National Strength and Conditioning Association
Volume 28, Number 1, pages 1418
Keywords: soccer; warm-up; dynamic stretching; mobility;
skill preparation
A Pregame Soccer Warm-up
Pam Devore, CSCS
Velocity Sports Performance, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Patrick Hagerman, EdD, CSCS*D; NSCA-CPT*D
The University of Tulsa,Tulsa, Oklahoma
summary
A proper soccer warm-up should in-
clude components of both game-re-
lated skills and specific movements
to prepare the athlete for the opti-
mum play. A warm-up that includes
dynamic stretching, transitional
movements and includes the entire
body is presented.
roper preparation for a soccer
P game is crucial and a well orga-
nized warm-up sharpens an ath-
letes mind and body to enable maxi-
mum effort as soon as the whistle blows.
A warm-up should increase body and
muscle temperature, activate muscle
groups, stimulate the nervous system,
and increase joint mobility thereby
preparing the player for optimal perfor-
mance while minimizing risk of injury
(5, 9). One way to help insure that this
occurs is through an active and dynamic
warm-up. The warm-up should be in-
tense enough to increase the bodys core
temperature but not so intense that the
14
athlete becomes fatigued. It should be
noted that flexibility training, while an
important part of this warm-up pro-
gram, is not the only component. Static
stretching has its place and purpose in
improving flexibility, but the instances
of stretching for 2030 minutes before a
game as a means of warming up are very
rare today. In recent years, the impor-
tance of stretching a muscle with move-
ment (dynamic stretching) has been em-
phasized (3, 7), and it has been noted
that an active warm-up may improve
certain types of performance by increas-
ing muscle contractile performance
prior to use (1, 8, 10). The warm-up de-
scribed here has 3 distinct outcomes:
general mobility, transit mobility, and
skill preparation.
General Mobility
You never want to start a warm-up total-
ly cold, so an easy jog across the soccer
field and back a couple of times will get
the heart pumping and the blood flow-
ing. Starting at the neck and working
down through the body, general mobili-
ty warm-ups begin with basic move-
ments to loosen up the muscles and in-
crease isolated joint mobility. Most of
these general mobility movements are
closely associated with some typical stat-
ic stretches, but in this instance, no posi-
February 2006 Strength and Conditioning Journal
tion is held for more than 2 or 3 seconds.
Additionally, the movements isolate the
specific joints being used while incorpo-
rating a full range of motion. There are a
multitude of movements that can ac-
complish the general mobility goal, but
we have found the following move-
ments, listed in Table 1 and described in
detail here, to be time efficient while ac-
complishing the task. Each exercise is re-
peated 5 times, with each position held
for 23 seconds, before moving on to
the next exercise. Completion of the
general mobility phase of the warm-up
should take about 5 minutes.
Upper Extremities
The neck clock is performed in a series of
4 movements: neck flexion, lateral flex-
ion to the left, neck extension, and later-
al flexion to the right. This takes the
place of the traditional rolling motion to
stretch the neck. The neck clock presents
a more active stretch than the passive cir-
cular movement of a relaxed neck. Fol-
low the neck clock with the shoulder
roll, moving the shoulders in large circu-
lar motions both forward and backward.
The next movement is the arm hug.
Cross both arms across the front of the
chest in horizontal adduction as far as
possible, and then swing back in hori-
 Table 1
Pregame Warm-ups. A Sample
of the Exercises That Can Be Used
in a Progressive Soccer
Pregame Warm-up

General Mobility (5 minutes)

Perform 5 repetitions of each

exercise
Upper extremities
Neck clock
Shoulder roll
Arm hug
Windmill
Midsection
Trunk circle
Trunk twist
Lower extremities
Body weight squat
Lateral lunge
Transit Mobility (15 minutes)

