Warm Up in Soccer

Warm up in soccer is the way of preparing your body for physical activity. When playing soccer you have to tell your body on some way to prepare for physical training and this is where warm up in soccer comes into the picture.

Your muscles will perform much better when they are warm. You will also be less susceptible to injuries. You will also be able to think and react faster when you have warmed up properly

Warming up in soccer doesn't just mean stretching you muscles. You should perform stretching as a part of your warm up and you should never avoid it just because you are too lazy.

Several studies have shown benefits of properly stretching and the conclusion is that stretching has enormous benefits in helping to reduce injuries. You should therefore always stretch before and after the practice or match.

How should you warm up?
For practices and matches you should first do some gently jugging and sprinting using various exercises. By doing this you will get your muscles and body ready for soccer activities.

This warm part may last from 5-10 min depending upon the time you have, the exercicse that will follow and also the current temperature. Once you have completed the sprinting part of your warm up, you can start with some easy stretching. In soccer there are 3 main types of stretching:

• Static
• Dynamic
• Pnf

Static stretching should be the first part to begin with. Static simply means holding your stretch for around 15-25 sec. Don’t bounce while holding your stretch and don’t either force the. You can start to stretch your legs and move slowly upward

• calf
• hamstrings
• thighs
• groin
• hips
• lower back
• shoulders
• neck

After that you should start with some dynamic stretching. This will prepare your body exactly for the movement that you will perform (leg swings, your back and front as well as across the body). You can perform these while standing up or using a teammate to lean on.

PNF stretches are generally used to gain extra flexibility. This type of stretching is frequently used by gymnasts and martial artists who need to have great flexibility. You should avoid this method of stretching if you are younger than 18 because there is a risk that you may injure yourself.

Remember this: Never underestimate the importance of warming up.