Warm-Up and Cool-Down

by: Tony Leyland
leyland@sfu.ca

There are many misconceptions about the exact role of the warm-up and cool-down in soccer.

The purpose of the warm-up is to prepare your body for the game or training session to follow. It is not about training any particular component of fitness. I state this in bold letters because many players and coaches go through a complete stretching routine prior to their activity as if the purpose of the warm-up was to improve flexibility. It isn't, and in fact some researchers argue that static slow stretching prior to dynamic-ballistic activities like soccer will increase the chances of injury. The argument against static stretching prior to hard training is that is it may weaken the muscle and reduce the effectiveness of the stretch reflex leaving it prone to injury. At the very least there is no evidence that stretching prior to activity will reduce the chances of injury. This is not to say that you should not work on flexibility with slow static stretching exercise. It is just that before a game or training session is not the ideal time.

Warm-ups can be active or passive. Passive warm-ups such as a hot shower, sitting in a sauna or a massage are less effective than active warm-ups. Warm-ups usually consist of general and specific exercises. The general part of the warm-up includes jogging, safe dynamic stretching and possibly callisthenics. Safe dynamic stretching could include light bouncing and moving joints at moderate speeds to the range of motion limits. Be careful not to overdo this. Some players add callisthenic exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups and jumping jacks into their warm-up. This is acceptable as long as they are not excessive and detrimentally affect performance.

The sport specific part of the warm-up includes specific movements that will be used in the game (e.g. passing the soccer ball back and forth with a partner). The ideal intensity of the warm-up is debatable, but the consensus seems to be that you should at least work up a mild sweat or become mildly out of breath without fatigue. Note that you should not be trying to strike the soccer ball at full force until you have performed a good warm-up. There is a temptation to go out and start taking full power shots at goal immediately (it is fun after all), but this should obviously be cautioned against.

With young children who tend to be naturally flexible and less likely to pull tight muscles, light jogging while dribbling the ball is probably the best type of warm-up. Lost of fun dribbling or push-pass drills can be used as a warm-up. If you only have your players for a one-hour session you need to maximize their time on the ball. I would caution against using any drill that involves, or could involve, tackling as part of the warm-up, as this would increase the chance of injury if not properly warmed-up.

A warm-up has the following purposes:

• Permits a gradual increase in metabolic requirements that improves endurance performance (e.g. higher blood flow and aerobic power). The increased body temperature increases the amount of blood and oxygen reaching your working muscles.
• Prevents lactic acid from accumulating early in the exercise session. Higher lactic acid levels would increase the fatigue you experience.
• Causes a gradual increase in deep muscle temperature, which decreases the work of contraction and hence reduces the chances of injury. The elastic components of muscle are susceptible to injury when a muscle is cold. Warming the muscle alters the stiffness of the connective tissue resulting in a greater force and length required to tear a muscle or tendon.
• Improves contraction and reflex times of skeletal muscles
• Lessons the danger of inadequate blood flow to the heart in the early stages of exercise. Abrupt, strenuous exercise may be associated with such problems.
• Screens for potential muscle, joint or cardiac problems that may increase at higher exercise intensities. If you are hurting in the warm-up, your body is trying to tell you something.
• Lubricate joints.
• Provides psychological preparation for the event (e.g. increases arousal and mental focus).
• With younger children it can be used to increase their feel for the ball though dribbling, passing and ball control exercises.

This cool-down is a warm-up in reverse. Let’s be honest and admit that few, if any, soccer players cool-down! However, some light jogging and walking followed by stretching exercises for the quadriceps, hamstring, and calf muscle groups would be ideal. If the final whistle blows just after you have been involved in a bout of sprinting it is a good idea to keep moving until your heart rate has dropped below 100 beats per minute.

The purposes of the cool-down period are as follows:

• Maintain the blood return to the heart and brain. This prevents too rapid a drop in blood pressure and reduces the likelihood of post-exercise light-headedness and fainting.
• Hastens the removal of lactic acid from the working muscles.
• Reduces the immediate post-exercise tendency for muscles to spasm or cramp.
• Allows heart rate, breathing rate and body temperature to gradually return to resting levels
• The cool-down also reduces the concentration of exercise hormones that are relatively high immediately after exercise. These hormones can cause post-exercise disturbances in the heart rate.

You will notice that it is easier to perform stretching exercises after exercise. This is because the compliance ("stretch-ability") of the muscles and tendons is increased due to their elevated temperature. Hence stretching performed after exercise is probably safer and more effective than before exercise. Although it is a very good idea to stretch the muscles predominantly used in the exercise as a minimum, your flexibility can certainly benefit from performing a complete body stretch as part of the cool-down.

Sources:

Giese, M. Organisation of an Exercise Session. In American College of Sports Medicine, Resources Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 1988, pp. 244-247.
McArdle, W., Katch, F., and Katch, V. Exercise Physiology, 4th Edition. Williams & Wilkins,
Baltimore, 1996. Editor’s Note: We really appreciate this information from Tony Leyland and helps eliminate some of the misconceptions with regard to Warm-Up and Cool Down.

Tony Leyland is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University.

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