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The Quick Warm-Up

by Sarah Kuyper
Velocity Sports Performance Director of Adult Fitness, Irvine

You are running late for the game, you only have 10 minutes before the start of the game, and you have yet to warm-up. Or you have been on the bench for the last 30 minutes, it is a cold day, and the coach calls your name. You’re going into the game in the next few minutes. What do you do to prepare your muscles? Do you static stretch or move around to get the blood pumping?

If you picked "move around" to get the blood pumping, then you are correct! This is called thermogenics. The most important thing a soccer player can do to prevent an injury, like pulling a muscle, is to get the heart rate up and the blood pumping to the muscles. A warm muscle is more advantageous than a stretched muscle. By getting the heart rate up, it pumps blood to the working muscles. This provides nutrients and energy for muscles to perform their best. Another benefit of getting the blood pumping is increasing joint viscosity. This means the joints are lubricated, so they move more smoothly and are less likely to get injured.

So, what type of thermogenic exercises that can get the heart rate up? These exercises include jumping jacks, running, skipping, moving side to side and any exercise that gets you moving. The exercise should take the body through a range of motion similar to movements performed in a soccer game. They can also be active stretches, such as walking lunges or straight leg marches. These exercises are great because they get the blood pumping and also stretch the muscles.

Quick 5-10 minute warm-up:

• 20 Jumping Jacks
• Skip 20 yards down/ backward skip back
• Jog 20 yards/ backward jog back
• Side Slide 20 yards down and back 20 yards
• Carioca down and back 20 yards
• 20 Jumping Jacks
• 75% run 20 yards
• Straight leg Skip 20 yards
• 10 squats
• 75% run 20 yards
• Walking Lunges 10 yards

This quick warm-up gets the body ready for a game if you are in a quick pinch to get into the game. But remember that this does not replace a proper warm-up that starts with general mobility and leads into more soccer specific exercises.

About Velocity Sports Performance:
Velocity Sports Performance is a national network of training centers where athletes of all sports, ages and skill levels go to improve their core athletic skills - speed, power and agility. Athletes train in small groups with degreed and certified performance coaches. Velocity Sports Performance is the Official Performance Training Partner of Cal South Soccer. Players who train with Velocity Sports Performance can expect to get to the ball quicker, cover more of the field faster, increase their shot power and reduce their chances of injury. Velocity Sports Performance has training centers throughout Southern California including Irvine, Redondo Beach, Anaheim, Carlsbad, San Diego, West LA and Santa Clarita.