| Stretching is very important before beginning any | | | | open the chest cavity you can achieve a greater lung |
| strenuous activity including gardening, cleaning and all | | | | capacity and more endurance. Soccer also involves a |
| sports. Muscles need to be warmed up before being | | | | lot of twisting and turning as the ball is dribbled or an |
| used for any prolonged period of time. If they are | | | | opposing player covered. Stretching out the oblique |
| not stretched out they are like twigs that could be | | | | muscles in the abdomen area is crucial. If an athlete |
| snapped from being too tight. | | | | were to twist without warming up first he will likely |
| The best way to begin stretching is to stretch out | | | | pull a muscle. |
| the muscles of your lower body. The hamstrings, | | | | The trapezoid and deltoid muscles will also need to be |
| quads and calf muscles are critical especially to the | | | | stretched out even though they don't seem to fit a |
| game of soccer where the player is on the field for | | | | soccer player's profile. The trapezoid muscle runs up |
| long periods of time and in perpetual motion. | | | | your back to the base of your neck and along the |
| Stretching can also strengthen the muscles by | | | | tops of the shoulder blades. Deltoids are the muscles |
| providing an extended range of motion thereby | | | | that wrap around your shoulders. The power behind |
| allowing the athlete to push himself to his physical | | | | a soccer header comes from the back and abdomen |
| limits. | | | | muscles. Make sure they are loosened up before |
| KEY: Remember when you stretch to do it gently. A | | | | actively practicing the header move. |
| sudden tug on the muscles will likely cause damage | | | | Stretching is an important part of any athlete's |
| and keep the athlete from their sport until the body | | | | training program. It provides for more strength, |
| heals. A slight pulling feeling is all you need. Never | | | | better speed and flexibility, and it reduces the |
| stretch until it hurts. This is how your body tells you | | | | likelihood of injury that could keep a player out of |
| you've gone too far. | | | | the game for an extended period of time. Stretching |
| Make sure you do upper body stretching before you | | | | will also relieve tension from day to day living and |
| start playing soccer. Soccer is a sport that demands | | | | make sleeping through the night a lot easier. Whether |
| a lot from the lower body and especially the legs. | | | | or not you are an athlete you should be stretching |
| The lungs need as much air as they can possibly get | | | | every day to keep your muscles nimble and ready |
| to increase a player's performance. By stretching | | | | for anything. |