Mobility and Breathing Cool-Down
Eight minutes of slow mobility — world's greatest stretch, 90/90 hips, cat–cow, open book, child's pose — finished with one minute of box breathing.
- Age
- U13–Senior
- Players
- 1–30
- Duration
- 8 min
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Intensity
- Low
- Area
- Full pitch / open
- Type
- Physical
- Approach
- Analytical
- Format
- Circuit
- Objectives
- Physical: Recovery & flexibility, Mobility
- Concepts worked on
- Physical:MobilityFlexibility
Training diagram
Players in three staggered rows facing the coach, with space to lie down and rotate.
Legend
- Attacker
- Neutral / support
For teenage and adult players, a cool-down based on slow mobility often works better than long static holds: hips and upper back loosen up, and a minute of controlled breathing switches the body from training mode to recovery mode. It suits the end of an intense session or the day after a match, and needs no equipment.
Objective
Recover hip and thoracic mobility after training and lower the heart rate with controlled breathing.
Organisation
- Players in three staggered rows facing the coach, with about 2 m of space each.
- No equipment needed. Choose a dry area of the pitch.
How it works
- Walk for 1 minute breathing in and out through the nose.
- World's greatest stretch: long lunge, both hands inside the front foot, lower the elbow towards the instep, then rotate and reach the same arm to the sky. 3 per side.
- 90/90 hip switches: sitting with both knees bent at 90° to one side, rotate the knees to the other side without using the hands if possible. 8 switches.
- Cat–cow on hands and knees: round the whole spine, then extend it. 8 slow repetitions.
- Open book: lying on the side with the knees bent, open the top arm across the body to the other side and follow it with the eyes. 6 per side.
- Child's pose: kneel, sit back on the heels and reach forward; walk the hands to one side and then the other. 30 s.
- Box breathing lying on the back: breathe in for 4 seconds, hold 4, breathe out 4, hold 4. Repeat for 1 minute.
Coaching points
- Move slowly and exhale during the stretching part of each movement.
- Stay within a comfortable range; no forcing.
- In the open book, keep the knees together and on the ground.
- During the breathing, ask for silence and eyes closed.
Progressions
- Hold the end position of each movement for 3–5 seconds.
- Extend box breathing to 2 minutes with 5-second counts.
Regressions
- U13–U14: four movements and 30 seconds of breathing.
- 90/90 with the hands on the ground behind the body for support.
Variations
- Combine with the static stretching routine after matches: mobility first, stretches second.
Key principles
- Slow movements and long exhalations.
- Recovery starts before the players leave the pitch.
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