Stretching for Soccer Activity

Stretching is very essential before starting any strenuous activity including all types of sports. Muscles need to be warmed up before being used for any prolonged period of time. If they are not stretched out they are like twigs that could be snapped from being too tight.

The best way to start stretching is to stretch out the muscles of your lower body. The hamstrings, quads and calf muscles are critical especially to the game of soccer where the player is on the field for long periods of time and in perpetual motion. Stretching also makes the muscles stronger by providing an extended range of motion thereby allowing the athlete to push himself to his physical limits.

Do not forget when you stretch to do it gently. A sudden tug on the muscles will likely cause damage and keep the athlete from their sport until the body heals. A little pulling feeling is all you need. Do not stretch until it hurts. This is how your body tells you you've gone too far.

Remember to do upper body stretching before you begin playing soccer. Soccer is a sport that using a lot from the lower body and especially the legs. The lungs need as much air as they can possibly get to increase a player's performance. By stretching open the chest cavity you can achieve a higher lung capacity and more endurance. Soccer also involves a lot of twisting and turning as the ball is dribbled or an opposing player covered. Stretching out the oblique muscles in the abdomen area is important. If an athlete were to twist without warming up first he will likely pull a muscle.

The trapezoid and deltoid muscles will also need to be stretched out even though they don't seem to fit a soccer player's profile. The trapezoid muscle runs up your back to the base of your neck and along the tops of the shoulder blades. Deltoids are the muscles that wrap around your shoulders. The power behind a soccer header comes from the back and abdomen muscles. Making sure they are loosened up before actively practicing the header move.

Stretching is an essential part of any athlete's training program. It provides for more strength, better speed and flexibility, and it lower the likelihood of injury that could keep a player out of the game for an extended period of time. Stretching will also relieve tension from day to day living and make sleeping through the night easier. Whether or not you are an athlete you must be stretching every day to get your muscles nimble and ready for anything.