Better, faster, fitter, stronger. The exercises all footballers need

So you want to become the perfect footballer? The exercises outlined in this article all help to boost strength and conditioning. Some decent Football Kits wouldn’t go a miss either and a visit to sites like those of https://www.kitking.co.uk/ could set you up nicely for the hard work ahead. You’ve got to remember that whilst football training and playing is hard work it is vitally important that you have the right kit to do so.

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Head and Shoulders Above the Rest

If you want to win your fair share of headers, then you need to have the strength to leap like the proverbial salmon! It is more of a leap than a jump, because it comes from a non-standing start. Plyometrics are exercises where muscles exert maximum force in a short space of time. To boost your leap, use the following exercise:
run forwards, pulling your knees up to your middle section. Try and ‘hang’ in the air, landing and taking-off from the balls of your feet. Repeat as many times as you see fit.

Strength in the Tackle

Tackling is mostly about overall body strength, so exercises for the whole body are ideal. The deadlift is great, as it works your glutes, hamstrings, quads, shoulders and back. All you need is a barbell. Stand with your feet apart with your shins touching the barbell. Bend at the hips and knees and place your hands on the bar in an overhand grip. Keeping your arms straight and your elbows locked, stand up and pull the bar upwards until it passes your knees. Return to the initial position and repeat.

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He/She Shoots, He/She Scores

Not surprisingly, shooting requires leg strength, and probably the best exercise to boost this is the ‘step-up’.

Firstly, place the barbell over the upper neck, and then stand in front of a box of approximately 40cm high and position your right foot on it. Power your body upwards. Move your left foot alongside your right foot on the box. Step off the box backwards and repeat.

Holding Off Opponents

The key to this is to boost your upper-body strength. A great exercise for this is the ‘weighted press-ups’. Get yourself into the standard press-ups position but have a friend/helper place a weight between your shoulders. Then complete a press-up as normal and repeat.

Other useful exercises for building your strength are crunches, overhead squats and bench presses.

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