We get asked all the time: “What can my kid do at home between sessions?” It is a fair question, especially from parents who see their child buzzing after a session and wanting to keep moving.
Here are five warm-up drills we actually use at the start of our sessions. None of them require any equipment. All of them can be done in a backyard, a garage, a basement, or even a living room if you move the coffee table.
1. The Split-Step Countdown
This is a fundamental movement in badminton, volleyball, and basketball. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, bounce lightly on the balls of your feet, and on a count (or a clap), perform a quick split-step — a small hop that lands you in a wide, athletic ready position with knees bent and hands up.
At home: Set a timer for 60 seconds. Have your child react to random claps or voice commands. The goal is to make the split-step reflexive, not something they think about.
Why it matters: Every sport we teach involves reacting to something — a shuttle, a ball, an opponent. The split-step is the movement that precedes every reaction. Getting it into muscle memory early makes everything else faster.
2. Lateral Shuffle Touch-and-Go
Set two markers about three metres apart (shoes, water bottles, whatever you have). Shuffle laterally between them in an athletic stance — low hips, chest up, no crossing feet — and touch the marker at each end before changing direction.
At home: Do three sets of 30 seconds with a 15-second rest between sets. Emphasise staying low. Most kids want to stand upright, which kills their ability to change direction quickly.
Why it matters: Lateral movement is the foundation of defensive positioning in basketball, court coverage in badminton, and passing platform stability in volleyball.
3. Single-Leg Balance Hold (Eyes Closed)
Stand on one foot with arms out to the side. Hold for 20 seconds. Then close your eyes. The difficulty spikes immediately because your body loses visual reference points and has to rely entirely on proprioception — the inner sense of where your limbs are in space.
At home: Alternate legs. Try to build up to 30 seconds with eyes closed on each side. If your child wobbles and giggles and falls over, that is completely fine. That is the point.
Why it matters: Balance underpins every athletic movement. Kids who develop strong proprioceptive awareness are less injury-prone and more coordinated across all sports.
4. Bear Crawl / Crab Walk Circuit
Mark out a short distance — five to eight metres. Bear crawl forward (hands and feet on the ground, hips up, knees hovering just off the floor). Then crab walk back (hands and feet on the ground, belly facing up). One full circuit.
At home: Do four circuits with minimal rest. This is harder than it looks, and it builds core strength, shoulder stability, and hip mobility all at once.
Why it matters: These crawling patterns develop full-body coordination and core engagement that sit-ups and planks simply cannot replicate. We use them in every sport and every age group.
5. Reaction Ball Toss (Wall Version)
If you have a tennis ball and a wall, you have a reaction drill. Stand two metres from a wall and throw the ball against it with one hand. Catch it with the opposite hand. Alternate. Then try throwing at different angles so the bounce is unpredictable.
At home: Three sets of 20 throws. Speed up as coordination improves. For younger kids (under 8), start with two-hand catches.
Why it matters: Hand-eye coordination is trainable, not fixed. The more variable the stimulus — different angles, different speeds, different hands — the better the neural adaptation. This directly translates to catching, racket contact, and ball tracking in every NAA program.
These five drills take about 12 to 15 minutes total. Done three times a week between sessions, they build a movement foundation that will show up on the court. And they cost nothing.
Got questions about any of these? Drop us a message on the Contact page.