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An important factor in achieving peak performance in soccer is warming-up properly. Before you get the details of the best warm-up, let me first share a story.

A team I consult with had a weekend tournament, with games scheduled on Saturday and Sunday at 8 am. During the Saturday game, the team got behind 2-0 within the first 15 minutes before playing to an even draw the remainder of the game. The coach knew the players were sluggish and were not properly prepared to play early on.

The next day’s early morning game was different. The team reported to the field early to perform a long thorough warm-up. The result from this strategy was an early 2-0 lead within the first 5 minutes while playing to an even draw the remaining time.

The important take away point from this story is how the performed as a result of their warm-ups. The first game warm-up was done by the players, who were very social. The did a light jog and some static stretching and followed with some more dynamic stretching before the game. None of the players had even broken a sweat! The second game was much different. After a light jog the team went through their stretches with focus (at the coaches urge) and were sweating right before kick off. So what do we learn from this story?

The first key point is that the soccer warm-up must prepare the player for the game. Each player who will be starting should be sweating immediately prior to the game. This is a sign the body is warm. A warm body, and warm muscles, lead to faster muscle contractions which will lead to improvements in speed and power. This is obviously crucial for 50/50 balls and long sideline runs.

As part of the soccer warm-up, stretching should be performed. The current debate may be confusing to some coaches. After the initial jog to increase blood flow, light static stretches, or stretches held in place for up to 30 seconds, should be performed. These static stretches are done to check range of motion, not to improve flexibility.

Once the athlete has achieved normal ranges of motion, the soccer warm-up should progress to dynamic stretches, or stretches that involve movement. These stretches continue to warm-up the body while moving from easy and slow movements to fast, explosive and game like movements. When this sequence has been followed, the athletes will feel ready to play. The amount of time needed will vary on the age and preference of the athlete. Older athletes will need more time to warm-up, while younger athletes need less.

Below is a sample soccer warm-up template:
5 minutes light jog
10 minutes static stretching checking for range of motion
10 minutes dynamic stretches
10 minutes game situation and skill work.

Try these strategies out and see how much difference your players will play.