In case you are living in a country that is still observing a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, Futballnews has compiled a list of exercises that you can undertake within your premises or at home.
Some of the excuses that will be highlighted in this article are Full-body workout, Exercise bike circuit, Mobility and core work, Footwork drills, Shooting practice, and Speed drills.
One good thing about the exercises listed above is that it will open your eyes to what professional footballers go through before any match you watch and applaud or criticize in the comfort of your home.
Besides the fact that it will keep your body in shape, it will keep you occupied and sometimes serves as a leisure activity which you might want to make your permanent routine after the lockdown.
Below are the exercises you can engage in at home
Full-body workout
A full-body workout is an amazing way to put all the parts of your body to work. It involves your legs, core, and upper body. This exercise does a lot of reshaping to your main muscles and keep the cells on it as functional as possible.
You can decide to concentrate on one muscle group in your body or the other. For instance, if you want to improve the muscle condition of your legs, carry out single/both legs squat/lunge.
When you want to get almost every part of your body involved, do a Modified box step-ups, Press-ups, and Box Jumps. For maximum effect on the muscles in your shoulder and hands, the shoulder press is required.
Other forms of full-body workout you can do are Standing band row, Band butterfly pulls, and Plank. All the above forms of full-body workout can be carried out at least 8 successive times before changing to another. The best part of this exercise is that you can do it without requiring any form of equipment.
Watch an example of a full-body workout routine below as coordinated by Manchester City striker Sergio Aquero:
Exercise bike circuit
If you have the means, another good form of exercise you can carry out at home is a bike circuit. But the downside to this is that you must have an exercise bike to perform this exercise.
However, the regular bike can also do the job of an exercise bike. If you have a large compound, you can cycle around the compound at the speed you can control.
What this exercise can do for you is that it will help to improve your blood flow and your heartbeat if you can do it for at least 20 minutes without taking a break.
Please note: Start from a slower pace and gradually increase the pace at least every 30 seconds until you reach a higher pace which is still comfortable enough for your heart.
Watch an example of an Exercise bike circuit routine below coordinated by Cristiano Ronaldo:
Mobility and core work
The mobility and core work is one of the exercises that involve mobility work which helps to strengthen your joints. After that, you can go into core work. The core work helps to build up your body’s foundation.
The exercise routine is not as tasking as the ones already mentioned above but it is not an easy one for starters. It is a routine that will keep you kicking even when you have stretched or stressed yourself.
Watch an example of Mobility and core work routine below as coordinated by Liverpool’s head of fitness and conditioning, Andreas Kornmayer:
Footwork drills
Footwork drills is not one of the regular exercises but it is a routine that can help you improve your technical ability and keep your mind to remain sharp especially if you are a professional footballer or an aspiring one.
To get started, you need to place visual aids (like cones) on the ground which you will use to carry out a short sprint before you start moving the ball in and out the visual aids you have already placed on the ground. When you reach the end of the visual aids you have arranged on the ground, you can then pass or shot and then sprint.
Watch an example of Footwork drills coordinated by Manchester United and French midfielder Paul Pogba
Shooting practice
Another exercise you can do especially if you are living in a very large compound is shooting practice. You can create a target you can aim at during the practice if you don’t have a goalpost.
The exercise simply involves shooting the ball to hit the target you have set up. This routine will help to strengthen your bones, nerves, and improve your focus.
Watch an example of Shooting practice as coordinated by England and Tottenham captain Harry Kane:
Speed drills
Another interesting exercise routine you can get involved in is speed drills. This exercise will help to improve your pace and your acceleration.
To effectively carry out this exercise, get a timer, and ensure that you time yourself and try to cover a specific distance within a given time. See that you meet up with the time and keep increasing the time you need to beat when you successfully beat the initial one.
If you diligently carry out this routine, you will grow more stamina, pace, and acceleration. But that won’t happen overnight, you need to do it consistently.
Watch an example of a speed drill below as coordinated by Cristiano Ronaldo:
Free kick practice
The free-kick is one of the most special aspects of football; that is why it is mostly given to the most skillful or talented member of a team. Most free-kick takers are naturally very calculative and creative at the same time. They mentally calculate the distance between them and the goalpost and creatively pick an angle the opposing defenders can not block or the opposing goalkeeper can not get to.
This can be one of the exercises you can do at home. So, to practice how to take a free-kick, you will need a ball, a very good space, a target, and materials that can be used as opposing defenders (huddles). While practicing, try to aim your shots or the kick to make the ball go past the obstacles you have set.
You can achieve this by picking the right angle and aiming the ball towards that angle just like the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Ronaldinho.
Watch a free-kick video compilation of some of FC Barcelona greats like Ronaldinho, Messi, and Neymar.
