The best way to prepare for a match, or any activity for that matter, is to have a good proper warm up first. So here are five pre-match warm-up tips.
1. Get some movement in before you stretch
Whether or not you stretch before a game can often be the key factor in influencing your performance. If you don’t stretch, you’re restricting the amount of blood flow to your muscles and you may find yourself cramping-up halfway through the game. But you don’t want to stretch a cold body and risk further injury. So, make sure to get a good 15 to 20 minutes of a warm up in before you even think of doing anything else.
Your best bet is to ease your way into a warm-up by starting off with a light jog at 50 per cent of your max and slowly increasing that to a maximum of 70 per cent over the course of 20 minutes.
Your body takes time to shut off areas it doesn’t need during activity, such as the digestive system, so make sure to give it the time needed. You would want to make sure that the heart is pumping and the sweat is beading on your brow before you start to stretch.
2. Do both static and dynamic stretching
The best time to stretch is after you’ve warmed up, so make sure you’re good and warm first. Then, when you’re good and warm, do a mixture of static and dynamic stretching. When doing dynamic stretching (i.e. stretches that involves movement) try and mimic movements that you would do on the pitch. If you play football, try doing long-slow kicking motions. If you play Gaelic Football or Hurling, then slowly reach high into the sky like you’re catching an invisible high-ball and bring that all the way down to the ground as if you’re picking up a rolling ball. Do this and any other motion that applies to your specific sport.
When doing static stretching, make sure to work on the lower back, neck, calves, quads, groin and hamstrings and make sure to repeat each stretch two or three times. That’s the basis of a good pre-game stretch.
3. Avoid a few things
The worst time to get injured is during the warm-up, before you even get on the pitch. However, it happens more often than it should and you should take care not to over do it. If you feel any pain during a stretch, stop it. The old ‘No pain, no gain’ saying doesn’t work for most things in life – especially stretching.
4. Try wearing some Lycra
At this stage in life, you’ve probably made your mind up on the whole Lycra debate. However, Lycra is beneficial in the sense that it helps your muscles to warm up faster and make them more pliable. This can help you move a lot better and give you those extra few inches of reach over your opponent. There are endless varieties (sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve etc.), so there’s sure to be one for you.
5. Warm-up double in the cold
We all know how unpredictable the weather is here in Ireland. So if your match happens to fall on a sunny day then count yourself lucky. If your match happens to fall on any of the other 364 days in the average Irish year, then make sure you’re prepared. Cold weather means a cold body and the colder your body is, the more susceptible it is to injury. If it’s cold out, don’t be afraid to double up on your warm-up and your stretching routine. Just make sure to know your limits.
Follow the tips above you should notice a difference in your performance on the pitch within no time.
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