Effective Injury Prevention for Soccer Players

DON'T BE SIDELINED DURING THE BIG GAMES... 

Week after week we train hard, we play hard and we put our bodies on the line. Then we try to recover as best we can. For some players and teams, it can be very difficult to maintain an injury free season. While there are external forces that we can’t control, there are many things that we can control.

My name is Lucas Kruel and as a personal trainer of professional soccer players, a big part of my job is to make sure my players are maintaining adequate fitness levels, recovering well and reducing injuries.


My goal is to strengthen their entire body, maintain flexibility and mobility, guide them through recovery and focus on joint stability. Their physical condition is a significant part of their performance on the pitch, so I take my personal training programs very seriously.

Common injuries in soccer athletes

  • Lower Extremity Injuries: ankle sprains, broken feet or toes, ankle rolls, torn ankle ligaments etc.
  • Knee Injuries: partial or complete tears of the anterior cruciate ligament, cartilage damage etc.
  • Muscular Injuries: Strained or pulled leg muscles
  • Overuse Injuries: shin splints, achilles tendinitis

Some of these injuries can be due to external factors (dangerous tackle from opponent, uneven pitch surface) but many of these injuries can be completely prevented by consistent, simple prevention exercises.

Injury prevention training benefits

  • Reduces risk of injury
  • Improves strength of joints (knees and ankles)
  • Grows confidence, power of movements and body capabilities
  • Enhances game performance
  • Quicker recovery from games or injuries
  • Can lessen the severity of injuries
  • Increases chance of more playing time

Functional training to prevent injuries

Functional training was first designed as a way to prevent injuries and successfully rehabilitate people. Functional training exercises incorporate full body movements which helps to strengthen your body as a whole (not only certain areas), keeps your joints stable and allows more fluid movements to better your game performance. 


Functional training is also low impact training which means that although we challenge ourselves physically, it requires less of a toll on the body and decreases the chance of injury in the training itself.


Click here for more information about the health benefits of functional training.


Injury prevention program

1. Warm-up

This is the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do before a workout or a game. If your muscles are not properly engaged and ready for intense activity, that is the quickest way to do an injury.

Try some of the exercises below before your game!

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2. Stretch

Include dynamic stretching into your warm-up to increase your range of motion and prepare your body for the movements it will need to execute during your game or workout. Incorporate static stretching into your daily routine to improve mobility and flexibility.

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3. Injury prevention workout

This workout is showing 5 INJURY PREVENTION EXERCISES that you can do anywhere, anytime and without special equipment. These exercises are targeting core areas; joint strength and balance; while executing endurance and power (which is exactly what you need to deal with during a game).


I recommend doing these exercises 2-3 times a week to build and maintain strength to reduce the risk of injuries.

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4. Maintaining good condition

I am giving you 5 MOBILITY EXERCISES that you can do to maintain great physical condition during the soccer season!

During this workout, focus on slow and controlled movements. This will encourage strength and flexibility engagement - two attributes all players need on the pitch when they shoot, pass and make long strides.

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Access more mobility workouts here so you can feel fresh, light and ready for anything!


Strengthening your core; improving mobility; warming up; and consistent, low impact exercises will be the difference in maintaining great condition and reducing injuries during the season. I give these kinds of exercises in almost every training sessions with the professional athletes and you can do it to!