Soccer Exercises - Stretchinge
By Andre Botelho - The "Expert Youth Soccer Coach"
There are soccer exercises that not only improve flexibility in the player but also help them practice ball skills so that they can be more nimble on the field responding quickly to ball movement. It is possible to achieve this through a few sessions each week.
You can teach soccer players the following stretching exercises. They must hold each movement for 20-30 seconds at a time and then repeat it.
- When they start warming up, they can rotate their arms to make their shoulders loose, and then turn to the left and right at the waist, practice kicking movement by swinging their legs one by one.
- To get your players to stretch their muscles without actually moving their arms and legs, they can stand on one leg, and then holding the ankle, pulling the heel of the foot right up to their backside.
- Your player should lie on his side and holding his ankle, and pull his heel toward his backside. Make sure his back is straight with the other leg kept bent. The thigh must be kept in line with his body. After holding this for thirty seconds, he can do this with the other leg.
- Have your player sit on the floor with legs stretched out in front, feet together and toes pointing up. Let him stretch forward and place both hands on his toes. If you want him to increase the stretch, you can instruct him to touch his chin to his chest.
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Here is some soccer coaching advice you can pass on to your players in relation to stretching:
- They must avoid holding a stretch if they feel any kind of pain. The idea behind stretching is to lose the tightness as they stretch.
- Tell them not to hold their breath when they stretch. It tends to shoot up their blood pressure causing giddiness.
- Stretching exercises must be a daily routine or done three to four days every week
- It is important for the body to be warm prior to beginning the stretching.
- Stretches are best done after the training session is over and each stretch must be held for about thirty seconds.
- Don’t forget to tell them that it takes a few weeks for them to feel any difference.
A number of soccer exercises can be used for different purposes. Depending on the needs of the players, these can be included in the routine.
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