As an athlete, there are many things you can do to keep yourself healthy. These habits will also help you recover from injuries that you may suffer. In addition, doing these things will almost always help you perform better in your sport. Sounds good, so what are they?

Fluids (see other handout)

Sleep - That is how your body builds itself. Top-level athletes make themselves take naps during training phases. Many bike racers nap twice a day during intense training

Rest/recovery - over training causes injuries, boredom and poor performance. Resting can be as important as pushing hard during exercise.

Eating well - Just like a car, the fuel you take in has a big impact on how fast and how far you can go. Unlike a machine, your needs vary considerably according to the timing of eating relative to activity and the nature of that activity.

Training properly

Train the way you play - This seems obvious but many do not. If you try to play in a completely different way from how you train, your body will act like it is the first time it ever tried to do this - not good.

Periodization - One of the essential factors in good athletic training is variation. Your body’s capacity improves quicker by varying the training and you are less likely to get injured. Of course, if you really love a certain sport, training specific to the demands of that sport will help you the most.

Strength training - Attempting to do things far beyond your ability is a great idea - as long as you work hard and build up to it. Don’t try to do it this second. If you want to get faster, and you start your workout by sprinting as hard as you can while carrying weights and dragging a parachute, you will get hurt. Build gradually and think about what you are trying to do so you set appropriate goals

Most people neglect core strengthening because you can’t see the effects in the mirror like you can when you build up arm muscles. If the trunk of your body is not strong, the branches will fall off - well, sort of. Strengthening the core of your body will prevent injuries and really make it tough to knock you off the ball.

Balance (dynamic) All soccer players should work on their balance except female soccer players who MUST or they run significant risk of major injury. How? Jumping rope, making a balance board with a 12” round of plywood and ½ a softball, standing on one leg an old pillow, etc etc

Working to increase aerobic (how long) and anaerobic (how fast) fitness are both vitally important to soccer players. Running long distances is fantastic but if you don’t put in some hills and sprint work you will lose the speed you have.

Flexibility - A stiff branch breaks while a flexible one bends and rebounds. Everyone knows something about stretching (although maybe not so much it seems) but other factors such as hydration, strength of opposing muscles, balance etc also influence flexibility.

STRETCHING

Stretching has become very controversial. Many experienced athletes and coaches think it is great. However, most studies show it is not helpful and may be harmful. How can we make sense of this disagreement?

I think the answer is that there are a lot of ways to stretch and there appear to be good and bad time times to stretch. So, you have to stretch the right way at the right time. If you do it wrong you can hurt yourself.

Kinds of stretching

Ballistic - Bouncing, Bad
Static - Still, Steady stretch - good usually
Dynamic - like activity - most important

How to stretch

Feel it in muscle NOT JOINT
JOINTS DON’T STRETCH
It should feel good

When to stretch

After warming up
After cooling down following exercise

When not to stretch

Cold muscles (you can hurt them too easily)
When you have a pulled muscle (it may feel like stretching it will help but it won’t)

Proper equipment

Shin guards and a uniform are the only required equipment in soccer. Almost every player wears soccer shoes to maximize performance. If I could get soccer players and referees to change one piece of equipment it would be to add compression shorts to their gear.

There is a very good reason why sprinters wear those tight body suits and it has little to do with looking good on television. The compressive effects of that clothing help reduce injuries. Soccer players are notoriously susceptible to muscle pulls in the upper leg and groin. These injuries can go on and on, literally for years. There is even a surgical operation, which was developed to treat such persistent cases. Over the years I have seen many players with a history of repeated muscle strains in the upper leg cured by wearing compression shorts. It works. Do it. Please.

Wearing a compression sleeve under shin guards can prevent calf strains and, more frequently, stop the nasty rashes so many get from wearing their sweaty shin guards up against their legs. So this is another good idea.

Final Thoughts

Over the years of my own athletic career I watched my old running partners and soccer teammates drop out one by one. They usually stopped because of some injury or because they had lost too much fitness to keep up anymore. When I thought about it, I realized that those who were able to continue their careers took their athleticism seriously. Simply put, they took better care of themselves.

If you go about it in the right way, incorporating these practices into your training can be enjoyable and improve your game not just keep you in the game.

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