How to Warm up in Soccer?

If you think warm-ups and stretching are merely something to do while the rest of the team arrives, think again. Warming up is essential to optimal game play and for preventing injuries. Soccer is a high impact sport in which a player’s body will have to run at full speed and endure a lot of falling and jostling over an extended period of time. Because there is a huge potential for overuse and injury in this equation, warm-ups are indeed the most important part of the game.

What makes a good warm-up? In general, it should be a series of low impact exercises that stretch the muscles and allow them to slowly increase the blood flow. A warm-up should begin slowly and build up until it approaches the intensity of the game itself, and then be immediately followed by vigorous game play or practice. This type of warm-up will enable players to work at an optimal level.

Although it is common to see soccer players sitting by the edge of the field during their soccer training and performing traditional stretches, this is not the best way to warm up. In no part of a soccer game do the players stretch in this manner, so this type of stretching won’t prepare them for the strenuousness of game play.

The more modern method of warming up for a soccer game is to do exercises that imitate the dynamic, large muscle movements made in an actual soccer game. These warm-ups are vigorous and a good source of exercise in their own right. The key is to begin slowly and increase as the muscles feel ready.

Going at the player’s pace like this will increase blood flow and loosen muscles in the precise manner the game will demand. By the end of the warm-up, the players should be breaking a sweat and ready to play. This type of warm-up can take up to a half hour, but this is only a small investment in the long term health and well-being of your soccer team.

When planning your exact warm-up plan, keep in mind that you want to warm up all of your large muscles groups from head to toe. Therefore, include running and leg swinging activities that work the legs as well as exercises for the arms, buttocks, and back. Account for the age of the players; young players will need more dynamic activities with fun names, while older players can settle down to the task at hand.

If you include a dynamic, high movement warm-up routine before each of your practices and games, you will likely begin to see the improvement immediately. Not only will you be preparing your team for the rigors of the sport, you will also be extending the length of time your players can comfortably exert themselves and preventing the injuries that seem to plague many teams.

Properly warmed up players play their best game from the beginning to the very end. Warming up is one activity that shows immediate rewards for people who take it seriously.