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Soccer Basics
Soccer is not as popular in the USA as American football is; internationally though, soccer, also known as football, is an extremely popular sport. Soccer is played on a large field with 11 players per team. There is one soccer ball which is passed between players with the goal being to score the most goals within two 45-minute halves. Players can dribble, head, pass or kick the ball to move it up and down the field. Players cannot use their arms or hands at any time, with the exception of the goalie; they can use their hands to catch the ball and throw it back into play on the field. Players will either be defenders, halfbacks or forwards. There are many rules in soccer, involving penalty kicks, offside violations and fouls. There is one referee to establish order and regulate the game.
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Interval Training for Soccer Players
Interval training mixes intense bursts of exercise with moderate rest and recovery time. Interval training is great for sports like soccer that require the athlete to perform short spurts of high intensity movement, as well as have the aerobic capacity to run hard for 45 minutes. Often, interval training involves plyometrics (jumping exercises), sprinting, such as 400 x 4 or 800 x 2, or sprinting up hills. Include interval training at least once per week in your workouts, or twice per week if you are playing at a competitive level.
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Essential Soccer Gear
There are few things one needs in order to play soccer. If you're playing on a team, you'll need a jersey and matching shorts; if you are playing an unofficial game, you just need comfortable clothing . In order to avoid slipping on the soccer field, you'll want a pair of soccer cleats for grip and traction. While playing on an indoor soccer field, you'll want indoor soccer cleats which do not actually have cleats but will still help with traction. Shin guards are essential because of the high volume of kicking around shin-height; they should be fitted to the appropriate length of your shin. Goalies typically wear different colored jerseys and shorts, goalie gloves and sometimes a mouth guard. If playing on an indoor soccer field, the goalie will also need padded pants and elbow pads for protection
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Soccer Field Injuries
Soccer players are prone to knee and ankle injuries because of the abrupt change of direction that accompanies chasing a soccer ball. As with any type of injury, knowledge is the best prevention. Knowing what injuries typically affect soccer players will help coaches and players to train and warm up properly. Check out the research compiled in an article on soccer injury by Nick Grantham for SportsInjuryBulletin.com (link to: http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/soccer-injuries.html).