The warm up phase is the best way of preparing your body for physical activity.

When playing soccer you have to tell your body in some way to prepare for physical training.

This is where the warm up comes into the picture. Your muscles will perform so 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 doesn’t just mean stretching your muscles. You should perform stretching as a part of your warm up and you should never avoid it just because you aren’t feeling like it.

Don’t be 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 jogging 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 exercise 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

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 them either. You can start to stretch your legs and move slowly upward.

• Calf
• Hamstrings
• Thighs
• Groin
• Hips
• Lower back
• Shoulders
• Neck

Dynamic

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).

PNF

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.

Summary

It just cannot be said enough: the classic warm up is really critical to your overall performance.

Without it, there is a high risk of injuries that could ultimately leave you on the bench for the whole season.

Don’t open the door to these types of risks – warm up properly instead!