sideways, 

backwards. 

vii. Tips: One foot leads the other when going sideways.

Look over your shoulder when travelling backwards. 

Look for the free spaces to move into at all times.

viii. Challenge them to travel in different pathways and directions 

ix. Can they change ‘gears’ as they travel? 

2. Back To Back:

i. Players run about until call of ‘Back to Back’. 

ii. Group pair off. 

iii. Last to form a pair or anyone not in a pair is the new caller. 

3. Numbers: 

i. Group move about until a nos. is called by caller e.g. 

‘3’s/4’s etc. 

ii. On call players aim to form nos. called. 

4. Shapes: 

i. Repeat above but call out shape to be formed by players e.g. Triangle – 

Get into groups of 3 

5. Free Movement with balls: 

i. Same as activity above accept there is 1 ball for every 3 or 4 players 

in the square. 

ii. Players must hand pass ball to a free player then receive another. 

iii. Encourage players to move in all different directions and ‘CALL’ for 

the ball to avoid player not being ready for a pass or more than 1 

ball going to a player at the same time.
iv. To progress, introduce pick-up (players take a hop/solo then leave 

ball on ground for next player to pick up) and high catch (players 

lob ball into air for person to catch). 

v. To progress further, have a few players/mentors in the square that 

act as defenders and try to dispossess people around them. 

6. Red Light: 

i. Children line up along one of the sidelines. 

ii. The aim is to get to the opposite sideline first. 

iii. One child ‘The Caller’ goes to opposite sideline and calls out 

‘1, 2, 3 Red Light’ as the rest of the group move towards the 

caller. 

iv. On ‘Red Light’ caller turns around quickly in an attempt to 

catch someone moving. 

v. Anyone caught moving must return to starting line. 

vi. The winner becomes the new Caller. 

7. Signal Man:

i. Players space out at random in a grid 

ii. Coach stands in front and signals with hands i.e. if s/he points to his 

left all the players move sideways to their right etc. If he points 

forward, all move back 

iii. Challenge them to move the opposite way to the way pointed i.e. if 

the coach points behind him all move forward etc. 

iv. Above but respond to audio commands i.e. ‘Right’, ‘Left’ etc. 

8. Mirror Dodge:

i. Pairs – Nos. 1 & 2 

ii. No. 1 acts as a mirror and moves in different directs opposite his partner 

iii. No. 2 acts as a reflection and attempts to mirror No. 1 i.e. if No. 1 moves to 

his left, No. 2 moves to his right, it No. 1 moves backwards, No. 2 should 

move forwards etc. 

iv. Challenge No. 2 to go the opposite way to No. 1 

9. Spider’s Web: 

i. All children line up along one of the sidelines 

ii. 3 or 4 children space out along the middle between the 2 sidelines. 

iii. The aim is for the large group along the sideline 9Flies) to travel across 

past the ‘Spiders’ in the middle without being tagged. 

iv. Winner: Who ever gets over and back the most times in a set time. 

10. Cone Dodge: 

i. Place different coloured cones randomly around playing area. 

ii. Touch 3 domes of the same colour
iii. Touch 3 different colours first etc. 

iv. Players move around area performing different skills as they come 

to certain cones (e.g. dodge every white dome, side-step every green 

cone, feint and side step every green one, jump over every red cone, 

run around every blue cone etc.). 

11. Mine Field: 

i. Use spaced out domes and cones in a grid 

ii. 4 or 5 players space out along the 4 sides 

iii. Give each group a number 1 to 4 

iv. On call e.g. ‘1 & 2’ players aim to dodge across the Mine Field, with out 

touching any domes 

v. Challenge further by calling all the numbers 

vi. Challenge players to travel sideways or backwards through the mine field 

vii. Challenge them to travel with a ball i.e. dribbling/soloing/bouncing etc. 

12. Cups & Saucers: 

i. Pairs – Nos. 1 & 2 

ii. Nos. go to a spaced out doe and turn it up side down making a 

saucer 

iii. No. 2’s go to a dome small hole facing up i.e. a cup 

iv. The aim of the game is for the No. 1’s to turn all the cups into 

saucers and vice versa for the No. 2’s 

v. The winning group will have the greater number of saucers or cups 

at the end of a set time e.g. 1 minute. 

13. Foot touches: 

i. Players get in pairs. 

ii. Player must try and touch his partner’s foot with his own to score a 

point. NB No stamping 

iii. Repeat above but touch knees, shoulders etc. 

iv. Other player avoids partner while trying to touch his foot at same 

time. 

14. Tails: 

i. Assign 3-5 ‘catchers’ and give the rest of players a bib to tuck into 

the back of their shorts like a tail. 

ii. Catchers attempt to get the tails from the other players. 

iii. Once caught, players put on their bib and become a catcher. 

iv. Challenge catchers to see how long it takes to catch everyone then 

let another set of catchers attempt to beat that time. 

v. Repeat above in pairs. Place tail in the back off of togs and then the 

front 

15. Turtle-flip chasing : 

i. Assign a few players as catchers.
ii. The rest are turtles that are trying to avoid being caught. Once 

caught, players get down on their backs and pretend to be a turtle 

that has been flipped on its back. 

iii. They can be freed by being flipped back up the right way by their 

team-mates. 

iv. Challenge catchers to see how many turtles they can flip in a certain 

time then allow a different group of catchers to try and beat that 

score. 

16. Ball Tricks : 

i. In pairs with a ball between 2, pairs roll ball back and forth and 

attempt to stop it with as many different body parts as possible (e.g. 

knee, elbow, chin etc.). 

ii. See who can get the most. 

iii. Juggle 2 balls between you and your partner. Which pair can juggle the 

longest? Repeat while on the move. 

iv. No. 1 holds ball in hands and attempts to keep No. 2 from touching the 

ball by using pivot only i.e. s/he must keep one foot stationary and 

use the other foot to prevent partner from touching the ball. 

17. Shadows: 

i. Players are in pairs, one is the leader and the other the shadow. 

ii. Leaders jog around freely doing anything they want (e.g. jump, side 

to side, tumble, cartwheel etc.) followed by their shadow who copies 

their activities. 

iii. After a minute switch leaders and shadows. 

iv. Encourage players to use imagination and do whatever they can 

think of (as long as it’s safe!!) 

18. Touch Tag: 

i. Pairs – Nos. 1 & 2 

ii. No. 1 uses dodges and feints to prevent being tagged by No. 

2. 

iii. No. 2 attempts to tag No. 1 as many times as possible in a set 

time i.e. 5 secs., then 4secs, 3 secs. 

iv. All players must stop on whistle. 

v. If No. 2 can touch No. 1 he gains a point, if not No. 1 gains a 

point. See who scores the most points in a set time. 

19.Pass The Sharks:

i. All players line up along the sideline well spaced out 

ii. Nominate 3 or 4 to stand along a middle line between the 2 

sidelines these are the Sharks 

iii. The aim is for the fish to swim past the Sharks without being tagged. 

If tagged they are out of the game 

iv. If successful on getting to the other side you gain a point. See how 

many points you can get in 1 minute. 

v. The Sharks also gain 1 Point every time they tag a Fish.