| How To Warm Up For A Soccer Match | | | | couple of times that I have stretched actually made |
| Are your stretching techniques in preparation for a | | | | me less effective. |
| soccer gameright for you? There may be a better | | | | The way I have warmed-up for every single soccer |
| way for you to avoid injury. | | | | game that I have ever played, and there were over |
| There are many ways to stretch before a soccer | | | | seven hundred of them, was by simply dribbling the |
| game for the purpose of loosening the muscles to | | | | ball a little bit at an easy trot and then passing back |
| avoid pain and injury during rigorous play. There | | | | and forth with another player and then taking hard |
| seems to be a set of stretching techniques offered | | | | shots into the goal. Just going through the motions of |
| by the sports medicine community to condition the | | | | kicking the soccer ball back and forth and running and |
| body for physical exertion. But are these techniques | | | | shooting, that type of thing, just nice and easy at |
| right for everyone? | | | | first and then more vigorous as game time |
| Having played and coached soccer for over thirty | | | | approached. |
| years now, I have witnessed all sorts of ways that | | | | Now I am not saying that this is the right way to |
| amateur athletes go through stretching before a | | | | warm up for any kind of sport. We all have our own |
| game and I have tried some myself at the urging of | | | | thoughts on what is the best way to condition for an |
| others. I have never continued with these stretching | | | | upcoming sporting event and I have always believed |
| methods, however, because they caused a certain | | | | that whatever works for you is the right thing for |
| discomfort that seemed to hamper my game. | | | | you to do. But I have noticed that those soccer |
| Warming up for a game by stretching was not for | | | | players who warmed-up in the same way as I was |
| me. | | | | by just slowly getting into working with the ball |
| Most players stretch before a game, but there are | | | | without any kind of stretching beforehand were also |
| some of us who forgo this practice for our own | | | | the ones with the least problems with tight muscles |
| warm-up techniques. It seems to me, based on my | | | | and cramps and that sort of thing. Nothing scientific, |
| observations over the years, that the most staunch | | | | just my observation over three decades. |
| supporters of long pre-game stretching periods were | | | | I do agree that there are benefits to light stretching |
| also those players who suffered from all kinds of | | | | to get the kinks out if you have not been active for |
| problems with their legs and their knees and pulling | | | | sometime, but if you participate in some type of |
| muscles and getting cramps. | | | | physical exertion on a regular basis, a heavy |
| I have rarely had injury problems from pulled or | | | | stretching period may not be your best option. Your |
| cramping muscles, only two or three times ever. I do | | | | body will tell you what's right for you by trying |
| not stretch before a soccer game. I do realize the | | | | several warm-up techniques. Just like some ways do |
| importance of preparing the body for this type of | | | | not work for me, my methods for getting |
| exercise, but I go through a ritual that has kept me | | | | warmed-up may not be for everyone, either. The |
| virtually injury free (except those caused by | | | | key is to just do something to get loose, both |
| opponents during play) and works more effectively | | | | physically and mentally, before a soccer game |
| for me. In fact, stretching does not have a positive | | | | without going overboard. |
| effect on my performance or injury proneness. The | | | | |