5 Ways in Which Football Can Improve Your Fitness
The simple ways to get fit with football
Increase your stamina: Football is a real endurance sport. You run around from one part of the pitch to another for at least one and a half hours. A midfield player thus clocks up over 10 kilometres, and incidentally, the world record of 90 minutes is held by the French player Mathieu Flamini, with a distance of 14 km! You are constantly on the move, and this increases your stamina enormously. Likewise, your respiration and your blood pressure can sink or adapt in the long term.
Powerful legs: Football is all about using the legs and feet. It is not only kicking the ball repeatedly, but also running constantly that helps to achieve powerful legs and muscular calves, which are mostly under-developed. The lower leg especially is subjected to immense strain, and therefore develops more powerful muscles.
Gain strength: Football has a lot to do with strength and stamina. You have to kick the ball as accurately as possible over long distances. The perpetual kicking and running gives you more energy, thus your kicking power increases. Not only do your legs become more powerful, but also your whole muscular system. You often have to use your whole body to attain sufficient momentum.
Dexterity: A lot of people think that it is relatively easy to play football. And yet it is a formidable challenge to dribble the ball skilfully forward. Your feet need to be in good shape, and you have to calculate beforehand where you want the ball to land. In this way not only will your body's dexterity be trained, but your intellect will also be put to the test.
Agility: Football is not just about playing with the ball. You have to be able to maneuvre skillfully around your opponents, pass the ball elegantly, and shoot from unusual positions. These procedures helps to build up enormous agility, and this applies to all parts of the body.
Practically all the body's muscles are put to the test when playing football. The legs, in order to run faster and for longer distances, to jump and to maintain stability, and a solid upper body, to fend off your opponents during a tackle.
Are you also excited about the World Cup in Brazil? We would be delighted to hear your comments on this topic, and wish you an enjoyable World Cup, with lots of great sports.
Holmes Place Team