Soccer coaches must find the best players for their team if they want to compete at a high level. They need to know how each player will perform under pressure and how strong they are physically. To make these decisions, they must consider the health and fitness of their players above everything else.
Having said all that, let’s look at a few health factors every soccer coach must consider before selecting their team.
Eating Habits
A healthy diet is crucial for any athlete. However, it’s even more important for soccer players because of the fast-paced nature of the game and its frequent collisions, as well as the intensity with which they play.
A balanced diet should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, and dairy products. Dairy products such as milk and yogurt can help with calcium intake. If consumed in moderation (200 to 300 ml per day), alcohol may also be beneficial because it contains antioxidants that are beneficial to health. However, overconsumption is not good, something we’ll elaborate on later.
It’s recommended that adult athletes eat six small meals throughout the day instead of just three large ones. This helps keep blood sugar levels steady, which results in less fatigue during practice sessions or matches.
Drugs and Over Consumption of Alcohol
In-team drugs and overconsumption of alcohol use can affect a player’s performance, health, and well-being. Some possible signs of in-team use include:
- Increased absenteeism
- Slowed reaction time
- Impaired judgment (e.g., poor decision-making)
Coaches must ensure players keep their alcohol intake to a minimum. As for drugs, ATI drug testing is necessary.
For drug testing, coaches can use local health facilities. Therefore, if you’re coaching the Las Vegas Lights FC, you can schedule a visit to a facility that offers ATI drug testing in Las Vegas. These facilities almost always have state-of-the-art equipment and testing facilities. On top of that, they’re authorized by the government, which means you don’t have to worry about poor testing standards.
Almost 100,000 people die in the U.S. every year due to drug overdose. Thus, a drop in performance isn’t the only thing to worry about when it comes to your players abusing drugs. It’s also about their lives. Make sure they’re aware of this and take necessary steps to manage drug abuse in the team.
Sleeping Patterns
The body needs to get sufficient sleep to recover from strenuous training sessions and games. A lack of sleep can cause fatigue, which can lead to poor performance during major competitions. In addition, a lack of focus can also affect performance during games and training sessions.Â
For adults, the recommended amount of sleep per night is between 7-9 hours. Middle to old age people can make do with seven hours of sleep only. However, since your players are unlikely to be that age (38+), they will have to ensure a minimum of 8-9 hours of sleep. Even seven hours of sleep might not cut it for them.
You can help your players improve their sleeping patterns by making them avoid caffeine late at night or naps during the day.
Physical Health
Along with the mental and physical health of each player, it is equally important to look into their physical health. The body needs to be strong for a soccer player to perform at their best. Therefore, coaches must ensure that each player has no underlying medical condition that would affect their performance on the field.
Stamina
A player’s stamina must be tested for at least 90 minutes. A soccer coach will need to see how a player performs when they’re on their feet running and playing for 90 minutes. They’ll also want to see if the player can maintain that level of play consistently over multiple games in a row, as many tournaments are played in succession with little rest between them.
In addition, coaches should be able to tell if a player has enough stamina by observing how they interact with other players on the field and how much effort they put into sprinting after loose balls or chasing down opponents.
Strength
Strength is an important part of soccer. It’s one thing to have a strong defense, but you need to be able to attack as well. Strength can be improved by weight training. With weight training, you can improve your players’ stamina, speed, balance, flexibility, and strength.
Weight
Weight is one of the most important factors in selecting a team for major competitions. Weight affects a player’s speed, endurance, and stamina. It can also affect their ability to jump and run. In fact, it affects almost all aspects of playing soccer because weight plays such a large role in how well you kick the ball in the air or kick it on the ground.
You can also encourage your players to use proven apps that can track their weight gains and losses. Such scientific apps will be ideal if you can’t afford a nutritionist or a physio to continuously look after your players’ weights. Besides, it’s also a way to help your players take responsibility for their health, weight, and lifestyle.Â
Coaches need to know that their team’s health plays a big role in how competitive they will be. If the players are not in good shape, it could affect the team’s ability to compete at their highest level.
