Warm-ups in youth football: how long, how, and with the ball
Not five minutes of laps and not half an hour of stretching. How long it should last by age, how to set it up before a match and the mistakes that come up most.
Linkalde · 2026-10-19
Two laps of the pitch, a few stretches in a circle and off we go. That is how many youth teams still warm up, and it is not the best way. A warm-up does three things: it prepares the body (raising muscle temperature, getting the heart and breathing going), the technique (feeling the ball) and the mind (focusing and getting into the match). If it only looks after the first one, the job is half done.
How long, depending on age
There is no single figure. It depends on age, level and what comes next. These are the guidelines given in FIFA and youth football manuals:
Recommended maximum warm-up length (minutes)
Three to five minutes is enough to raise body temperature, but not to get a player ready to train or compete. And a long, complicated or boring warm-up does the opposite: attention and enthusiasm drop.
A pre-match warm-up, step by step
FIFA suggests this model for developing players. With the youngest you can shorten it by dropping the most specific blocks:
Minutes for each block (maximum)
| Block | What you do | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Free running | Easy jogging, alone or in a group, changing direction. | Raising the temperature without rushing. |
| Mobility | Ankles, hips, shoulders, high knees, heel flicks. | Preparing the joints and getting the heart going. |
| Technique | Passes and control in pairs or threes, including a long pass or two. | Feeling the ball and building confidence. |
| 5v5 possession | In 25 × 25 m. First one team defends without pressing hard, then for real. Two or three sets of 45 seconds to a minute. | Getting the head into the game: looking, deciding, communicating. |
| Jumps and sprint starts | Six to eight short sprints of 6 to 8 metres and jumps, alone or in duels. | Waking up speed before the match starts. |
| Specific work | Forwards: five or six shots. Centre-backs: jumping headers. Midfielders: long balls. | Everyone goes out confident in their own job. |
The mistakes that come up most
- Starting the small-sided game too soon and too hard, with cold muscles. Raise the temperature first, then the intensity.
- Stretching a lot before playing. Before a match, short active stretches; long static stretching is better saved for the end.
- Stopping it to explain or correct. A warm-up is not for learning: players must know beforehand what is coming.
- Warming up without a ball with young players. The ball should appear often: carrying, dribbling, feints or even stretching with it.
- Finishing the warm-up and then waiting ten minutes in the changing room. The effect fades after five minutes: if there is a wait, keep moving.
- Forgetting to drink during the warm-up.
Teach them to warm up on their own. One aim of the development stage is that an older teenager can warm up without anyone leading it, alone or guided by a captain. On that day the coach can get on with other things before the match.
In training, make the most of the warm-up
With children, training time is short, so the warm-up must also help them learn to play. Games with the ball, reaction games or dribbling with your head up warm you up just as well as running, and they teach too. And at half-time in matches, a couple of minutes of activation just before going back out.
Bibliography
- FIFA. Fútbol juvenil. Manual para entrenadores. Fédération Internationale de Football Association.
- Meda, Á.. Fútbol: los niños y su fútbol.