Soccer Training Tips: 4 Action Ideas On Stretching
Posted in Fly Fishing Gear on the September 9, 2010
Does it sound familiar when I say that stretching forms an integral part of Soccer training tips and is widely recommended and practiced by almost all sportspersons? Soccer is a sport which is continuously growing and developing in its intricacy.
In kid’s training for soccer, there are two types of stretching, dynamic and static stretching that are integrated.
In static stretching, players stretch their muscles to a certain point of resistance and then hold for some period of time. Dynamic stretching involves rhythmic bouncing, rebounding and recurring motions. Generally, static stretching is considered as more effective and involves less risk than dynamic stretching.
There are some advantages of practicing stretching discussed in this article that improve a player’s ability to become an exceptional player.
Stretching reduces injuries: Constant stretching by players during the day and continuing it over a period of time helps the growth of their muscles, thus diminishing the risk of injury. Stretching also provides a way of increasing the muscle size and strength.
Stretching affects flexibility: Stretching prevents loss of flexibility. Still, the effects of stretching are way better when it is done for a long period of time than for a shorter duration.
Stretching increases flexibility when it is performed for a few minutes before any soccer activity. When it comes to soccer training tips, the best bet is to distribute a stretching program over a predetermined length of time to continuously increase the range of motion.
Stretching perks up performance: When stretching program is designed specifically to suit soccer needs of the players, their performance improves.
Stretching can be great fun for the kids: If you include a lot of different types of soccer drills in your practice sessions, it can be a lot of fun. Keep changing the warm up activities that are performed before stretching. Try to include games such as the tag game, ball tag, and keep away.
Focus mentally on stretching exercises, feel and recognize each stretch, whilst checking for body soreness.
One 15-30-second stretch for each muscle group is sufficient for most players, but some kids require longer stretches and more repetitions as well.
The reason for this is that when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, stiffness decreases and extensibility increases. Players who want to maintain or increase their flexibility can partly achieve this goal by stretching. It’s advisable to perform stretching exercises when the body temperature is higher than normal as it is safer and more useful.
That’s why some experienced coaches recommend stretching after a workout also. To prevent muscles for tightening too fast, make your players do some stretching after they’ve practiced soccer skills.
Normally, players who perform an active warm-up previous to stretching get an enhanced range of motion than the ones who simply stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.
Some food for thought; one of the most important soccer training tips is that hurried stretching is meaningless and boring and doesn’t help your players gain flexibility, so allow them some extra time when they are feeling inflexible or stiff. You can get more such tips and tactics by subscribing to our youth soccer coaching community that has several relevant articles, videos, and periodic newsletters.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Soccer Drills For Kids