Warming up before a game/training and cooling down afterwards is so important when playing football. This article highlights why and provides some tips on how to do both practices properly.
Warm Ups
Warming up is vital as it raises the heartbeat, gets the blood pumping around the body to the relevant muscles, and helps loosen the joints for mobility.
It also allows the coach to get their players tactically prepared for what lies ahead in the training session or how they want to play in a game.
Warm-ups also help players to mentally prepare for the match, get focused, get a feel for the ball and the conditions of the pitch and the day.
If you are a coach check out the following guides which can help you to run Warm Ups effectively with your players:
Cooling Down
It is quite common that players and teams don’t cool down after a game or training session, but it is really important that they do. Cooling down helps to reduce the heart rate back to a normal level at a safe rate and it also helps to speed up recovery time.
Getting into a routine of regularly cooling down is great practice and as players do this they can make time for reflection on how they performed in the game or to think about what they learned in the training session.
Useful practices for Cooling Down:
- Gentle jogging or running around the pitch a couple of times to bring down the heart rate.
- Static stretches to reduce soreness and release any lactic acid build-up.
Follow the link below for a brilliant infographic for young soccer players so they can learn more about the importance of Warming Up and Cooling Down:
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