Why soccer warm up drills are important
It is very easy to ignore soccer (football) warm-ups and warm-downs when you are training young soccer players. They will often ask you if they can skip the warm-up drills and get on with the training. But you should make sure they do the warm ups at every session and get used to warming up for matches, too.
Why use a warm-up drill?
A pre-exercise warm-up drill:- Warms muscles by increasing the movement of blood through the tissues, making the muscles more supple;
- Increases delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscles by increasing the blood flow to them;
- Prepares your players’ muscles for stretching;
- Prepares the heart for an increase in activity;
- Prepares your players mentally for the session.
Why cool down with a warm-down drill?
Using a warm-down drill to cool off after exercise means slowing down your players' level of activity gradually.
A cooling down drill: - Helps heart rate and breathing to return towards normal gradually;
- Helps avoid fainting or dizziness, when vigorous activity is stopped suddenly;
- Helps to remove waste products from muscles, such as lactic acid, which can build up during vigorous activity.
How to set up the drill
- Use an area, around 20 x 20 yards square.
- After a 10-15 minute jogging and stretching drill, tell your players to move around in the area and start by playing one-touch football, in teams of three.
- Both sets of players have a ball and have to pass and move.
- Give one of your defenders a bib and tell them they have to win the ball from one of the two teams.
- Tell your teams they now have to play two-touch football and not lose possession.
- Get your defender to run between the teams trying to win the ball.
How to change the soccer drill- Add another defender to put pressure on the players.
- Vary play between one-touch or two-touch football or allow each player only 3 seconds on the ball (they should count to three out loud).
- Decrease or increase numbers in each team.
Key soccer coaching tips:
- Make sure all players start with the jogging and stretching drills - make any late comer do the same drill.
- Tell your players to concentrate on accurate passing and use their skills to keep the ball away from the defender.
- Tell your players to move into space and control the ball first time so they can pass it more easily.
Click here for a fun soccer warm up drill using 1v1 skills.
To order a copy of The Ultimate Soccer Warm Ups manual, click here.
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