Neuromuscular Warm-Ups and FIFA 11+: What the Research Shows | Starke Industries
Most teams warm up. Fewer warm up with a plan. A typical warm-up is a lap, some static stretching, and a few strides. Structured neuromuscular warm-ups take a different approach: a set routine of running drills, strength exercises, balance work, and jumps, done before every practice and game.
The best known is FIFA 11+, developed for soccer. Its research base is one of the strongest in youth sports.
What a neuromuscular warm-up includes
Programs vary, but most include:
• Running drills: Easy jogging with direction changes, skips, and shuffles.
• Strength exercises: Planks, Nordic hamstring curls, single-leg squats.
• Balance and control: Single-leg stances, with or without a ball or partner.
• Plyometrics and landing: Jumps with an emphasis on controlled landings.
• Faster running: Building up to sprint speed and cuts.
The whole routine typically takes about 15–20 minutes and replaces the usual warm-up rather than adding to it.
What the research reports
Soligard et al. (2008). This cluster-randomized trial followed 1,892 female soccer players aged 13–17 from 125 Norwegian clubs over one season [1]. The intervention group used a comprehensive warm-up program to improve strength, awareness, and neuromuscular control.
The primary outcome, a reduction in lower extremity injury, did not reach statistical significance. But the intervention group had a significantly lower risk of injuries overall, overuse injuries, and severe injuries [1].
That nuance is worth stating honestly. The headline outcome was not significant. Several secondary outcomes were.
Thorborg et al. (2017). This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled cluster-randomized trials of FIFA injury prevention programs in recreational and sub-elite soccer [2]. Across six trials, the programs were associated with a reduced overall injury risk compared with controls. When the four FIFA 11+ trials were pooled, the authors reported a reduction of about 39% in football injuries [2].
Reading it carefully
• The research is mostly soccer. The structure translates to other field and court sports, but the specific outcomes were measured in football.
• Results are group averages. They don't guarantee an individual athlete won't get hurt.
• Adherence matters. A program that's skipped, rushed, or done half-heartedly isn't the program that was studied.
Adapting it for your team
You don't have to play soccer to use the approach. A sport-specific version might look like this:
1. Movement prep (3–4 min): Jogging, skipping, shuffles, backpedals. 2. Strength (4–5 min): Planks, side planks, split squats, Nordic curls (low volume). 3. Balance and landing (3–4 min): Single-leg balance, hop-and-stick drills. 4. Speed (3–4 min): Build-up runs, cuts, and sport-specific movement at increasing speed.
Coaches can swap exercises for their sport, but keeping the four categories is a good starting point.
Getting buy-in
The biggest challenge isn't designing the routine. It's getting athletes and coaches to do it consistently. A few things help:
• Keep it the same every day so it runs on autopilot.
• Explain why. Athletes engage more when they understand the purpose.
• Make it part of practice time, not something that eats into it.
• Have older athletes lead it.
• Start the season with it, so it's normal from day one rather than a mid-season change.
• Coaches should know the exercises well enough to correct technique, not just call out names.
What about static stretching?
Static stretching doesn't have to be eliminated, but long holds right before explosive activity are generally placed after dynamic activity or saved for later. Our mobility posts go deeper on this.
Questions coaches ask
We only have 10 minutes. Is a shorter version worth it? A consistent shorter routine is probably better than an occasional full one. The research studied specific programs, so be honest that a shortened version isn't identical to what was tested.
Should we do it before games too? In the FIFA 11+ structure, yes. Consistency across practices and games is part of the design.
Is a warm-up the same as a training program?
No. A warm-up is a short daily dose. It can build habits and some strength over a season, but it doesn't replace dedicated strength, power, and speed training. Think of it as a foundation that runs alongside a full program, not a substitute for one.
What coaches can track
Coaches can keep a simple log of whether the warm-up was done each day and how long it took. If you track injuries, compare seasons honestly. Remember that many things change from year to year, so a better season doesn't prove the warm-up was the reason.
The bottom line
Structured neuromuscular warm-ups take about 15–20 minutes and have published trial evidence behind them, especially in soccer. Pick a routine, do it every day, and report results honestly: lower injury rates across groups, not guarantees for individuals.
Related reading
- Summer Off-Season Training for High School Athletes: How to Plan the Break
- Training in the Heat: Heat Illness Basics for Summer Workouts
- Squat Jump vs. Countermovement Jump: What the Difference Tells You
- Single-Leg vs. Double-Leg Jumps: Why Test Both
- Sprint Testing 101: 10 m, 20 m, and the 40-Yard Dash
- Back to School: Getting Ready for Fall Sports Tryouts
- The Nordic Hamstring Exercise: What the Research Says
- The Copenhagen Adductor Exercise for Field and Ice Athletes
References
- Soligard T, et al. Comprehensive warm-up programme to prevent injuries in young female footballers: cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2008;337:a2469. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.a2469 (published Dec 9, 2008)
- Thorborg K, et al. Effect of specific exercise-based football injury prevention programmes on the overall injury rate in football: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the FIFA 11 and 11+ programmes. Br J Sports Med. 2017;51(7):562–571. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-097066 (online Jan 13, 2017)
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