Soccer is a fun, inexpensive, and exciting sport that can be enjoyed by children as well as adults. The joy of watching your child scoring his or her first goal, or playing with your family in the park, or being part of a team is indescribable. The physical workout and the social event is a great contribution to your overall health.
For the leisure soccer player where the level of play is low to moderate and physical contact is limited, the only equipment needed is shoes and a soccer ball. It is advisable not to use running shoes, since this type of shoe does not support sideway movement. Use either a cross training shoe, a tennis shoe, or a real soccer shoe. For the more competitive player who participates in soccer practice or games, real soccer shoes and shin guards are recommended.
Like many other physical activities warm-up before playing is important. Kicking a ball without any stretching or warm-up is to ask for an injury. Start your warm-up with some jogging for about 5 minutes, or some other type of light exercise. Then gradually increase the pace until you reach a sprint and hold this pace for 5 seconds. Once you feel warm and your muscles feel loose, stretch your legs including your hamstrings, quadriceps, and the inside of your thighs. Loosen your ankles by lifting your leg then rotating your foot in circular motions. If you are really competitive you should complete a few outburst sprints after stretching out. In addition, try a few jumps and in the air pretend that you are heading an imaginary ball.
After your soccer game or practice. Make sure to cool down by jogging slowly for 5 minutes and then stretch out your muscles again. If you have exercised for 1 hour and you weigh 130 lbs you have burnt approximately 480 kcal, if you weigh 150 lbs you have burnt approximately 540 kcal, and if you weigh 200 lbs you have burnt approximately 750 kcal.
Remember, always consult with your physician before starting a new exercise program.