Editor’s note: With high school tryouts, club seasons and recreational registrations soon to get underway for the fall, here’s a reminder from Art of Soccer trainer Jason Newell on why soccer isn’t just a great sport, it’s a great way to keep in shape. A Richmond native, Newell has been part of the Lincoln Memorial University soccer program for the last four years.
By Jason Newell
People have always tried to figure out which sport or athletes are the most athletic in the world. Many sports can provide a good case however, I will be showing how soccer should always be held in high esteem within the conversation.
Soccer, or more commonly known as football worldwide, has players running an average of 7 miles per game (Rose 2013). This is only an average with some players running closer to 9-10 miles per game according to gizmodo.com.
Many famous American sports don’t even come close to that number with American football and basketball coming in around 1.25 and 3 miles per game respectively.
A big reason for this is due to the large field and the fact that soccer only has a halftime break compared to many other sports. This puts a soccer players endurance level closer to that of a long-distance runner than most other sports. This shows the endurance needed by soccer players to compete at a high level.
Another aspect that needs to be looked at is the athletic skills used in between all the running a soccer player performs during a match. Some of the skills expected in soccer are jumping, sprinting, lateral movement, overall speed, balance (with and without contact), tackling, and of course kicking the ball whether it be a shot or a pass.
Athletes who play soccer will need to be able perform each of these athletic skills at a high level. A soccer player’s endurance levels need to be near that of a marathoner while their acceleration needs to be that of a sprinter. They also need flexibility that compares to a gymnast with the ability to stop, twist, and contort at a high level.
Each skill is important to a player’s overall ability within the game and helps to improve a player’s athletic ability. All these skills, plus all the others that come alongside those skills, help to make soccer one of the most athletic sports an athlete can compete in.
Sources Cited: Rose, B. (2013, June 17). How Far Do You Run Playing Different Sports? Retrieved from https://gizmodo.com/how-far-do-you-run-playing-different-sports-5992583