Perform each exercise within

10 to 20 yards
Crossover toe touch
Lunge forward
Lunge forward with rotation
Trail leg walking
Elbow to instep walking
Side slides
Skip
Skip and scoop Figure 1. Windmill.The windmill motion is performed as a warm-up for the upper ex-
Low walk tremities. Swing the arms in both clockwise and counterclockwise full-circle
Backward skip rotations.
Lateral shuffle
Carioca
zontal abduction. Each time the arms clock by flexing the hips forward, then
Individual Skill (10 minutes) are adducted, the arm that goes above laterally to the left, extending backward,
Juggling the other should switch. and laterally to the right side. Follow
Cutting drills this with the trunk twist in the standing
Dribbling The last movement for the upper body is and bent-over positions, requiring the
the windmill. The hands are in opposi- whole upper body to turn as the hips
Position Skill (15 minutes) tion of each other as they both move in a and lower body stay in a neutral forward
Forwards/midfielders: possession large circular motion with a straight arm facing position (Figure 2). The athlete
games, shots on goal for 5 to 10 rotations, followed by the should bend at the waist, keeping the
Defenders: long kicks same motion in reverse rotation (Figure back flat and eyes up, for the bent-over
Goaltenders: taking shots on goal, 1). By now, the athlete has stimulated twisting movement. Twist 5 times to
punts and goal kicks every muscle around the neck and each side in the upright and bent-over
shoulder and has moved the joints in position.
Team Skill (15 minutes)
each plane.
Shots on goal from layoff Lower Extremities
2-on-2 or 3-on-3 simulations Midsection Next the warm-up moves on to stimulat-
Play practice Moving on to the midsection, the truck ing the large leg muscles and loosening
Full-speed sprints circle mimics the movement of the neck the hip joints. The lateral lunge and

