It is winter in the northern hemisphere and football training and matches are bound to be cold for most players. Wintertime sees the attire football players wear change. Many players will alter their clothing for football training and matches.
In addition, players may change the way they warm up before beginning sessions. Here are a few tips for cold weather football training and matches.
Warming up for training and matches
- Start with light activity prior to stretching
- Do dynamic stretching rather than static stretching
- Keep the body moving
- Keep stretching out your muscles during the activity
What should you wear in cold weather?
You will need to wear clothing appropriate for the weather. In countries like England, it can be cold and damp for much of the day. Therefore, you may be outside in the cold and wet during football training and matches. So, what should you wear in cold weather?
You should dress in layers with long sleeves first then layer your other clothing on top from the skin out. Layered clothing should include:
- Compression top/bottoms
- Kit
- Warm-ups/Joggers
- Gloves
- Jacket/Sweatshirt
When removing layers:
- Keep your warm-ups/joggers on until the body is nearly sweating
- Joggers come off first which allows you to keep the core/trunk of the body warm
- Put your warm-up jacket back on at each rest period to prevent your body from quickly cooling
- Beanies/knit caps to keep in the heat to prevent the head from losing more heat
- Gloves make a big difference and keep your hands warm, which keeps the whole body more comfortable
- Additional socks in wet weather can keep the feet warm and dry
- You may change your socks at halftime of a cold/wet match to keep you playing at your best