Soccer Training Tips: Discover The Benefits Of Stretching
What if I told you that stretching as a part of soccer training tips is highly recommended by professional soccer coaches and is widely practiced by players in almost every sport? Soccer is a sport which is continuously growing and developing in its intricacy.
In kid’s training for soccer, there are two types of stretching, dynamic and static stretching that are integrated.
In static stretching, players stretch their muscles to a certain point of resistance and then hold for some period of time. Rebounding, rhythmic bouncing, and recurring motions are involved in dynamic stretching. In comparison with static stretching, it is more risky and less useful.
In this article, you’ll find some good points of stretching that can help average players become great players.
Stretching reduces injuries: Continuous stretching during the day and performed over a period of time may promote muscle growth that, consecutively, could reduce the risk of injury. Stretching also provides an effective way of enhancing 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 great fun for the kids: If you include a lot of different types of soccer drills in your practice sessions, it can be a lot of fun. Keep varying the warm-up activities you do before stretching. Try tag games, ball tag, and keep away.
Focus mentally on the stretching and feel and understand each stretch, checking for stiffness or soreness.
For a majority of kids, one stretch of15-30 minutes is sufficient for each muscle group but some kids may take longer stretches or more repetitions.
The reason for this is that when the temperature of muscles is higher than normal, stiffness decreases and extensibility increases. Kids who feel like to keep up or enhance their flexibility can realize this goal to some extent by stretching. It is better, safer, and more productive to do stretching exercises when the body temperature is higher than normal.
For this reason, some kids are made to do stretching even after their workout also. If your kids stretch for 5-10 minutes after performing soccer skills, their muscles will not tighten too fast.
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.
Some food for thought; one of the most important soccer training tips is that hurried stretching is meaningless and boring and doesn’t help your players gain flexibility, so allow them some extra time when they are feeling inflexible or stiff. You can subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community and get your way to innumerable articles, videos, and periodic newsletters.
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.