A good warm-up is very important to a soccer game. In a warm-up you should first start by doing light exercise, like jogging or maybe doing drills. This should be followed by stretching. It is very important to stretch, just as in other sports, because it is more likely to pull a muscle if you don't stretch, and it also helps you to get ready for the game. After stretching, you should do some more drills, or maybe a light scrimmage or something. Every warm-up is different for every team. This is up to how the coach thinks that the team needs to warm up.
To get a good stretch, you need to stretch for at least 15 minutes. You should do different stretches of the legs especially, but also the arms, stomach and whole body.
These are some stretches that you could use.
| Elbow Pull- To do this stretch, you put your arm behind your head and grab you elbow with your other hand. Slowly pull on your arm. Repeat on the other arm. |  |
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Quick Kicks-To do this stretch, you kick your heels to your rear. Make the kicks short and quick. |
| High Knees- to do this stretch, you bring your knees up to your chest. Make these short and quick, also. |  |
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High Skips- Bring your knee up to your chest making a skipping motion. Swing your arms up in the air, using the opposite arm as the leg that is up. |
| Thigh Stretch- To do this stretch, pull your leg up to your rear. Grab on to your ankle wit your hand and hold the position. | |
| Calf Stretch- To do this stretch, you stand with your feet one in front of the other. Lean forward towards the front foot. | |
| Butterfly- Sit on the ground and put your feet together in front of you. Hold you feet with your hands and lean forward. |  |