Sometimes you might have had the opportunity to score a late goal that would have led your team to victory, but because you lacked the energy to convert it, you missed that chance.
There are a lot of late goals in soccer, and most times, it is a result of low energy and tiredness in the players.
As a soccer player, you need the capacity to perform at your best for every game that you play, and there are a lot of things that you need to do to make it happen.
Playing a soccer game for 90 minutes or more is a tedious physical task. Soccer is capable of pushing any person to exhaustion unless your body is conditioned or you have prepared yourself for the fast-paced and high-intensity physical activity associated with soccer.
You can save your energy during the game since there are a lot of activities that you need to practice before match day and also during a match. Significant action is to build up your stamina, endurance, and cardio training.
Playing soccer competitively or even amateur requires that you make use of your energy. Kicking, running, and jumping that you perform during a game make use of your muscles.
The glycogen stored in your body is converted to energy so you can perform better. If your body is not adequately conditioned for the game, you will not be able to play your utmost.
Every player should prepare before every match day so that they would not get tired easily during the game, have the energy needed to play, and eventually win while focusing on the physical, tactics, mental, and other methods that would guarantee you maximum effectiveness on the pitch.
Quick Navigation
- How to Save Energy during a Soccer Game?
- 1. Rest before Match Days
- 2. Not running around – Run smart!
- 3. Drinking Energy Drinks
- 4. Practice Breathing Exercises
- 5. Winning Mentality
- 6. Dieting Properly before Playing
- 7. Be Relaxed
- 8. Warm-up before every game
- 9. Take Water
- 10. Using functional foods to supplement energy (in a game)
- 11. Practicing
- 12. Psychological or Mental Endurance
- Conclusion
How to Save Energy during a Soccer Game?
Every sporting athlete wants to win any game that they play. Therefore they go all out by putting in all the effort to win the game. This is especially so for soccer with its competitive nature.
However, with the fast-paced and high-intensity manner of soccer, you have to learn to conserve your energy so that you can play to your utmost and help your team clinch the victory.
Losing your energy halfway or at critical times during the game is detrimental to your team. You also have to learn that it is not good to overexert yourself in any competition since it could lead to you being unable to play soccer anytime soon.
Playing soccer requires putting in hard work and needs lots of energy from you. Playing soccer without the proper preparation often leads to poor performance, low energy, or loss of stamina.
However, it is worthy of note that managing your mental and physical well-being before a game and during a game can increase your ability to save energy during a match.
It is natural to be fatigued in a game since soccer is a high-intensity game. Fatigue results in tiredness and sometimes could lead you to lose your confidence in the game. It could be mental or physical. This is why it is essential that you learn to preserve your energy in every game.
Whether playing as a professional or amateur, your effectiveness and performance also reduce whenever you lose your energy. Soccer requires quickness, body balance, control, responsiveness, endurance, and, very importantly, stamina.
Always try to find out how you lose energy and when you lose energy. You should be conscious of the moves you make that depletes your energy faster and the parts of your body that lose energy more quickly.
Now, with the fatigue and continuous loss of energy that is associated with soccer, how do you save energy during a soccer game?
In the following sections, you will be shown some of the ways that you can save energy while playing soccer.
1. Rest before Match Days
You should always test your body before your game. Pre-game training should be kept to a minimum while enduring that you do not perform high-intensity training. Not resting Pre-game makes you use up energy that should be preserved.
An experienced coach who also understands the importance of each game will recommend that a player gets enough rest a day before a match.
The reason for the rest is to enable the player to work on light exercises and tactical areas. Such gentle exercises would not in any way impair you from performing your best in the game.
Rest during the day before your game. It would be disastrous to deplete your energy by training intensively before your games.
While you do not need to rest completely, stick to low-intensity workouts that don’t tire your muscles or deplete your energy stores, so you’re ready for your game.
Resting before match day ensures that you are free from the stress that accompanies exercises you make and ensures that you can make use of your full potential.
2. Not running around – Run smart!
Another way to save energy during a soccer game is to reduce the amount of running that you do while playing soccer.
For example, when playing soccer, you can conserve your energy by playing in your position and not overlapping or running around the pitch.
However, even though you play in your own zone, you should also correctly position yourself for receiving passes when the ball comes your way.
Conserving your strength by not running around ensures that your energy is saved and makes you feel better while playing.
