Let me tell you that stretching is an vital part of soccer training tips and professional coaches highly recommend it along with almost every player in every sport practicing it daily? Talking about soccer, it is constantly growing and developing in its difficulty.
There are two kinds of stretching; static and dynamic, that are slotted in planning training for the soccer season.
Static stretching requires players to stretch their muscles to a point of resistance and hold for a given duration of time. Rebounding, rhythmic bouncing, and recurring motions are involved in dynamic stretching. Generally, static stretching is considered as more effective and involves less risk than dynamic stretching.
This article shares some of the benefits that stretching provides in helping average players become champions.
Stretching reduces injuries: Stretching helps bring down the risks of injury when performed over a period of time by stretching the muscles daily, thus promoting their growth. Stretching also provides a way of increasing the muscle size and strength.
Stretching shapes flexibility: Stretching puts a stop to any 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. One of the most important soccer training tips is to focus on enhancing the player’s range of motion by spreading out the stretching program over a period of months together.
Stretching betters’ performance: When the stretching program is planned after considering the player’s soccer specific needs, their performance improves.
Stretching can be a lot of fun: For this, you need to add variety in your soccer drills and focus a lot on performing them. Keep changing the warm up activities that are performed before stretching. Try games like the tag game, ball tag, and keep away.
Focus mentally on the stretching and feel and understand each stretch, checking for stiffness or soreness.
In most of the cases a single 15-30 minute stretch for each muscle group is enough for kids but some may need longer stretches or more repetitions.
This is because when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, tightness decreases and extensibility increases. Players who want to maintain or increase their flexibility can partly achieve this goal by stretching. It is better, safer, and more productive to do stretching exercises when the body temperature is higher than normal.
This is why some coaches tend to make their kids perform stretching exercises after a workout as well. To prevent muscles for tightening too fast, make your players do some stretching after they’ve practiced soccer skills.
Usually, players who practice an active warm-up ahead of stretching get a superior range of motion than those kids who just stretch. So if injury prevention is your aim, stop stretching before exercise and increase the warm up time.
One of the most important soccer training tips to keep in mind is that stretching, if done hurriedly, does not help kids gain any flexibility, and becomes worthless and repetitive, so give them sufficient time to warm up before stretching. Join our youth soccer coaching community and enhance your knowledge about soccer through loads of articles, videos, and podcasts available there.
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 coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Youth Soccer Drills.
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