A good warm down, like a warm up, is key for a footballer wishing to remain injury free for prolonged periods of time. Often overlooked by many players, a warm down is meant to allow the body to gradually transition from an intensive exercise state to a rest state thus ... [+]]]>

A good warm down, like a warm up, is key for a footballer wishing to remain injury free for prolonged periods of time. Often overlooked by many players, a warm down is meant to allow the body to gradually transition from an intensive exercise state to a rest state thus avoiding injury, muscle stiffness and tiredness. A warm down is essential and should be practiced by football players of all age groups.

A warm down helps remove waste products accumulated in the muscles during exercises – like lactic acid. Additionally, it helps gradually cool down the body, decrease the blood pressure and heart rate and it helps release hormones that act against adrenaline – which helps make you less restless after a game.

A warm down is also a good time to work on joint flexibility as the tissues are warm right after a match and will be easily manipulated during stretching exercise.

Professional football teams are in recent times paying particular attention to warm downs as their players are required to play multiple matches in short periods of time and warm downs have been shown to significantly improve recovery time after matches and training. Research has shown that players participating in warm down sessions following matches and training sessions on average recover quicker than players that don’t participate in warm down sessions.

Players are often allowed to neglect a warm down session due to bad weather conditions – rain, snow, wind – but this should not be the case. Part of a warm down can be done indoors – like inside a gym – if necessary.

Approximately 10 minutes of exercise should be sufficient for a warm down. The exercise should decrease in intensity as the time runs down.

A warm down should constitute of a hard paced run which slowly turns into a jog, finishing with a quick paced walk. This should be followed up by static muscle stretching – paying particular attention to muscles that suffer extensive strain in football matches like the hamstring, calf and lower back muscles.

The warm down session should be completed with a slow-paced 2 minute jog, while kicking arms and legs to further relax your muscles.

This slow decrease in exercise intensity helps lower the heart rate and body temperature gradually thus avoiding a sudden cessation of physical activity that can actually force the heart to work harder initially. A gradual decrease of heart rate reduces stress on the organ.

By properly warming up and warming down before and after games and training, players are able to concentrate on their skills during the game and avoid most niggling injuries that can be difficult to get rid of and can have a detrimental effect on their footballing development in the long run.

As players play more games and play games more frequently, they should pay more attention to every aspect of the game – that includes taking good care of their body with warm ups and warm downs before and after strenuous exercise.

When you are not presently involved in exercise your muscles and tendons are cold and subsequently prone to being overstretched or torn as a result of any drastic body movement brought about by physical activity.

Such drastic body movements are common in football – twists and turns in dribbling, a stretched ... [+]]]>

When you are not presently involved in exercise your muscles and tendons are cold and subsequently prone to being overstretched or torn as a result of any drastic body movement brought about by physical activity.

Such drastic body movements are common in football – twists and turns in dribbling, a stretched out leg in an attempted tackle or quick sprinting during a chase for the ball.

Injury can be avoided by warming up your muscles and tendons. The aim of a warm up is to gradually warm up the tissue without any drastic movements of limbs. Once warm, the player should aim to statically stretch the muscle as a prequel to the types of movements the limbs will be subjected to during exercise.

Players should initiate a warm up with a gentle jog, preferably in a small space maintaining a slow stride pace. Common to most football warmups are the following running exercises aimed at loosening the joints and warming up the muscles for the game ahead.

Forwards running

Players will gently warm up their body by running at a slow pace forwards.

Sideways running

This type of running is aimed at loosening the hip and inner thigh areas that are often strained in football. Players should maintain a straight pattern while turned to their side, alternating the right and left leg at the front to give both sides equal exposure.

Backwards running

Backwards running is aimed at warming up the quads and calf muscles in readiness for the rigors ahead. Players should gently run backwards paying close attention to where they are going to avoid falling or collisions.

High knees

As they run, players should lift their knee until their thigh is in parallel to the ground for this exercise. This exercise helps to stretch the hips and strengthen the sensitive tendons and tissue around the ankles.

Lunge walk

This exercise aims at loosening up the hips and gently stretching the thigh and groin area. Players should extend their legs in an exaggerated stride pattern along with their arms. Their torso should remain erect during this exercise.

Jumping run

This exercise constitutes the players running in a straight line and jumping up to attempt a fake header in regular patterns. The exercises helps strengthen and warm up the ankle and knee joints which get a lot of strain during a game.

Running warm up exercises should be followed with static stretching exercise to isolate and pay attention to separate muscle groups.

It is important to note that very young players (under 10 years old) do not have to follow a complicated warm up regiment – running in different patterns and speeds should be enough – as their matches are not as intense as those of the older age groups and their bodies are not as prone to injury as those of the older players.

