Why
soccer is great? Soccer is a sport that emphasizes, and therefore, develops
many physical skills including endurance, speed, agility, strength, and flexibility.
There are no specific body type requirements and cooperation and team spirit are
instilled. Soccer is a sport played world wide is and gaining in popularity
yearly. 20
million people play soccer in this country and about 3 million are in youth and
high school programs. Of the injuries that occur, 45% are in participants under
the age of 15. It
appears that lesser skill and lesser emphasis on appropriate conditioning and
stretching are at least partly to blame. Warm
up:
Warm
up drills and stretching. Warm up must be between 15-30 minutes.
Warming up increases temperature of muscles, which work better when warm, increases
nerve impulses, allowing for faster movement, and increases the range of motion
of joints reducing risk of injury and increasing function. The effects of
warm up last about 30 minutes therefore substitute players should be given enough
notice to get in some form of warm-up, even if only 2 - 3 minutes if they have
been standing around.
Keep
warmed up and build endurance: many of the warm up exercises can be
done while the players are standing and waiting for their turn in a shooting drill,
etc. Cool
Down: Light jog after game or workout for 5 minutes then re-stretch,
especially hamstrings and calves. Equipment:
Good quality, well-fitted cleats as well as well-fitted shin guards and good field
condition. Conditioning:
Speed, agility, endurance, power, strength, and flexibility (handout). In
addition to general running for conditioning and soccer specific drills, plyometric
training in women and in men has shown to decrease the incidence of
ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears. It's
also important to watch out for fatigue. Watch player's quality of play
to recognize fatigue. Athletes are more likely to get injured in a fatigued state. Nutrition:
The proper amount of hydration
and food intake includes carbohydrates and some protein. Some sports
drinks come with all of these plus important vitamins like C and E that may help
in early tissue recovery. e.g.: Cytomax and Endurox. Recovery:
Build in days off, allow for good rest to give muscles time to repair, rebuild,
and become stronger. Common
Injuries: Soccer
injuries can be either acute (turning an ankle) or chronic (an injury
that builds over time). All injuries need to be taken seriously and addressed
immediately for a quick and full recovery. | 
