ᑕ❶ᑐ How to succeed in physical preparation for football and why?

In football, to last the duration of a match and even the whole season, you must have excellent physical condition. However, after a long injury, a vacation or a period of inactivity, your body loses rhythm and does not respond immediately. Therefore, before resuming competition, you must start with physical preparation for football. This guarantees you multiple advantages and remains essential. To succeed, you will find all the tips below.

Understand the usefulness of good physical preparation

If you play professional football, you probably know the importance of taking care of your body. On the other hand, amateurs do not always understand the need to go through physical preparation before touching the ball. And yet, it offers multiple advantages. Remember already that it is a series of training and exercises that allows to draw the quintessence of the physical aptitude of a player. In other words, physical preparation for football predisposes the athlete to withstand the demands of a game, and to offer a complete performance.

Also note that good preparation will put you in the right conditions to:

• Avoid muscle injuries (contracture, breakdown, cramp, etc.);
• Remain physically efficient over the duration of a match (90 minutes and a little more);
• Apply the specific instructions related to football (pressing, repeated movements, high intensity, power, etc.);
• Maintain lucidity for the last gesture, especially towards the end of the match.

Consult the osteopath and the dentist to anticipate

When your body is at rest, it does not perceive the signs in the same way. Bad postures, falls or slight traumas can go unnoticed. Thus, when resuming intense physical activity, sleeping pain may reappear. As a precaution, it remains essential to consult a professional before the start of physical preparation for football. Go to your osteopath to anticipate the risk of injury and restore your body’s balance. He will also be responsible for checking the proper functioning of the various structures of the body and for regulating fluid exchanges.

Apart from the osteopath, you must also visit the dentist. The latter will take care of the prevention and treatment of any oral pathology or injury related to the practice of sport. You will be able to resume football more serenely. And if you are worried about the cost, know that with the MAAF, you will benefit from reimbursement of your consultations by your mutual insurance company.

Know the basic rules of physical preparation

To succeed in physical preparation for football, you must first master the basics. Indeed, it is not enough to sweat or do hard work to put your body in good condition. Instead, you must listen to your body and find the dose of exercise that suits it. This remains one of the elementary rules for a good preparation. Apart from this, you must also know certain notions to avoid wasting energy without really benefiting from it. Here are the most important:

• Prioritize personalization of the preparation program: not all players have the same workload. So opt for exercises that suit your body and your physical abilities;

• Bet more on intensity than on volume: instead of wanting to complete a whole series of exercises, take the time to do one or two exercises well. One exercise done at 100% capacity is always more useful than two exercises done at 40%;

• Choose a preparation program according to the position: for an offensive player, opt for explosive work. But for a midfielder, you need to focus on cardio and endurance. As for the defender, solidity and power remain essential;

• Stay tuned to bodily signals: To readjust workloads and avoid injuries, you must know how to read your body’s signals. The most important thing is not to pull the rope or cheat;

• Don’t forget about recovery: good preparation also requires recovery phases to allow the muscles to progress and limit the risk of injury.

Other tips for successful physical preparation for football

In addition to all the tips listed above, there are also some rules you should follow to get the most out of your preparation. Finally, here are some other useful tips:

• Set up a progressive program: in order to accustom your body to the effort, you must gradually increase in intensity throughout the physical preparation;

• Work on your strengths and weaknesses: instead of relying on your skills, you must improve them and work on your weaknesses to stay at the top level;

• Choose your physical trainer carefully: with the help of a competent and experienced professional, you will be able to more easily detect the points to be corrected and boost your general physical abilities (coordination, strength, power, velocity, etc.);

• Bet on specific and targeted exercises: for good preparation, favor training that improves your skills according to your position (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder or attacker).