How To Increase Stamina For Football?
Here are some ways with which you can pump up your stamina and play the ‘beautiful game’:
1. Practice Specific Exercises:
Cardiovascular Exercises: Practice cardiovascular exercises or ‘aerobics’ (swimming, rope jumping, running, stair-stepping, jogging, skipping, cycling, rowing, etc.) at least for 30 to 50 minutes every day. It can boost stamina by increasing your aerobic capacity to a great extent (1).
Circuit Training: Weight-based circuit training (sit-ups, push-ups, lunges, squat jumps, etc.) can help you a lot in developing muscle strength, thereby improving your endurance (2). Exercising for 1 minute at each of the 10 to 20 stations of a circuit is considered to be enough.
Plyometric Exercises: It has been found that plyometric exercises (one leg jumps, box jumps, burpees, stair hops, and other similar quick explosive movements), especially the weighted ones, can increase the energy and resilience of a football player significantly (3). Stretching: Stretch your body before and after exercises regularly. It will not only build your stamina, but also keep you away from injuries.
2. Train Yourself Properly:
Sprinting: It is crucial to train your body beforehand, so that you can sprint-jog-sprint during the game as fast as possible. Performing a cycle of 15-20 yards of sprinting (including the recovery time) every day can help you immensely to enhance your stamina. You can also practice sprint drills with additional resistance (wearing weighted pants or vests) to make the most of your training (4).
Speed Endurance Runs: This particular training is necessary for increasing your capacity of moving over different distances fast and efficiently. As a result, your level of endurance will also go higher.
Fartlek Training: This is a modified form of speed endurance run, which helps the player move for a constant duration by altering his or her speed accordingly. Being a randomized version, it gives lots of energy and stamina to the trainee. Soccer-Ball Drill: It is one of the most effective stamina training options for football players. As it makes use of the football itself, you can strengthen your ball control as well as ball possession skills along with heightening endurance level.
3. Consume Well-Balanced Diet:
Healthy eating is undoubtedly essential for increasing stamina, be it in football or any other physical game. Strictly follow a well-balanced diet that is high in carbs and low in fats. Eat at least 6 times (3 big and 3 small meals) a day to absorb sufficient nutrients. Stay away from junks, processed foods, sugary items, soda, etc. Also, try to indulge in real whole foods instead of having power bars, energy drinks and nutritional supplements (5).
4. Stay Hydrated:
Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. If your body cells get dehydrated, you will feel low on energy and it will take a toll on your stamina as well as performance. So try and consume lots of water throughout the day and keep a sufficient number of bottles with you during the match.
5. Give Yourself Enough Rest:
Take enough rest before two performances. Every player needs to sleep anywhere between 7 and 9 hours daily at night. Nocturnal and consolidated sleep is considered to be better than broken chunks of sleep time for your body to rejuvenate and recover completely. With proper rest and recovery, you will get enough stamina to perform optimally the next day (6).
6. Do Not Over-Practice:
Do not over-train yourself. If you exercise a lot or practice each and every day, you will be totally drained out of energy, affecting your level of stamina considerably. It is vital that you take at least a couple of days off in the span of one week.
7. Be Positive:
Always think positive and take positive steps to reduce mental stress. Mental fatigue and stress can reduce your stamina (7). So, keep self-motivating and be positive and see your stamina and performance improve. How much stamina does a footballer have? Check out the infographic below to learn more about the circuit training method and what to do along the way to ensure you get the best results from this workout. Footballers have really high stamina, strength, and endurance. Can you build stamina in 2 weeks? Yes, consistently engaging in different physical exercises daily can help you build stamina steadily in 2 weeks. Does milk decrease stamina? No, studies suggest that milk may have an impact on endurance and recovery of muscle function (9). Which fruit gives more stamina? Bananas and citrus fruits may help increase physical endurance and reduce fatigue (10), (11).
