Being a good soccer player is all about having quick feet and agility to be able to keep up with the play. By adding a simple jump rope to training, players can develop their quickness, foot coordination and proper kinesthetic awareness.
Since the average fitness jump rope is inexpensive, it is an easy purchase to be made either by the players on an individual basis or in bulk by your club or high school.
The basic points to jump roping are to always stay on the balls of your feet rather than jump flat-footed. And even though this exercise will be utilized for soccer, it is important to not jump rope on the grass. Instead, find a solid, even surface, whether it’s a basketball court in a gym or at a track.
To get the maximum workout possible, it’s also important that the size of the rope is right for your body size. If you can stand on the middle of the rope and have both handles reach up to your armpits, then the rope is the perfect size for you. Anything longer or shorter is not recommended if this workout is going to be a staple in your training regimen.
To get started, just keep it simple. Jump with both feet at a comfortable rate for anywhere between five and 10 minutes. Stay at the same pace and try to limit as many starts and stops as possible, which is not always the easiest thing to do for beginners.
Once you have completed this warm-up, make sure to stretch your leg muscles for as long as you spent jumping rope.
Now that you are warmed up, you can start to alternate the various foot patterns into the workout. In one-to-two-minute intervals, with 30 seconds of rest in between, switch between jumping with both feet and with each foot on its own (hopping). When this comes easy for you and the actual jump roping part of the exercise is no longer a problem, you can move on to the following advanced exercises with the rope:
Both feet alternating front to back as you jump. Both feet sliding outward and then inward in a jumping jacks motion. Alternate hops between your right and left foot. Double jumps per each swing of the rope. Swinging your knees up above your waist with each jump Running in place both forward and backwards
In addition, you can tailor the workout to what you are looking to improve about your fitness. If endurance is more important, start with five-minute intervals and increase it by one minute after each rest, alternating the different patterns from above into the program. If you are trying to increase foot speed, your goal should be to jump over the rope as many times as possible in 30-second intervals with 30-second rests in between.
By incorporating this jump rope program into your soccer training, your speed, quickness, endurance and agility will surely improve over time. It’s easy to do and something you can do by yourself.