By properly warming up and warming down before and after games and training, players are able to concentrate on their skills during the game and avoid most niggling injuries that can be difficult to get rid of and can have a detrimental effect on their footballing development in the long run.

Health studies and officials suggest that regular physical activity and exercise promote health as they reduce the risk of chronic heart disease and improve overall body conditioning and wellness. It is suggested that people should exercise at least three or four times a week to reap the benefits of exercise ... [+]]]>

Health studies and officials suggest that regular physical activity and exercise promote health as they reduce the risk of chronic heart disease and improve overall body conditioning and wellness. It is suggested that people should exercise at least three or four times a week to reap the benefits of exercise to maximum effect. Playing football three or four times a week (as part of training and matches) caters for this exercise requirement in addition to offering other health benefits.

Playing football to lose weight

Exercise plays a key role in losing weight. A well balanced diet is beneficial for weight loss, but without exercise you will never lose weight as efficiently. Playing football can act as the exercise outlet to help keep your body fit, healthy and keep that weight off permanently.

According to MedlinePlus, exercise increases a person’s metabolic rate by ten percent for up to 48 hours after exercise. Thus, not only will a person be burning fat during a football match or training session, but they will continue to burn fat some 48 hours following a match or training session.

Additionally, as a person exercises, they are using their muscles which in turn are burning fat as a result of fat-burning enzymes contained by muscles which become active during exercise. Research has shown that muscles of people who exercise regularly contain more fat-burning enzymes than those of people who don’t exercise.

Building muscle strength

Exercise requires us to use our muscles, which in turn maintains and even increases our muscle mass. Footballers increase their leg muscles in particular. An increase in muscle mass helps decrease injury susceptibility and increases our ability to burn fat.

Football as an anti-depressant

Playing football can be beneficial to a player’s self esteem and mood. Young players who play football feel better about themselves as exercises has been shown to lower stress.

Reduce the risk of osteoporosis

Playing football when you are young reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Studies have shown that people who participate in weight-bearing exercise such as playing football helps build up and maintain strong, healthy bones and helps prevent osteoporosis later in life.

Reduce the risk of heart disease

Playing football regularly can help reduce the risk of chronic heart disease. Moderate to vigorous activities, like football, when done on a regular basis can help reduce risk of chronic heart disease and heart attacks.

General body conditioning

Young players who play football benefit from an improved general body conditioning and an increase in stamina. Regular exercise from playing football helps maintain and increase muscle mass, reduce body fat ( burnt by muscles during exercise ) and maintain stamina.

Regular physical activity and exercise promote a healthy body and a healthy mind. Parents should encourage their children to practice regular exercise from a young age. Football can be an excellent yet safe source of regular exercise for children of all ages.

Exposure to potential injury is part and parcel of any strenuous physical activity and football is no different. All physical activities stress the body’s structure and tissues.

Although football is not primarily a contact sport, collisions do happen as players compete for control of the ball – collisions which can ... [+]]]>

Exposure to potential injury is part and parcel of any strenuous physical activity and football is no different. All physical activities stress the body’s structure and tissues.

Although football is not primarily a contact sport, collisions do happen as players compete for control of the ball – collisions which can result in serious injury. Besides collisions, players are also susceptible to muscle strains and limb injuries as their body must sustain a lot of physical activity during matches and training.

According to stats collected by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), more than 500,000 soccer-related injuries are treated by health care professionals each year. Injuries are most common in the 7 to 14 year-old age group as players are more susceptible to injury while they are still growing.

Kids under the age of 10 tend to get more of the bumps and bruises from falls and collisions as they learn to play the game, become accustomed to running with and without the ball and have contact and collisions with other players as they fight for the ball.

Kids in the 10 to 14 year old age group tend to have more serious injuries as their body changes and becomes less flexible. As kids move through the age groups, match intensity and physical commitment in games increases – which in turn comes in parallel with an increase in injury susceptibility.

Many of these injuries are avoidable if the common causes are understood and proper training, coaching and preparation are in place. Training at this age must focus on skill and technique development as skill development promotes good motor skills (brain to muscle communication) which in turn aids injury avoidance. A player with properly developed motor skills decreases his susceptibility to injury.

There are strategies that can be followed to avoid football related injuries in training and matches.

1. Players should learn at a young age to use proper equipment during training and matches. Shirt, shorts, shin guards, socks, proper and well fitted footwear and mouth guards should
be worn in training and matches at all times.

2. Equipment should be kept clean and sanitary between matches and training sessions to avoid infection, rashes and other skin conditions.

3. Players should take time to warm up and stretch before training or matches. Special attention must be paid to the hips, knees, thighs, ankles and calves as cold limbs are more prone to injury.

4. Players should warm down properly after matches to clear lactic acid built up in muscles, increase flexibility of limbs and allow blood flow to slowly come down to a normal level.

