Soccer Stretching and The Importance of Your Calf MusclesThe wall needs to be strong in order to support your weight during the stretching exercise. Try to stand about 2 to 3 feet away from it. When you feel that your position is comfortable, place your left foot one step in front of you. Next, place your hands flat on the wall. You need also to angle your other body parts to make them face the wall too. However, make sure that your elbows are lightly bent in order to provide good comfort. Now start to bend slightly the knee of your left foot. It is very important to keep your left foot flat on the ground. Keep in mind to let your body lean forward and follow with the movement of your left leg. Your heels need to remain steady on the ground during the whole exercise. If you’ve done everything right, you will start to feel little pressure in the calf muscle of your right leg. During this part, you should begin with little pressure and gradually work out until you feel a higher pressure in your calf muscle. It is recommended to hold this position for at least 20 seconds or more. Once you feel that you have held this position enough you should go back to your starting position. Now, it is time to change your position and start to stretch the calf muscle of your left leg. Start the exercise by placing the right foot forward and proceed on the same way as you did for your right leg. It is vital to hold this position for the same amount of time as you did for right left leg. By doing this you will ensure that both sets of your calf muscle receive the same work out. One thing you can do to improve this exercise is to have a partner that assist you. The benefits from this are several. First, a partner can keep an eye on how long you have hold the current position. He or she may also control if you are performing the exercise properly. Additionally, while stretching, it is important to have someone near you in case of an a accidental injury. Soccer stretching is a vital part of your overall warming up routine and will help you prevent many injuries. You should therefore never cheat during it (even if you feel that soccer stretching is one of the most boring things in the world :-)
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