Effects of Structured vs. Unstructured Warm-up Protocols on Anaerobic Performance in Younger Children

The study was created to evaluate and compare the effect of warm-up protocols on anaerobic performance in younger children. While there are many studies that examine the effects of warm-up on adolescents and adults, there has been no research on the effect of dynamic warm-up on younger children, aged 3-6 years. There were a total of 30 participants (15 girls and 15 boys), ranging in age from 3 to 6 years were selected from the Kinder Kamp and Kindergym class in the Old Bridge YMCA of Western Monmouth County. There were three protocols being tested: no warm-up (NWU), unstructured warm-up (UWU) and structured dynamic warm-up (SWU). After the warm-up the participants performed a 20 meter dash and a broad jump. After each trial there was a week rest in between. Both ANOVA and Scheffe's Tests calculated results, there were no significance found in the entire group and the girls group. However, the Scheffe's post hoc test did find significance between the NWU (36.5 in) and the UWU (36.1 in) in the boys group for the broad jump. This could be due to the depletion of younger children's limited energy stores by the unstructured warm-up. Even though there were no significant differences found between no warm-up and the warm-up protocols, it is still important for a warm-up to be performed. Doing so will ingrain healthy habits for these younger children in the future. In conclusion, it doesn't matter how you warm-up younger children for jumping and sprinting tasks.