Warm-up

Every soccer player knows it is good to do a warm-up before the match or training. It is obvious to start with ‘jogging’, ‘stretching’ and other exercises.

But what is the goal of the warm-up? What are good exercises for a warm-up? And how long should the warm-up last? These are questions that many soccer players, trainers, coaches, and athletic trainers do not have a clear answer to. Therefore, this article provides more explanation about the ‘warming-up’.

Goal and benefits

The goal of the warm-up is to prepare the body for the sport. The type of warm-up depends on the sport and the athlete. The benefits of a warm-up are:

• Increased blood flow to the muscles.
• Increased oxygen supply to the muscles.
• Smoother muscle contractions.
• Increased sensitivity of the nerves.
• Reduced stiffness of the connective tissue.

All these benefits ensure that the body performs better during soccer. In addition, the chance of injuries decreases.

Structure of a good warm-up

A good warm-up usually consists of two parts, a general and a specific part.

General part
To achieve the optimal result from a warm-up, it is recommended to do running drills, strength exercises, and/or stretches during the general part.

Specific part
In the specific part, the soccer player, in consultation with the trainer, coach, or athletic trainer, should do individual exercises. These are usually exercises aimed at the activity the player has to perform and technical points of attention. A player who has to engage in many headers or take a good free kick can focus on this, while a player who needs to be fast and agile should focus especially on dribbling.

Physical points of attention also play an important role. One player will need to pay more attention to the groins, and another should focus more on the hamstrings or ankle.

Do not start the warm-up too early
The effect of a warm-up lasts about 30 minutes. It is therefore sensible not to start a warm-up too early. This uses energy without reaping the benefits.

Example of a good warm-up

Various studies have shown that a structured warm-up reduces the risk of injuries. For soccer players, there is a scientifically supported warm-up. Research shows that performing this program reduces the risk of injury in soccer players by 30%.

Intensity of the warm-up

The intensity of a warm-up cannot be described as a standard. It depends on the athlete. The guideline for the intensity (effort) of a warm-up describes it as an activity during which there is light sweating, but no fatigue should occur.

The player with poorer fitness becomes fatigued earlier than the player with very good fitness. So both the intensity and the duration of the warm-up are different for every player.

Adjusting the warm-up

For some, following this warm-up may not be possible due to circumstances. In this case, it is advised to personalize the general warm-up, paying attention to intensity. Experience shows that there are players who already indicate after a warm-up that they are tired and have an excessively high heart rate. This has the opposite effect: an increased risk of injuries. Injuries usually occur when the body is fatigued. By starting a training session or match already fatigued, that point is reached earlier.