Y-T-W raises

What you need

Players

1 to 12 players

Time

3 to 5 min

Level

Beginner

Equipment

None

Ball fed by

Not needed

Space

Open floor, off the court

Setup

1. Stand tall with the feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in the knees.
2. No weight at all, or hold the lightest resistance band between the hands.
3. Move slowly from Y to T to W and back to Y, pausing briefly in each letter.

How it runs

A standing shoulder-care routine that spells Y, T and W with the arms. The Y goes overhead, the T straight out to the sides, and the W has the elbows bent and pulled back. Each letter is a slow lift with the shoulder blades squeezed together, the kind of work that keeps hitting shoulders healthy.

Time and reps: 2 sets of 6 to 8 slow reps of each letter, no weight or the lightest band.

Coaching points

• Squeeze the shoulder blades back and down before each lift.
• Thumbs point up in the Y and the T; elbows pull back and down in the W.
• Keep the ribs down and the neck long: no shrugging, no arching the back.
• Keep it slow and smooth.

Ways to change it

• Lie face down on a mat and lift the arms off the floor in each letter (Prone Y-T-W).
• Hold each letter for three seconds.
• Add a light band once the movement is clean.

Make it easier or harder

Make it easier

• Keep the arms low and the reps slow, with no weight.

Make it harder

• Lower each letter over a slow three count.

Safety