Soccer injuries, particularly commonly seen ones to the hamstrings and knees, may arise from insufficient warmups and stretching. Trainers in pro leagues instruct players on the best ways to stretch to avoid such mishaps. Elite players tend to avoid static stretches, in which you hold a position for 30 seconds, in favor of dynamic stretches involving movement and muscle warmups. University of North Carolina soccer team trainer Greg Gatz describes a dynamic stretching sequence in "Complete Conditioning for Soccer."
Step 1
Mark a 20- to 30-yard distance with a cone. Jog from the starting position to the cone and backpedal on your return. Repeat the jog to the cone with four pauses to stretch and touch your toes. Side-shuffle back to the starting position with your arms held above your head, Gatz recommends.
Step 2
Walk to the cone hugging your knee to your chest and stepping into a forward lunge. Skip back to the starting point. March to the cone and back, swinging your legs up toward your arms, which should be extended straight up.
Step 3
Stand in place and reach for the ground with both hands. Raise one leg at a time backward, hold the pose and lower the leg to the ground to perform the standing leg raise. Perform three repetitions
Step 4
Get into a pushup position to perform the Spiderman crawl. Bring your right foot up to the outside of your right hand, bending the elbow as close as possible to the ground. Repeat on the left leg by crawling forward on your hands and feet, as if moving like Spiderman up a wall, except using the ground instead. Repeat four stretches on each leg, held for six seconds.
Step 5
Take a wide stance with both feet to perform the low-and-slow carioca or grapevine. Touch the ground with both hands. Step to the right with your left leg, with both knees bent to almost 90 degrees, as you remain bent over, encouraging a torso and hip stretch with your legs crossed. Hold this pose for three to five seconds. Step to the right with your right leg, returning to a wide stance. Continue for 16 steps in each direction.
Tips and Warnings
- If you have problems with tight quadriceps and hip flexors, common in soccer players, add the standing quadriceps stretch to your warmup. Stand and hold your right foot up to your buttocks for 30 seconds. Hold onto a partner's shoulder or a bench or fence if you have problems keeping your balance.
Things You'll Need
- Plastic cone