5. Football pitches should be kept in good condition clear of debris and other materials that can injure a falling player.

6. Goal posts should be well secured and padded to avoid injuries when players collide with the posts.

Players should be taught from a young age to take care of their bodies and avoid injury. Players should be aware that skill alone will not make them a professional football player. Fitness and health are key to a successful football career.

It is ... [+]]]>

When playing football, one of the most prominent risks young players face is dehydration. Dehydration can cause major problems to a player’s health and performance and it’s often hard to spot if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Dehydration (hypohydration) is the removal of water from the body.

It is important to remember that the better the body is hydrated, the better it will be able to perform at a high level and fatigue will set in harder than with a person who is suffering from mild or acute dehydration.

A lot of football players (especially younger ones) tend to equate dehydration and thirst. Although the two both relate to a need for fluid in the body, thirst is a momentary situation that can be solved with a single drink, whereas dehydration is a chronic state. For example, you’re lacking certain vitamins from your body and you are hungry. Eating a burger may settle your hunger, but that doesn’t mean that your vitamin problem will be solved.

What you should drink to keep hydrated?

You should stay away from heavy drinks like milk right before a game and avoid carbonated drinks that can affect your stomach. Sports drinks and water are the best for the purpose of hydrating your body. Sports drinks offer the added advantage of containing carbohydrates which water doesn’t.

When should you hydrate?

To keep your self well hydrated, you need to drink well at least 16 hours before the match, a couple of times during the match and a few hours after the match is over. It is recommended you start hydrating yourself with water and only drink sports drinks closer to game time as the carbohydrates in the sports drink would go to waste 16 hours before a game.

Remember to not drink too much at any given time as you can get a full belly and this too can seriously affect your level of performance.

A player who practices without having eaten breakfast or lunch, or avoids fluid intake during hot summer sessions is not going ... [+]]]>

What a player consumes before, during and after football matches plays a key role in their performance and development as a player. Proper nutrition is extremely important for football players.

A player who practices without having eaten breakfast or lunch, or avoids fluid intake during hot summer sessions is not going to reach his full potential – this ultimately affects the performance of the team as a whole and damages the player’s chances of succeeding as a footballer.

Because football requires short bursts of energy for intermittent sprinting coupled with rest in between, eating enough carbohydrates is critical. The ideal football players’ diet includes a daily caloric intake of 55 to 60% coming from carbohydrates, 15% from protein and 25% from fat. Simply said, your diet should be 2/3 carbohydrates and 1/3 protein, with an emphasis on moderate fat.

With the above statistics in mind, carbohydrate-containing foods with moderate fat should be given precedence: bagels over doughnuts, mashed potatoes over fries, grilled chicken over fried, frozen yogurt over ice cream etc. An increase in carbohydrate intake will provide you with more available energy during training and games.

After training days and in preseason as well as after games, your main source of energy should be carbohydrates. You will not recover in time for the next game unless your carb intake is sufficient enough. While you are at it, watch your protein intake. Even though footballers require proteins to grow and maintain their muscle mass, too much protein can be detrimental to your physique as the body converts excess protein into fat. Suggestions for good post-game/post-training food include peanut butter crackers, trail mix, yogurt with cereal, a bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter. This snack should be consumed within 30 minutes after competition/practice for optimal results.

Pre game meals:

The primary goal for a pre-game meal is to fuel the body for competition.You should choose low-fat foods as fats take longer to digest and high-fat meals can leave you with a full, heavy stomach and not enough energy to perform at your best. When planning a pre-game meal early in the day try to avoid foods such as, fried meats, fried potatoes, bacon, and sausage. Instead, choose foods that favor leaner protein and carbohydrates such as bread, cereal, and toast. For afternoon and evening games go with grilled, baked, or broiled meats, tomato instead of cream sauce, low-fat milk, and baked or broiled, instead of fried, potatoes.

Additional pre-game meal choices include:

• Turkey or ham subs, fruit salad, frozen yogurt

• Eggs, waffles, ham, fruit

• Pasta with red meat sauce, grilled chicken, salad and fruit

• Smoothie, cereal, fruit

• 8-ounce cuts of steak with carbohydrates on the side.

• For beverages: sports drinks, juices, and water.

Post game meals:

Try and replenish your fluids and carbohydrates immediately after a game – sports drinks, pretzels, sports bars (containing the proper nutritional ratio), or fruit will do the trick.

Once you sit down for a proper post game meal here are some meal options you can choose:

• Steak, kebab, rice

• Salmon, green beans, corn

• Roast beef, mashed potatoes, salad

• Hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, baked potato and juice

You, as an athlete, are responsible for taking control of your nutrition. You must provide your body with optimal body fueling in order to perform at your best and give yourself the best chance of success in this sport.