The Importance of Stretching For Footballers

If you’ve ever started a workout or engaged in a sport without stretching, chances are you felt the effects of its absence in unfavorable ways.  Stretching before AND after a workout or any participation in a sport has many benefits that keep the body working at its best. While you don’t have to spend a LOT of time doing it, making sure that you incorporate it as part of the activity or workout will help ensure that you perform your best and reduce your chance of injury. 

Orenda Football Academy players stretch down after each training session as a team

Below are just a few of the many benefits of stretching before and after a workout or sports activity:

·      Gets your body ready for intense or strenuous activity

·      Relaxes the muscles, decreasing the likelihood of joint strains

·      Increases performance due to the increased circulation

·      Reduces potential back strain

·      Reduces muscle soreness after the activity or workout is over

·      Increases your range of motion

·      Improves recovery time

·      Prevents muscle cramps and muscle “locking”

Static vs. Dynamic Stretches

Because a warmed up muscle responds better to stretching than a cold one, start off your stretching segment with a light cardio session, such as the treadmill, jumping rope or some other light aerobic activity.  Once your muscles are warm, they will gain the full benefits of the stretches you do.

There are a couple of different types of stretching that you can incorporate into your routine and it’s advisable to include both since they have different benefits to the body. One is static and the other is dynamic.  Static stretches involve stretching the muscle to its most lengthened state and then holding it for a minimum of 20 to 30 seconds.  The idea is not to hurt but to feel that slight pull of resistance and hold it there.

Dynamic stretches are slow, controlled movements that take the muscles through the full range of motion.   Slow and controlled are the key words here. This is not about speed or bouncy movements, so keep those movements slow and steady as you go through the entire movement. 

There are many methods and opinions on these types of stretching, but in general, dynamic stretches are good for the beginning of a workout or sports activity and static stretches are great for the cool down portion after your workout or activity is over.   Never just stop working out and sit down. If you’ve ever done this, you’ll find that it may feel like your muscles have all locked up and moving becomes quite a challenge. This is why you’ll see professional runners continue to walk slowly after their sprints.  The worst thing they can do for their muscles is just sit down.

Some Examples of Dynamic Stretches and Static Stretches

A few examples of dynamic stretches would be side bends, lunges, neck rolls, arm circles and similar movements.  The goal is to keep the movements smooth, slow and controlled; it’s not a race to see how fast you can do them.  Choose several dynamic stretches to ready your body for the upcoming workout or sports activity and your body will show the results by being loose, relaxed and ready for action.   You’ll also find that you strain things or get injured much less as well.

At the end of your workout or activity, take the time to do some static stretches. These would include things like shoulder stretches, calf stretches, adductor stretches, groin stretches and other similar movements.  The goal for these static stretches is to stretch to the point of slight resistance, not pain, and then hold the movement for that optimum 20-30 seconds.   

There should never be any pain associated with your static stretches. If you feel pain, ease back on the stretch and hold it there.  You can injure a muscle by forcing it to stretch beyond its capabilities, so take your time. As you stretch more frequently, you’ll find your flexibility increases as well.

Warm ups and Cool Downs Will Keep You Moving Afterwards

Remember to spend time warming up and cooling down at the beginning and end of every workout or sports activity. This will speed recovery of the muscles that were broken down during competition or working out and increase performance in the future.

It will also simply feel good at the end of a hard activity or workout and give your muscles the attention they need from the stress you’ve put on them. Overworking your body and not taking the time to cool down and stretch can result in being extremely uncomfortable later. The body is machine and the more you do to keep it running in tip top shape, the better that machine will run.  

Orenda Football Academy.