Run smart! You can save up much of your energy to perform better throughout the game.
3. Drinking Energy Drinks
Drinking energy drinks in soccer is another way to save energy while playing soccer. However, there have been discussions between nutritionists and coaches about the effectiveness of energy drinks in soccer.
Most energy drinks can re-energize and rehydrate you when you play soccer or after playing soccer. Energy drinks are filled with carbohydrates that give you energy and electrolytes, which increase rehydration.
Energy Drinks are meant to be used correctly and at the right time. This is why they are ideal for refueling mid-match. Also, if you watch your calories, you should stick to no-sugar energy drinks.
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Energy Drinks usually include caffeine and sugar, which combine together to ensure you stay awake and are energized all day. When you are energized, you will be able to play soccer effectively.
When you take energy drinks, you would be able to perform your utmost and remove the most temperamental moods that disrupt your game.
- Notes
Medical experts advise soccer players to be careful of their intake of energy drinks. Excessive intake of energy drinks can lead to severe consequences.
Most energy drinks are high in sugar, and they can lead to diabetes, sleep disorders, obesity, and even dental problems.
4. Practice Breathing Exercises
A significant way to save energy in a soccer game is to breathe during the game. Your manner of taking in oxygen has a way of affecting how you consume energy in the game. While breathing, oxygen is converted into energy.
A common occurrence where soccer players get tired is due to low oxygen levels. You have to avoid playing too hard and breathing low. Improving your body’s cardiovascular endurance improves your breathing capacity.
There are various breathing techniques available; learn the rhythms of breathing techniques. For example, you should inhale and hold your breath for about 8 seconds, then slowly exhale. You can repeat this process about four times in the game.
When running in soccer, try breathing with your mouth since it allows you to take in more oxygen than your nose. Also, perform endurance workouts and cardio exercises to increase your intake of oxygen to your body.
- Pros
Practicing breathing exercises is known to release endorphins, which is a hormone. Endorphins make the body feel good and usually calm you down and soothe pains.
5. Winning Mentality
Another way that your energy can be saved in a game is by having winning psychology. For example, you might be stressed about your team’s failure to score a goal or to win, and this might lead you to lose energy very fast.
You should Immerse yourself in the competitive nature of soccer and accept setbacks as they come instead of dwelling on them. For example, losing your cool during a game would make you lose your energy faster because you would play aggressively.
Instead of being frustrated at how the game is not moving your team’s way, you should play with the motivation to win. Take deep breaths and focus on the game and your task.
6. Dieting Properly before Playing
Eating properly before playing a game usually affects fatigue while playing soccer. As a soccer player, you have to be conscious of your food intake. Go for walks after every meal and ensure that you take a sip of hot water before match day.
Performing the above ensures that your metabolism and digestion are improved to build stamina which is needed for every game.
Apart from the above, you should eat fats like dark chocolates while avoiding energy drinks containing sugar or caffeine.
Most soccer players avoid eating breakfast before a game. Instead, ensure that you eat foods rich in proteins and carbohydrates before every match. This would ensure that your body has the energy needed to play the game.
When your body is filled with carbohydrates and proteins, your metabolism will jump-start. Likewise, when you eat healthy breakfasts and diet properly, your body will be prepared for the intensity of soccer.
- Pros
Dieting Properly before Playing games increases your energy level, improves your unsure system, gives you strong muscles and bones, and improves respiratory function.
7. Be Relaxed
When you are upset, worried, or feeling down while a game is ongoing, your energy is burnt faster. It might be because your team is down by two players or your team is down by a single goal; you should relax and play steadily.
Laughing or smiling removes unpleasant moods and can stimulate chemicals in your body that acts as anti-depressants, fights off stress, and makes you feel good. This would ensure that you perform at your best and play better.
8. Warm-up before every game
As a soccer player, you should always warm-up before every match to eliminate fatigue and help you save energy. In addition, warming up before every game ensures that your body is prepared for the game.
You do not need to perform intense activities. For example, performing a 10 minutes warm-up session before you start a game is okay to help you increase your endurance and conserve stamina.
You can warm up by running to loosen your body. Added to this, try light jogging, some dynamic stretches, air squats, and some sit-ups.
Doing the above ensures that your muscles are activated and that you can play properly. You should warm it for about 20 minutes and not be too intense.