February 2006 Strength and Conditioning Journal 15

 Figure 2. Trunk twist. Bend forward at
the hips, keep a straight
back, and rotate throughout
your full range of motion left
and right to perform the
trunk twist warm-up for the
midsection.
body-weight squat both require the
same basic movements. For the body-
weight squat, keep the toes, hips, and
shoulders facing forward, while the hips
move back. Pressing the hips back keeps
the knee directly above the heel, pre-
venting the heel from lifting and shift-
ing the body weight towards the toe.
Coach the athlete to press down on the
heels and to bring the top of the thighs
to a position parallel to the ground. Per-
form 10 repetitions of the body weight
squat to adequately warm up the hip and
leg muscles.
The lateral lunge requires a large step
directly to the side. As the athlete steps
out and bends, he or she should keep
the knee directly over the toe with the
chest facing forward directly above the
16
Figure 3. Crossover toe touch.The crossover toe touch is a transit mobility phase
warm-up that includes elements of balance and flexibility.
knee. The leg that remains in place
should be relaxed, as all the athletes
body weight should be directed over the
stepping leg. Perform the lateral lunge
exercise 10 times on each leg. This exer-
cise requires quite a bit of hip flexibility
and may take a few weeks of practice be-
fore it can be completed correctly.
When teaching this warm-up, make
sure that the athlete does not allow his
or her body weight to move beyond the
reach of the step, which could place
undue strain on the anterior cruciate
ligament.
Transit Mobility
The next phase of the warm-up increas-
es the level of intensity and focuses
more on transit movements that require
the athlete to travel a certain distance.
These are specific drills that have a di-
February 2006 Strength and Conditioning Journal
rect relationship to the game of soccer.
The average soccer player is in direct
contact with the ball for no more than
60 seconds during a 90-minute game
(2). Because of the dynamics of soccer,
certain position players will have more
time controlling the ball; at the same
time, the other players are moving in
multiple directions to gain position for
the ball. Limited substitutions at the
elite and professional levels also increase
the amount of time a player may spend
on the field. According to the principle
of specificity, the movements in a
warm-up should mimic game move-
ments and focus on muscles utilized
during the game (6). The movements
for this portion of the warm-up are list-
ed in Table 1 and described later in this
feature. Each movement should be per-
formed for 10 to 20 yards and repeated
 Figure 4. Elbow to instep walking. Elbow to instep walking allows the athlete to
stretch the hamstrings, lower back, and hip flexors.
twice. With the athlete performing each
exercise at a slow to moderate pace, the
entire transit mobility phase should last
no more than 15 minutes.
The crossover toe touch (Figure 3),
lunge forward, lunge forward with ro-
tation, trail leg walking (Figure 4), and
elbow-to-instep walking (Figure 5) are
all exercises that continue to dynami-
cally stretch the muscles while mimic-
king game-like movements. These are
technical build-ups that can be in-
creased in speed to get the athlete ready
to work at full speed, as well as making
the athletes actively think about their
running technique. In addition, these
movements build upon the flexibility
increases from the general mobility
phase by increasing the range of mo-
tion of each exercise, especially in the
hip.
In addition to linear running, 20% of
game movements are performed at high
intensity (2). High-intensity activities
include all multidirectional movements
except for forward running at a speed of
at least 11.0 miles per hour and above
(2). To prepare the athlete for high-in-
tensity activities, side slides, skip, skip
and scoop, low walk, backward skip, lat-
eral shuffle, and carioca runs are includ-
ed in this portion of the warm-up.
February 2006 Strength and Conditioning Journal
Skill Preparation
The last phase of the warm-up is skill
preparation. Here the players work on
their own or with a group while focusing
on the needs of their position. Typically,
before a soccer game, team members
practice individually, then together with
their respective positions, and finally to-
gether as a team. There are many types of
drills that can be used to facilitate each
component. Individually, players should
spend about 10 minutes becoming famil-
iar with the ball, working on their touch,
explosiveness, and footwork. Juggling,
cutting drills, and dribbling with changes
of pace and direction can be used for this
warm-up. Dedicate about 10 minutes for
an individual skill warm-up.
Within the position groups, forwards
and midfielders may shoot on goal or
play a small possession game, while de-
fenders practice long kicks of 40 or 50
yards. Goalkeepers spend most of their
time in the goal, taking shots and work-
ing on positioning, but they need to put
a few balls in the air themselves from a
goal kick and punt position. Position
drills should last around 15 minutes.
Finally, the team comes together as a
whole to shoot on goal for the last 15
minutes of the warm-up. This can be ac-
complished with the coach or a teammate
receiving a pass and laying the ball off to
Figure 5. Trail leg walking.Trail leg
walking is performed by lift-
ing the knee up and out to
the side as the foot is
brought around to the front
of the body for the next step.
the side to set up a shot, thus replicating
common game situations. Drills of 2-on-
2 or 3-on-3 can also be used to simulate
certain plays and game situations. At this
time, the individuals should be feeling
very sharp, making accurate touches on
the ball and quick decisions.
The last component of the warm-up is a
series of short sprints (2030 yards) to
ensure that players have reached full
speed before it is required of them in the
game. This puts the players into the
proper mindset and allows them to focus
on the speed of play they are about to
encounter.
Conclusion
This hour long warm-up is not by any
means all-inclusive. There are many ex-
17
 ercises that can be used in addition to Conditioning for Soccer. Champaign,
what has been listed here. The head IL: Human Kinetics, 2002.
coach or strength coach should use his 10. STEWART, I.B., AND G.G. SLEIVERT.
or her own discretion to determine the The effect of warm-up intensity on
needs of the team and how best to pre- range of motion and anaerobic perfor-
pare them. It is important to keep the mance. J. Orthop. Sports Phys. Ther.
exercises at a level of difficulty that are 27(2):154161. 1998
comfortable. If athletes struggle to per-
form the warm-up correctly, it will
probably be difficult for them to per-
form during actual play. An easy rule to
follow is one shared by Vern Gambetta:
Warm up to play; dont play to warm
up (4).

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