Using soccer as fitness is an excellent way to get into shape through increased speed, strength and stamina. If you have ever played soccer, or even witnessed a soccer game it is easy to see the workout you can get from playing. Not only is soccer great physical exercise, it is also a great skill building exercise and the great part is that you don’t have to be a professional to use soccer as an exercise tool. Soccer is probably the most demanding sport in that you are constantly running the length of the field and continuously using your leg muscles. Soccer as fitness incorporates speed, agility, flexibility, strength and endurance to help your body get in proper shape.
There are simple ways to use soccer for exercise outside of the game. First you should get familiar with the length of the field. Warm up with a jog around the outskirt of the field to get your body warmed up. To run the length or perimeter of a soccer field takes endurance, and running laps daily will increase your level of endurance. This run can be done without the ball first just to get warmed up. After you warm up you should run the length of the field while dribbling the soccer ball. Not only does soccer increase endurance, it enhances coordination and motor skills, all things that should be exercised daily. If you have a few friends to take out on the field with you the better. This way you can perform passing drills to one another.
Soccer is a great way to tone and build leg muscle. If you continue with these passing and dribbling exercises daily, or at least a few times a week, you will see a significant change in your leg muscle. There are numerous drills you can practice with friends or even your whole soccer team such as alternative starts, where your focus is to perform 10 to 20 yard sprints on the soccer field accelerating as fast as possible using the arms and legs. To make this drill roe interesting and competitive you should compete against someone to see who is faster. Other drills include speed ladder, stepping strides, over speed training, and resistance speed training. More on these drills can be found at www.sport-fitness-advisor.com
Soccer also increases agility. There are several agility soccer drills that can be used to promote agility and fitness including weave in weave out where you place four makers or comes on the ground about three yards apart. In between the markers place another set of markers about three yards apart to the left of the others. The drill calls for you to sprint from one marker to the next bending down to touch each one. The focus of this drill is to be able to take quick side steps rather than turning to face each marker. This helps build an agile body. This weaving in and out drill can be improvised with a ball and as many markers as you so desire. For more agility soccer drills go to www.sport-fitness-advisor.com and start using soccer as your form of fitness today.