Warming up before games ensures that your muscles are relaxed and warm and makes your blood pump. Warming up also reduces stress gained from previous workouts.
- Pros
When you work out before each game, your muscles, breathing, and heart rate are set to the same levels used in the game. This would ensure that you can cope with the intensity that soccer brings.
Tendons and muscles easily create problems when they are used to their fullest without warming them up.
When you don’t warm up before games, your movement is less precise, slower, and makes joints stiff. Sometimes, you might not be able to feel as you should properly.
9. Take Water
Water is essential for every human and more so for soccer players who continuously run around the pitch for more than 90 minutes.
Every person needs about 1.5 liters of water each day to properly function, and soccer players or athletes require more because of the intensity of the game.
The intensity of soccer games necessitates that you keep your body hydrated by constantly taking water. One primary symptom of dehydration is loss of energy or fatigue. It is for this reason that you should frequently drink water.
Make use of stoppages during the game to top up your water level. Also, ensure that your water bottles are close by so you can quickly have access to them.
Water is lost when soccer players play the game. Sports drinks or energy drinks also contain potassium and carbohydrates that your body needs to replace depleted levels in your body.
Ensure that you do not take energy drinks to increase your performance, though they help in making you feel energized temporarily.
- Pros
Drinking water while playing soccer regulates your body temperature and allows you to play more efficiently.
Taking water ensures that the heat in your body is released by sweating. In addition, water ensures that your joints and muscles are properly lubricated to prevent sprains and cramps.
When you drink water sufficiently, your body’s metabolism is improved, and you will be able to process food efficiently.
- Notes
Having little water in the body reduces the volume of blood on your body, meaning that the heart works harder to pump oxygenated blood to the bloodstream. Other organs of the body would also perform less efficiently.
Drinking excessive water while playing soccer is improper and could lead to mental disorientation, vomiting, and headaches. Drinking excessive water also leads to sweating profusely, which can cause severe problems.
10. Using functional foods to supplement energy (in a game)
You can save energy in a game by using functional foods. Since soccer is a fast-paced game, using functional foods rich in minerals, carbohydrates, stimulants, and vitamins can help you keep up your mental and physical energy.
Functional foods usually give health benefits beyond their nutritional value. Most functional foods contain ingredients and supplements that improve health and energy.
Fruits, vegetables, fiber, probiotics, minerals and vitamins, sports gel, sports bar, sports drinks, energy drinks are typical examples of functional foods.
As a soccer player, you should make sure that you have some of the functional foods above that can be used in a game close and reachable. In addition, it ensures that during stoppages, you can top up your energy level by taking functional foods like oranges, energy drinks, sports bars, sports gel, etc.
11. Practicing
There is a popular phrase stating that “Practice makes perfect.” This is true in soccer because if you practice playing soccer, your body will adjust to the intensity that is associated with soccer.
Your body can cope with the stress associated with soccer if you practice rigorously.
Practicing ensures that you are able to play soccer for longer without getting tired. Your muscles will always get sore and tired faster when you do not practice. Ensure that you learn the correct game techniques while practicing.
Ensure that you train to build up your core since they help in preserving stamina. You should perform exercises such as sit-ups. Working on your core strength should be done about three times every week.
The core generates the power used in soccer, and the limb is connected to the core, so you should also exercise your limbs.
12. Psychological or Mental Endurance
Energy can be saved in a match when you play a game with total confidence. Stamina could be mental and physical; therefore, you have to be mentally prepared before a game.
Soccer is a psychological game just as much as it is physical. Therefore, when playing a game, your focus should be on playing the game to the best of your ability and not on conserving energy.
You would wear down your mind when all you think about during a game is how you should save your energy. So instead, your focus should be on playing effectively and smartly instead of playing conservatively.
When you enjoy the game, you will discover that you will be able to play well, irrespective of your energy level.
Conclusion
Playing soccer for more than 90 minutes would inevitably lead to tiredness, but this is part of the game of soccer.
Soccer also helps you to get in shape, but you have to be careful of getting low on energy and over fatigued.
Following the methods listed above would help you to save up on energy whenever you play games correctly, and you would also be able to keep your energy for the entire game duration.
Hi there, I’m Jay.
Soccer is everything in my life! My friends and I have created this blog with all our enthusiasm, passion, and understanding after years of playing pro soccer. Hope you will enjoy it!