Injuries

Soccer is a tough sports event. That’s why it is understandable that a number of soccer-specific injuries are, unfortunately, a part of the player’s life. There are players who practice 2-3 times a week and then play 20-30 games a year. And, of course, there are the professionals who practice every day, sometimes twice a day, and then play about 100 games a year. For all of them that process is not injury-free.

The point is that a large number of injuries can be limited if the player is well prepared for the requirements of the game. In soccer, the majority of the injuries can be attributes to a lack of high-level preparation for practice and games. All different sports have specific injuries and soccer is no exception to the rule. Due to the nature of the game it is obvious that the major pressure is on the lower extremities.

E. Doyzer has documented thousands of injuries with high-level soccer players in Germany, and came to a conclusion that the distribution on the different parts of the body is as follows:

Feet – 25.5%	Elbow – 0.7%
Ankles – 14.5%	Shoulders – 0.3%
Knees – 14.6%	Neck – 2.7%
Thigh – 27.5%	Back – 4%
Wrists – 2.5%	Abdomen – 1.5%
Hips – 4%	Head – 1.6%
Forearms – 0.6%

82% of the injuries are in the area of the legs, and 18% for all of the other parts of the body. It’s interesting to note that for less-qualified players, like juniors and kids, these numbers are 76% and 24% respectively. The difference can be explained with lower skill levels, which makes younger athletes involve more parts of body than they need to when they play. What does all this mean to you? The correct balance of core strength workouts and proper aerobic conditioning will not only improve your game, but lessen the likelihood of an unfortunate injury.