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Training Tips
> Warming
Up |
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| Warming
Up |
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Preparing your body for soccer is a process that is often
overlooked, especially at the lower levels of the game. There are three main
aspects that must be touched upon in order to achieve maximum physiological
readiness. |
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Circulation - Picking up the Metabolic Rate |
| Passive |
Before jumping into a competitive event, the body's
cardio-vascular activity needs to be increased gradually. Up to 30 minutes
before kickoff, it is recommended to drink tea (preferably with a lemon and
sweetened by honey rather than sugar.) The tea contains caffeine, which will
increase a player's heart rate. Tea is rich in Sodium, a mineral that
regulates and balances the amount of fluids outside the cells in the body,
aiding in muscle contraction and nerve function. Sodium is usually lost
during endurance events like soccer in the means of sweat.
Prior to going out to the field, light massage should be applied to the
poorly circulated parts of the body like the ankles, knees, lower back and
shoulders. This is especially important in cold weather. |
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| Active |
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The active warm-up must begin about 20-30 minutes before the
actual event. During this process, the body has to be warmed up through
active exercises such as light jogging. The intensity should be gradually
picked up. Incorporating different muscle groups at this stage will
uniformly warm up the body. |
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Musculature - Stretching |
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Stretching is misunderstood and misused by many coaches at
the lower levels of the game. First off, it must never be used on "cold
muscles." Unless you're body has been warmed up, stretching can only cause
harm. Remember that it should never feel painful. Flexibility is influenced
by genetic factors hence the same results cannot be expected for two
different players. |
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| Static |
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Static stretches are done by gradually assuming a position
and holding it for a period of time. The only advantage of using Static
stretches before a game is that they will ease sore muscles and calm down
the player. It is true that they also improve flexibility but only when used
in a long-term program. |
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Ballistic |
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Dynamic or Ballistic stretches involve moving a specific
joint in full-range from one extreme to the other. It has been shown that
Ballistic stretching decreases a risk factor for injury called muscle
stiffness. Muscle stiffness is the ratio between change in muscle resistance
and the change in muscle length. Static stretches have no effect on muscle
stiffness. Therefore, stretches, done before soccer games or practices, need
to be Ballistic. Nearly all established teams address only Ballistic
stretches in their pre-game routine and go right into a technical workout. |
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Coordination - Technical-specific Workout |
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The final step before kickoff is the technical warm-up. At
this point, the body should be well warmed up. Ideally, the technical
warm-up should incorporate all four major areas of skill including kicking,
dribbling, ball control and tackling. In fact, many teams conduct a
"compressed" technical practice just before they actually play. They start
off with simple technical drills and build up to a small-sided possession
game. |
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