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Archive for the ‘Exercise’ Category

Building Endurance in Soccer

As we mentioned before, the most grueling part of hitting the field during a soccer game is the fact that you are never going to have the opportunity to rest. As long as the ball is in play you are going to need to be active at any given point in time, helping your teammates to move the ball into your goal while at the same time keeping it away from the other team. In most other sports you would have the opportunity to rest after one of the teams scored as they retake their position on the playing field. Although you will do this while playing soccer as well, the break you are going to be able to get is going to be brief enough that you are going to think it never even happened by the time you are once again moving down the field listening to your muscles scream at you in protest.

Fortunately, if you have a couple of weeks at your disposal you can quickly build up your endurance so that keeping up with the constant pace of the field does not leave you feeling like something vaguely resembling yesterday’s garbage. Since the foundation of the game is based upon your ability to run it is your running skills that you are going to need to focus on. The average soccer player runs five to six miles during the course of a game at an average speed of four to six miles per hour. (The average is approximately the same speed as would be exerted by a strong power walker; however, bear in mind that this is an average, not an exact number. You will not be running at a steady four mile per hour pace; rather, you will have moments of running full out interspersed with periods of movement at a mild lope.) In order for you to be able to keep up out on the field you are going to need to be capable of traveling five to six miles at a consistent pace to be fit enough to keep up with the stop and go traffic accompanying the ball.

Of course, that does not mean that you need to go out there right now and run six miles. If you are not used to the exercise that would very likely kill you! (Not literally, but you would be fairly sore the next day and it is not overdoing it on one day and then having to take the next five off to recover that is going to help you shine on the field). Instead, what you need to do is start slowly and progress until you are able to run the entire distance. The distance you should begin at depends upon how much time you have until the season starts (hopefully you have given yourself plenty of time) and what your current level of conditioning is. Two miles is generally a good starting point; almost everyone can run two miles at a mild pace.

If you do not believe that you can run two miles or the thought of running for such a long distance intimidates you try to break it up into smaller goals; for instance, you could decide that you are going to run for twenty continuous minutes at a steady pace. This will probably still take you approximately two miles, but since you will be concentrating on the clock rather than on the distance you have traveled it will not feel as far. The important thing when you are doing a timed jog is to remember that it doesn’t matter how fast you go just as long as you keep running. If you are moving in a baby jog that really isn’t getting you where you want to go any faster than a quick walk would it’s okay; the point is, your legs are still moving in a jog-like manner. It is much harder to get started again once you have quit running than it is to make your legs keep moving, so you will be doing yourself no favors by stopping to walk and catch your breath. If you find that you truly cannot run for twenty minutes try a smaller increment, such as ten minutes, and work your way back up.

After you are comfortable with your two miles and/or twenty minutes it is time to extend your distance a little farther. It should take you approximately two to three weeks to become accustomed to a particular distance; perhaps not so much so that you are able to travel it with very little effort but certainly enough that you can stretch it just a little bit farther. Try tacking on an extra mile or an extra ten minutes to your runs for two or three weeks, then another mile or ten minutes after that, and so on and so forth until you are able to run a full six miles or an hour consecutively.

 

 

Effective Soccer Techniques

Soccer tips are important information which can be useful in playing soccer. Every player has their own technique or style in playing the sport. Whether you are a professional player or just a trainee, it is ideal to develop certain techniques in playing so as to be competent and be able to contribute to your team’s success in the game.

To help you in developing your skills in playing, here are some important soccer tips which you can use. The most basic skill that players should learn is how to communicate with the rest of the team on the field. Use your body language or hand signals to communicate with your team. Signs of alerts and directions help your team play quickly and keeps everyone involved at all times. You must also develop the attitude to be always prepared to receive and have the ball.

Another important skill to develop is having the ability to decide quickly. Most of the time, when you receive the ball you will not have enough time to dribble or think of what to do. Make it a point to plan ahead on what to do before you receive the ball. As you go on with this technique, it will soon become a part of your system.

Finally, the simplest tip is to play or watch the games of experienced players. Try your best to observe and learn their techniques which they have acquired through years of experience. This is a very simple way of learning but you will not realize that you have gained excellent skills just by watching these players. And most important tip is to practice religiously as often as possible.

Fast and Fit Soccer Player

Soccer is one popular sport and many people – young and old are interested not only in watching the sport but in learning it as well. However, soccer is one very demanding sport, which is why it is important to learn some workouts that can improve your fitness for soccer.

If you have noticed the skills and strength needed in soccer, indeed, it is a sport that requires speed, agility, stamina, skill as well as strength as soccer players need to run, shoot (whether it is through a headshot or with a kick), and protect themselves from injuries.

If you want to play soccer or if you want to be a good soccer player, you have to develop skills and you need to be in good shape to do well and perform better with the sport. In this very demanding sport, skills would not be enough. You need to have the stamina throughout the game as well as the speed.

To learn fitness for soccer, here are some of the workouts and training that will help you improve your fitness to be a good, fast and fit player.

Aerobic exercises

To be a good soccer player and to learn fitness for soccer, you have to engage in aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercises allow you to take in oxygen and improve the efficiency of your heart as well as your cardiovascular system.

In playing soccer, you need to be in motion most of the time and aerobic fitness will help you develop that stamina for the sport. One aerobic exercise that is good for one who wants to do well in soccer is running. It helps in building your endurance as well as your speed especially if you run uphill and you do it regularly. Running is also important to improve your skill as well because soccer involves a lot of running throughout the game – whether they are sprints or long runs.

Anaerobic soccer fitness

Aside from aerobic exercises, anaerobic exercises are also very important in preparing yourself to meet the challenges of the sport. Soccer involves quick runs and at times longer runs and thus, to be able to cope up with these, anaerobic exercises are best. These exercises involve intense activity and rest at an interval, and these indeed help you condition your body to this type of activities during a soccer game.

Anaerobic exercises also help in correcting imbalances in the muscles for soccer players. Usually, soccer players tend to have stronger quads and anaerobic exercises help balance that with the strength of other muscles to avoid injury as well. One good workout you can do to improve your fitness for soccer is circuit training.

Although it is a general idea that fitness for soccer involves a good combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises, it is also important to consider that every individual may require a different fitness and training needs. Of course, it may depend on your age, your abilities as well as the position you play in the game. Of course, your desire to train is also a consideration in your training as well. You should get custom lanyards of your favorite team.