Soccer Warm Ups - Soccer Conditioning

Soccer Warm Ups – Introduction

Warming up is essential in any kind of sport, even more so for soccer, where a variety of muscles are used intensely.

The time spent on warming up differs from coach to coach and so does the intensity of the exercises and the body areas the warm-up focuses on, but no coach in his or her right mind would send the players on the pitch for a match or training session without them being properly warmed.

Soccer Warm Ups – Importance

Warm up offers three major benefits to a player, namely:

1. Low risk of injury – by doing low intensity exercises that simulate the movements you'll be doing in a match or training session, you prepare the body for them and avoid the risk of getting a muscle or joint injury by a high percentage. Think of your muscles as an elastic string. Stretch it in a fast snapping motion and the string might break, but if you stretch it slowly and gradually, it will get used to its new form and successfully stretch. The warm-up phase stands for the gradual and slow stretching of the string.

2. Higher performance – a player that is warmed up will dish out a better performance than if he jumped straight into a match, because of two reasons: he will not be worried about injuries and will be able to play at the best of his abilities and his heart rate, respiration and mental setup will already be fixed on the same wavelength needed for a match. This also works for training sessions, so if you want your players to train at their fullest potential, make sure they warm up well beforehand.

3. Flexibility – Most warm up programs include stretching exercises and these have a double role: they prepare your muscles, tendons and joints for the upcoming effort, much like any other warm-up exercise and they increase your flexibility, making you more agile, a better tackler, a better goalkeeper and a more incisive striker.

Soccer Warm Ups – Player Position Requirements

Depending on the position you play in, you will want to change your warm-up routine slightly so that you make the most of it. First of all, do the general soccer warm ups routine, starting from your neck, going down to your upper body, lower body, thighs and ankles. After you've made sure every part of your body that will be set in motion on the pitch is well warmed up, focus on the areas that will be stressed mostly during the game or training session:

Soccer Warm Ups >> Goalkeepers – Goalies should work on warming up their upper body, especially the arms and back. When diving to stop a shot or coming out to collect a cross, your back and arms get most of the tension and they're the areas that can cause injuries with the most ease, if not warmed up correctly. Also, don't forget about your feet. A goal kick for example requires full force and if your legs are not warmed up correctly, you might get a strain or even rupture.

Soccer Warm Ups >> Defenders – As a field player, make sure you warm up your legs as best as you can. Focus on stretching exercises, to help you tackle better and to avoid any injuries that might produce while tackling. It's also a good idea to put some extra warm up effort in your lower back and abdomen, since you'll be heading the ball a lot as a defender and those areas can easily get injured.

Soccer Warm Ups >> Midfielders – A midfielder will do a lot of running and wingers will have to sprint a great deal during a match, so giving your legs some extra warm up is crucial. Regardless if you're a winger, offensive or defensive midfielder, you'll have to run the field box to box and a good warm up session beforehand can help you avoid getting muscle cramps late in the game.

Soccer Warm Ups >> Attackers – Same as with defenders, your main targets for the warm-up should be the legs, lower back and abdomen. Pay special attention to your inguinal muscles and your quadriceps, as these two are the most strain-prone when shooting for goal.