Ankles and knees
An evasion and footwork warm-up for U9 and up, with the set up, how it runs and what to say when it is not working.
Free to read with no account. It works at a pitch with no signal too.
- Age grades
- U9, U10, U11, U12
- Time
- 6 minutes
- Players
- 4 or more
- Space
- 10 x 10 m
- Kit
- Nothing
- Pitch
- Fine on hard ground
- Indoors
- Fits a small space
Setting it up
Everyone with a bit of space around them. No kit needed.
How it runs
Ten calf raises. Ten slow squats, chest up. Ten walking lunges each leg. Then balance on one leg for fifteen seconds a side. Once that is easy do it with your eyes shut. Boring to look at and it is the reason a nine year old lands a jump properly in February.
What to watch for
- Knees track over your toes, not falling inwards
- Slow down. Fast reps do nothing here
- Chest up on the squat, weight through the middle of your foot
Make it easier
- Hold a partner for the balance
- Half depth on the squat
Make it harder
- Eyes shut on the balance
- Single leg calf raises
What it looks like when it is going wrong
What you can see from the touchline, then the one thing to say about it.
- Knees falling inwards on the squat
- Push your knees out over your toes
- Rushing through the reps to be finished
- Slow. Fast does nothing here
Safety. Nobody is loading up here, so if a child says something hurts believe them and move them on to something else.
The RFU's Headcase is where to go for what to do after a bang on the head. It is theirs rather than ours.
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The grades that can do it
What U9 rugby allows is the rule this sits under. Regulation 15 is reissued every summer, so the RFU's own rules of play are the ones to read for this season rather than a copy on somebody else's website. Ours included. Read against the RFU's 2026/27 appendices in August 2026.