Gearing Up for your Next Soccer Match – Seven Tips
Let’s get your head in the game. Preparation before a soccer game doesn’t start hours before the match, or even just before. Playing soccer is a constant regime, and staying in shape, physically and mentally, are both important.
However, do not forget to consider things like your gear, keep your kit clean, keep your cleats in good shape, and if you need new gear always be prepared to get new ones. If your soccer cleats are looking a bit old and ragged, get some leather soccer boots– level up a bit and keep your kit strong. You never want to play with raggedy old kit.
Similarly, you need to be mentally prepared. Always approach games with a positive mindset. If you have some nerves or anxiety pre-game, talk to your coach and discuss ways that you can overcome it so that your head is in the game. You should find the balance between confidence and nerves, nerves will do you no good, but being overconfident is not good either.
If you feel overconfident, then you may be distracted, and mess up. Being confident and being cocky are two different things and what will work against one team may not work against another, so you should be able to adapt any techniques you have to beat other teams. Remember, soccer is a game of skill and a game of precision, so keep your mindset that way. Even if your opponents have had a bad season, do not assume that this means you will beat them, they may have a lucky turn.
So, how do you prepare properly for a game of soccer? What is required to really gear you up for the game? It is not all about training, as much as training helps, there is much more to preparing yourself than just training.
Preparing for a game is in the mind and in the body, training also goes beyond workouts and typical training, it includes eating right and working on the right aspects of physical fitness. Let’s take a look at seven ways that you can prepare for your next match.
#1 Stay disciplined.
First up is discipline. This might sound a bit weird, but it is true. If it has been a while since your last match, you can lose the discipline you have in the game. Discipline is important not just in soccer, and not just in sport, but in your whole life. In order to achieve, you must be disciplined. There is always a debate in the realm of soccer that discipline is more important than talent or vice versa, however, we think it is about equal really. Half talent and half discipline makes for the perfect combination. Let’s say that you are a little talented however a lot more disciplined that other players who are more talented than you, you will likely end up becoming the better player.
If you find that your team is undisciplined, then you will often find your team ending up nowhere. There is no point in wanting to play better in the weekend matches if you are not willing to put the effort into it. Always ensure that you attend your soccer practices on time, and that you train as you are told to. You will always see better results. While you may think you have good ways of practicing and training, you can do those, just do what the coach says as well. You will reap benefits for it.
#2 Keep organized.
A big part of preparing for a game is to stay organized. Sit for a moment and visualize your week, before your game is close. Understanding your week before your game will help you to fit in all you need to do. Think about what days and hours you have to practice, what else do you do besides soccer. Try to schedule your days out and think of how you can better organize your time, and how you can get the best possible conditions to train. Really consider that you are taking the adequate time and measures to ensure that you eat and rest correctly and enough.
Organization may seem boring and like a real drag, however, organizing your week is something that you may find to be very helpful. Think about what hours you should eat to be in the best condition for training, and at what time you should sleep to be well rested. Consider all of your living conditions and how you live your life, and what changes you can make to be your absolute best on the pitch.
Think of the days when you have no practice, and consider what you do in that time that can make you be a better player. Perhaps you have some time in those days to work on your stamina and go for a jog. Every task you do each day can bring you one step closer to being a better soccer player.
#3 Monitor your diet.
While in any sporting industry diet is very important, sometimes it gets overlooked. We aren’t expecting you to get a nutritionist, however, just some common sense will go a long way. Know what things are good for you and which things you should avidly avoid ingesting. For any top athlete, proper nutrition is not something that gives you an advantage but it is a requisite of what you do and who you are. If you do not manage your diet properly it can actually put you at a great disadvantage in comparison to other players that do tend to their diets.
A majority of the time when we consider eating healthy, we think about vegetables, salad, and bare chicken breasts with pasta. However, this is not the case. It is simply about avoiding fast foods, soda, and sugar. While we often see fruit and vegetables as healthy, fruit does contain a lot of sugar, so an apple or a banana is good, but if you’re indulging in berries on a regular basis you are actually indulging in a load of sugar which won’t give you the physique you desire and can slow you down and make you tired.
Go online and look at information about nutrition, or even better, get a tracker and track your diet, it doesn’t mean you have to count calories, but instead it can let you know if you are going overboard on sugars or fats. It can keep you aware of what you are eating.
#4 Keep hydrated!
It may sound like stating the obvious, but stay hydrated. Hydration is so important, and so many of us do not get enough hydration. Stay hydrated in training and out of training. If you are hydrated during, you will train better, and better training means better performance when it is time for your match.
This does not necessarily mean you need to indulge in drinking bottle after bottle of water, but ensure you have water with you, and try out electrolyte supplements that will assist in your hydration. There are electrolyte supplements for athletes which will help your body use the water you drink better.
If you get your own 750ml bottle you can take around with you, then you can put in an electrolyte supplement with it and fill up where needed. Easy and simple, and you will always be as hydrated as you need to in order to reach your optimal performance.
#5 Rest up- get plenty of sleep.
Another probably obvious statement, but always ensure that you rest properly. If your sleep schedule is all over the place, then you will probably end up feeling tired more often than not. Science shows us that the amount of sleep we get affects us athletically. It can also affect our ability to process information, our reaction time, our speed and accuracy will all drop if we do not sleep well, but will increase if we do sleep well.
Obesity is also linked to a lack of rest, as our bodies lose fat as we sleep. Lack of rest also affects our hormones too and not sleeping properly can unbalance our hormones which will affect our fat reduction and muscle growth. Not only this, but sleep deprivation can also lead to depression, a lack of concentration and a lack of productivity.
So, listen to your circadian rhythm and sleep at least 7 hours a night, 8 is better, and 9 is plenty. Listen to your body and ensure that you get the rest that you need to perform well.
#6 Train- not just strength but stamina.
When you train, do not just think it is a nice relaxing kick about, train your endurance and your stamina, make yourself feel tired. If you do not work on your stamina, then when it comes to games you will be feeling tired.
What makes a soccer player legendary is that not only can they play a good game, but they can play steadily for the whole 90 minutes that the game goes on and not get tired.
Endurance and stamina is an important aspect of the game, players make quick sprints and changes of direction. So you need to ensure you use endurance exercises that will simulate the real-world movements in the game.
#7 Stay close to your teammates.
Sometimes one of the best things you can do before a match is just hang out with your teammates. Having a good relationship with your team really can be a game changer. Seeing them as if they are your friends will give you a lot more confidence in yourself and in your team while you play. Friends support you, even if you mess up, and this is what teammates should do.
Before a game, hang out, chat, laugh, and relax together. It doesn’t hurt to be friends on the pitch too. These people will have your back when someone is hurtling towards you with the ball, or when a whole sea of opposition is clambering at you as you try to score. These are the people who are on your side, and being friends with them is a good thing. Stay close and always have time to catch up and relax together before, after, or outside the game entirely.
You are a team, and so being a team is important. While talking to your coach about worries will help you, it doesn’t hurt to mention them to your teammates too, they can help you as well, maybe they feel the same or have been through it before and can offer great advice. Teamwork is everything in soccer.