When it comes to warm-up, we tend to skip it as we are not aware of the benefits that it has. Performing warm-up exercises before football will not only keep injuries away but will also help you to take sudden moments easily and flawlessly without any discomfort. Before starting any sports or exercises, it is highly recommended that an individual should perform warm up strictly to evade any possible injuries.
In our series of articles catered to warm-up exercises, we have come up with another segment, where we will figure out some of the relevant exercises that one should perform as a warm-up before playing football. The warm-up exercises have been defined in stages and they should be done as it is. However, we recommend that you should consult your coach or a sports physiotherapist to have a better understanding of the warm-up exercises required for yourself.
Football involves sporadic activity, referred to as an intermittent sport. It involves changing direction, stopping and jumping movements as well as football-specific techniques such as dribbling, passing and shooting. These diverse actions require a football-specific warm-up. Carrying out warm-up exercises for footballers in addition to your team warm-up allows optimal preparation for your game session.
Ideally, the warm-up should be carried out before the team workout. It’s basically advisable to stimulate your cardiovascular system first. Use light activities, such as jogging, to get your body moving before starting the mobilisation and activation exercises.
Benefits of Warm-up Exercises Before Football
- Improves Endurance – Football is a team sport that revolves around running. And this is what will help you to improve your endurance. Performing warm up regularly before your matches and training sessions will make your cardio and breathing even stronger.
- Enhances Cardiovascular System – A warm-up eases your cardiovascular system into these greater demands and prevents too quick a rise in blood pressure. Your body and brain need to connect for a workout to be effective and safe. A warm-up helps your body shift gears from whatever activity you were doing. You let the body know that it should become prepared for more explosive activity than you do while driving in your car or sitting at your desk.
- Reduces Risk of Injury – A warming up before football will improve muscle elasticity and allow for efficient cooling, meaning less chance of accidentally hurting yourself during any sudden movements during the game.
- Increases Flexibility – Stretching is often considered something that should be done in addition to regular warm-ups. Incorporating stretching in your regular warm-up routine will increase blood flow to your muscles, and allow your body to increase its flexibility in both the short and long term. Stretch after you have already completed your warm-up, as without stretching, your muscles aren’t properly warmed up thus leading to injury.
Best Warm-up Exercises Before Playing Football
1.) Leg Swing – Leg Swing is one of the warm-up exercises before football. With a leg swing, you will make your hamstrings active. You don’t want to pull your hamstring when you’re sprinting. Again, put your hand on your partner’s shoulder. Swing your legs to activate your hamstring for your sprint and backwards running. Do five to eight of these on each side or 30 seconds on each side so your hamstrings are ready for that game.
2.) Chest Press – Chest Press is one of the warm-up exercises before football. To make your that your upper body is active during football, the chest press plays a pivotal role as a beneficial warm-up exercise before football. Put the band around your hands and push them forward while the partner stays locked in position behind him. Do five to eight reps or practice this for 30 seconds.
3.) Horizontal Windmill – Horizontal windmill is one of the warm-up exercises before football. To perform this, start in a lateral position on the floor. Angle your upper leg 90°. Place it in front of your body on the BLACKROLL. Hold your bent knee down with your lower hand. Extend your upper arm through. Rotate from the thoracic spine and shoulder back to the floor. Your gaze follows the rotating arm.
4.) Iso Crunch – Iso Crunch is one of the warm-up exercises before football. To perform this, start in a supine position. Clamp the BLACKROLL between your right elbow and right knee. Now lift your left arm and left leg off the floor. Simultaneously move your hand or foot towards and then away from your body. Switch sides after each set.
5.) Side Shuffle – Side Shuffle is one of the warm-up exercises before football. Pull one LOOP BAND over your knees and the other over your ankles. Stand up straight. Lean your upper body slightly forward. Now bring the bands to pre-tension. Shift your weight to one leg. Push yourself in the opposite direction. Return to the starting position.
Apart from warm-up exercises before football, there are also some effective warm-up games or drills, which are an excellent way to keep players interested and engaged in the warm-up process. The best warm-up games or drills engage both the body and the mind, encouraging tactical and reactive thinking while honing technical skills.
Below are some of the warm-up drills that can be performed with the team, as additional effective warm-up exercises before football.
- Dribbling relay – The player dribbles as fast as possible down the field and back again before passing the ball on to the next player. You can pit two teams against each other to encourage competitiveness or lay out a series of cones for a slalom that focuses on control over speed.
- Rondo drills – The four versus two rondo drill is popular with professional players. The four players form a circle around two defenders, passing the ball between players while the defenders try to win the ball.
- Circle passing – The players form a circle with two players on the inside with footballs. The inside players dribble and pass the ball to an outside player, who then dribbles into the circle before passing to another circle outsider.
- Mini-games – Simple 3v3, 4v4, or 5v5 games engage action that ensures players get more touch time than they would during a full-scale game.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
