What are appropriate warm-ups and cool-downs?
A proper warm-up is crucial, and it doesn’t have to last very long. It can be 10 minutes of light jogging or cycling or just doing some easy jumping jacks before practice. The reason a warm-up is important is because it increases blood flow to the muscles, making them more pliable, less prone to strain or rupture. I don’t like to have people stretch before they are warmed up because that can potentially lead to injury. During the cool-down, I encourage people to stretch. When should you take your child to the doctor for an injury? When children start to complain of pain or soreness, have them stop the exercise. Rest for a day or so, then try the activity again for a shorter period of time and at a lower level of intensity and, if the pain either does not go away with the two days of rest or recurs with the activity, then that’s a reason to be evaluated by a physician. In terms of an acute injury, the child should see a doctor when there’s significant pain, any swelling and, certainly,
