This brief article is meant to help give our volunteer coaches some ideas on how to begin their E-Sports sessions and to give an idea for how a warm-up can be executed.
Inclusion always needs to begin somewhere. At E-Sports, inclusion begins with a warm-up.
No matter what sport or age group you are coaching, engagement is always key. As a coach, it is your job to transport every child’s focus towards the activity at hand. Sometimes, the best way to include is to captivate.
A child that is captivated by the energy, fun, and creativity you bring to a warm-up will be much more engaged than if you simply start by telling all your kids to “grab your right knee and count to ten.”
Three primary components of an E-Sports warm-up that will lead to a successful start are energy, fun, and creativity.
Energy
A good E-Sports coach will always bring their A-game and be ready to go before the session even begins. The best way to initially captivate your entire group’s attention is to give as much energy as you can from the beginning.
Be loud and out of yourself, especially if you are coaching younger kids. The energy you give will be matched by the energy you receive by the kids you coach. So if you are not getting much energy back from your group, then turn up the energy even more!
Fun
Even better E-Sports coaches are good at making their group fun! Don’t be afraid to be goofy or silly, especially if you are coaching younger kids. Maybe even begin your warm-ups with a funny joke that your kids would understand. One of my personal favorites that I once heard went something like this:
“Why was Cinderella kicked off the soccer team?”
“Because she was always late to the BALL!”
Ancient Proverb
Even creating wacky names for different stretches, or acting silly yourself will make a big difference in how much more attention you will get from your group.
Creativity
Creativity is arguably the most important aspect of an E-Sports warm-up. Some of the most experienced E-Sports coaches pride themselves in having the ability to creatively implement warm-ups within their groups. Creativity is what keeps each warm-up fresh and exciting for the participants that come to E-Sports consistently.
More importantly however, an E-Sports coach will utilize their creative abilities to adapt the warm-up according to the needs of his or her group. A creative coach will be able to see the needs of the group and while still being fun and energetic, be able to think on the fly and be able to change up the task so that everyone can participate together.