| It's known as 'The Beautiful Game', and | | | | excellent for a cardio workout, as well |
| is the most popular game around the | | | | as building your leg muscles. |
| world. Enjoyed everywhere from playing | | | | - Stamina training. Another key to any |
| fields to streets to high schools, | | | | good player is the level of stamina they |
| soccer is a game everyone can enjoy. | | | | possess, and this is where dedicated |
| However, as fun as it is, to play it | | | | soccer fitness training can help. After |
| properly you need to be fit as well as | | | | all, a game of soccer lasts a minimum 90 |
| skillful, and this is where dedicated | | | | minutes, not including extra time if |
| soccer training comes into effect. | | | | required, so ensuring you can last the |
| Yet even this needs to be done properly, | | | | pace is crucial. Jogging around the |
| in order to get the maximum benefit from | | | | soccer pitch itself a few times will |
| your soccer training. After all, it's no | | | | help build up your stamina as well as |
| good being the fittest player on the | | | | your overall fitness. |
| park if you have to come off with a | | | | - Aerobic and cardio training. Although |
| pulled muscle because you didn't warm up | | | | the phrase aerobic may bring to mind |
| properly beforehand. Therefore, making | | | | girls in leotards exercising to music in |
| sure you have a set routine for your | | | | a hall, you would be surprised at how |
| soccer fitness training is crucial to | | | | this can be adapted for soccer fitness |
| get the best results every time. | | | | training. You obviously don't need the |
| - Warm up. Just like any exercise, you | | | | leotards, but you can still use music to |
| need to make sure your body is | | | | accompany a strong aerobic workout (it's |
| completely warmed up before you start | | | | a proven fact that loud music stimulates |
| your soccer fitness training. This not | | | | endorphins, which in turn give you extra |
| only loosens up your limbs for the | | | | energy). Do quick and intense circuit |
| training ahead, but will stop you from | | | | training exercises for the best effect. |
| injuring yourself. Warm ups can include | | | | - Five-a-side soccer. Perhaps not |
| light jogging, stretching, gentle | | | | surprisingly, one of the best ways to |
| bouncing on the spot, and even a quick | | | | benefit from soccer fitness training is |
| mini-game of kicking the ball back and | | | | to play the game itself, and this is |
| forth. | | | | even more so if you play indoor 5-a-side |
| - Speed training. Any good soccer coach | | | | soccer. With a small play area and fast, |
| will tell you that speed is just as | | | | intense games, this will give your whole |
| important a quality as overall skill. If | | | | body a superb workout, and increase your |
| you can run at defenders and pass them | | | | fitness and stamina levels immensely. |
| at will to get a cross into your | | | | Whatever level of player you are, by |
| strikers, that's an added weapon to your | | | | taking your soccer fitness training |
| team's arsenal. Set up two cones 50 | | | | drills seriously you'll become not only |
| yards apart, and practice your sprinting | | | | a better player, but a healthier one as |
| between them and back again. This is | | | | well. |