Playing sport is important for your health. And playing a sport like football is even more so. It is a sport that requires developing the body, strengthening the muscles and having great endurance. It is a very beneficial all-round sport, although you have to work to reach the ideal point.
In this article we will show you step by step how to get in shape for football. Follow our advice, our training plan, be disciplined, get into a routine and you can start to see results in the medium to long term.
Warming up and stretching
A warm-up is compulsory before starting sports practice. This way, your body is ready to run, fight and battle for every ball. Failure to warm up can lead to injury.
How to warm up and stretch
You can run on the spot, perform squats, abdominal physical exercises or perform calf and quadriceps stretches to start. Make sure your warm-up is lively and intense enough so that your muscles are well warmed up before you start.
Stretching should be added to the warm-up, just after the first warm-up. This should be done with the whole body, focusing on the most important joints. Ankles, knees, hips and shoulders.
Practising ball control
High-level training for football players must include ball control practice. Football experts admit that control is fundamental, and in practice you can see it. The key is to orientate your body well before receiving. You can do this for ten to fifteen minutes.
How to control the ball well
To be able to control the ball well it is important to have football boots. It adapts to the shape of your foot and you will have a better feeling. You should strengthen your knees and ankles to be able to adjust your body quickly. Focus your body on the ball and bend your knees a little. The clothes and the type of shoes you wear will always influence your sport.
Develops power and endurance
To improve your physical endurance you will have to train your running. Matches last 90 minutes and not having aerobic endurance will cause you to lose minutes and prominence. Developing speed is also important so once you gain endurance you should work on that.
How to improve resilience
Measure distances to find out what your maximum is. There are apps on your mobile phone that detect your distance, pace, kilometres run and much more. To improve endurance in football, you need to train as if you were playing football. Alternate sprints with slower pace to get used to changes of pace. Doing physical tests will always help you.
Performs strength training
Being agile and resilient is very important, but without strength you will not be able to crash into opponents and emerge victorious. You need to work on the power in your muscles. This can be achieved with workout routines in the gym or at home with few repetitions and a lot of power in each repetition.
How to improve strength
The ideal is to go to a gym and exercise the most important muscles. If you are not used to it, you should go slowly. Rome was not built in a day. It is normal to start with very little weight and work your way up as the weeks go by. You should reach a point where you can’t do the last few reps because you’ve pushed yourself to the max.
It is also important to strengthen the trunk area, because it helps you to stop, change direction or kick. It can be strengthened with squats, crunches or running.
Work on your knees
Knees are fundamental to the physique. They help you hit hard, change rhythm, turn, control and much more. They are also the most damaged in terms of serious injuries, especially in women, where it is proven that many more cruciate ligament ruptures are suffered.
How to strengthen your knees
To strengthen them, you can stand on the floor with one leg and then raise your knee to hip height. Slowly lower the raised foot while raising the other foot. Do several repetitions until you get used to it. Other exercises that help strengthen the knees are strides and squats.
Be agile
Being agile is fundamental in football. It allows you to get to every area, every fight and every ball in time. You can get away from opponents and hide the ball from them. The player who is slow and not very agile is the player who is worthless or does not count for the coach.
Adding agility
To start with you can use an agility ladder. Perform the jumps as fast as you can. You have to run from one side to the other using the jumps on your knees and feet. The aim is to step only in the space between the steps. This exercise needs concentration, practice and placement.
Another ideal exercise is dodging cones back and forth. Place several cones in a straight line and try to pass them alternately to the left and to the right. Then do it backwards.
Strengthen your shooting
You should finish your training by practising shooting. Lower your heart rate after training to improve your concentration and take several shots from different places. Shooting is one of the mandatory skills in football.
How to improve your shooting
This is pure and simple practice. To place your shot properly, place your supporting foot next to the ball, at a distance of about 20 centimetres. Arch your body backwards to give it momentum. Finish the shot naturally. Only with practice will you be able to improve your ball striking.
