This way, warming up is fun for children too

Warming up before climbing or Bouldering is just as important for children as it is for adults – after all, it’s essential to prepare the body and tendons for the physical strain ahead.

Kinder beim spielerischen Aufwärmen und Dehnen vor dem Klettern

Why warming up is important

Warming up helps the body perform at its best and helps prevent injuries. It also helps to better counteract the effects of long-term wear and tear.

By the way: Stretching is also an option, but should only be done very briefly before climbing. It’s better to work on your flexibility on a rest day or after your climbing session.

Text and photos: Matthias Bader

Two types of warm-up

General warm-up: The aim here is to get the body up to operating temperature and get the cardiovascular system going. A short jog, jumping jacks or similar exercises are examples of this.
Specific warm-up: This involves specifically warming up the muscle groups needed for Bouldering. An easy route or a few easy boulders are ideal.

Children warming up and stretching in a playful way before climbing

Playful rather than rigid: that’s how children enjoy getting involved

With children, the warm-up follows the same principle – though they find it much more fun if you approach it in a playful way. Instead of just going for a jog, playing tag, for example, is much more fun.

Two warm-up games for children

Team Ball: Form two teams of equal size. The aim is to pass an object back and forth within the team as many times as possible. The ball must not touch the ground or be caught by the opposing team. For example, a point is awarded for five passes; the team with the most points wins. Ideal when there are several children present.
‘Fire, Water, Storm’: Ideal for the children’s area of a climbing centre. The children move around on the mat without touching the wall. When the command ‘Fire’ is given, everyone must get to the climbing wall as quickly as possible and hold on to red holds only for at least 5 seconds without touching the floor. For ‘Water’, only blue holds may be used. For ‘Storm’, everyone lies down on the mat. Whoever is last each time is eliminated.

More ideas for warm-up games can be found in the excellent book *Kletterspiele* by the Austrian Alpine Club.

Cover of the book ‘Kletterspiele’ by the Austrian Alpine Club

The location determines the programme

Of course, the warm-up routine also depends on the climbing centre or Rock Climbing Area: not everywhere has enough space, and not everywhere is it safe to run about. Playing tag in the fall zone or in a crowded climbing centre is obviously out of the question.

However, with a bit of imagination and improvisation, you can often find a quiet, safe area – and suitable warm-up games.