Football is a full-contact sport with a high propensity for injury. Many of the things that cause injury in football are out of your control, such as a tackle gone awry, a bad landing after jumping to catch a pass or a rolled ankle as you race down the field. Develop proper flexibility to avoid the preventable injuries, incorporating both warm-up stretching and daily stretching in your football training plan.
Dynamic Stretching
Use dynamic stretching to warm up. It incorporates the motions you use in football to ready your muscles for action. Perform six to eight repetitions of movements such as a forward kick, knee lift, torso twist and side bend. Start your motions small, and, with each repetition, kick a little higher or bend a little further. Make sure to do 10 to 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise before doing any dynamic stretching. This will get blood flowing to your muscles and ready them to be stretched.
Static Stretching
To increase your flexibility, do static stretching. In your warm-up, incorporate a few static stretches of the most used muscle groups in football: hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and shoulders. However, do most of your static stretching at the end of practice when your muscles are pliable from your hard workout. Stretch until you feel a gentle pull in your muscle, then hold the position for 30 seconds. Static stretches should never be done to the point that you feel pain. Repeat each static stretch you do three times.
Lower Body Stretches
Football players need to have flexible lower body muscles for the running, sharp turning and kicking required. Stretch the muscles of your hamstrings by extending one straight leg in front of you with your heel on the ground. Keeping your leg straight, lean your torso toward it. Stretch your quadriceps by standing on one foot and lifting the other foot off the ground, grabbing it with your hand and pulling it into your rear end. Stretch your calves by extending one straight leg behind you. Keep both of your toes pointing straight ahead and press your back heel into the ground as you lunge forward.
Upper Body
A flexible upper body helps you throw and catch better. Spend time stretching the muscles of your chest, upper back and shoulders to improve your flexibility in these muscles groups. Grab your hands in front of your chest and extend them forward, feeling a stretch in your upper back muscles. Drop your head to look at the ground to increase this stretch. Clasp your hands behind you and extend them away from your body to stretch your chest and shoulders. If you can get your arms straight, lift them to increase the stretch. Extend one arm across your chest with your palm facing behind you. With your free arm, grab your extended arm and pull it toward you stretching your shoulder. Repeat this stretch on the other side as well.
