Tic-Tac-Toe Warm-Up

The tic-tac-toe warm-up drill takes the classic game of tic-tac-toe and turns it into a fun warm-up relay competition.

Set Up

Set up a tic-tac-toe grid with cones as shown in the diagram. About 10 yards away from the tic-tac-toe grid place two cones for players to line up at. Give the first four players in each line pinnies that they can place on the tic tac to grid. The two lines need to have different color pinnies to identify which group places them on the grid.

How It Works

On the ‘go’ signal, the first player in each line runs down to the tic-tac-toe grid and places their pinnie on a cone. The first player then runs back and tags the next player in line who runs down to put their pinnie in play. The objective is for one team to get three pinnies in a row. Once a team has all four pinnies in play, the players who run down must move one of their teams pinnies that is already on the grid to a new location. The game goes on until one of the teams wins.

Coaching Points

This game emphasizes decision making. Before players get down to the grid, they should already have an idea in mind where they want to place their pinnie.

Similar Drills

If you like the tic-tac-toe warm-up drill, be sure to check out other relay warm-ups:

• Dribbling Relay
• Dynamic Movements Relay
• Relay With Passing
• Slalom Dribble Relay