Trends of Warming-Up in Football
by L. Santosh Singh; lecturer Don Bosco College, Panjim (B.P.E., M.P.Ed, N.I.S. (Football))

The term warming-up is applied to the preliminary activity and exercises that the players carry out for physical and mental preparation prior to training Session or a match warming-up has got both physiological and Psychological advantage on the sportsmen. Prior to any physical activity or a match it helps the Sportsmen to reach the point where "he Says " it's time to begin I am completely ready". "General Preparation in warming-up is to tune up the muscles, to improve mobility of joints, ligaments and mental alertness for optimizing functioning of the body organs." Warming-up is basically of two types.

"General & Specific warming-up"
The general warming-up is an introduction to the preparation of whole body for fulfilling the demands of training or match. In general warming-up players go through a series of physical movements of general nature for the whole body that includes Jogging, Striding, Stretching & Calisthenics etc. General warming-up promotes the general adaptability of the body. They activate the circulatory system & speed up metabolism.
The Specific warming-up on the other hand is particularly the preparation of the nervous system for the precise functioning of the motor organs. It goes through such movement, which are to be performed later on in the main task or competition. Specific warming-up strengthens mainly those qualities, which help to improve the performance in the best possible manner. Specific warming-up therefore is designed to achieve optimum level of functional capacity of all organs on the one hand and to promote the co-ordination of the organs of locomotion with the nervous system on the other hand.
An efficient warm up is usually consists of three parts, each parts fulfilling a specific purpose. They are as follows:
(A) The whole body movements to elevate the muscle temperature and to increase blood flow to the working muscles.
(B) The specific warming-up helps to prepare the muscles further for the main task through exercises closely related or resemble to the movement demands in the game.
(C) The specific warm-up involves players in practicing such elements that resemble to the actual task or competition with gradually increased intensities.
So, the general warming-up helps to raise muscle and blood temperature significantly that in turn helps to improve functional capacity of organs and mobility of joints warming-up also helps to prevent muscle soreness and minimizes the chances of injury.
The main purpose of the warming-up is to find out the trend in turning up the participants both mentally and physically that raise the whole body temperature, mobility of joints that minimizes the chances of & injuries.

Physiological considerations:
Physiologically we distinguish two kinds of warming-up, general & specific warming-ups. As on introduction to general & specific warming-up if possible we should never abandon accelerated walking, light running, upward leaps and turns in the course of running. These exercises promote most quickly and effectively the rapid circulation of blood through a gradual increase of the functioning capacity of lungs and heart. If the weather is cold, cool or rainy, players should warm-up with tracksuits. In a very cold weather, active warming-up should be started in the dressing room itself. The advantage lies in fact that when they come out to continue warming-up in the open air there is less danger of catching a cold. We considered physiological terms of Variation activity are Loosening up, Stretching, and Strengthening.
On purely physiologic grounds there are six possible mechanisms through which warm-up should improve physical performance.
1. Increase run rate of contraction and relaxation of muscle.
2. Greater economy of movement because of lowered viscous resistance within the muscle.
3. Facilities O2 (Oxygen) utilization by the muscles because hemoglobin release O2 more readily at higher temperature.
4. Facilitate nerve transmission and muscle metabolism at higher temperature. A specific warm-up may also facilitate the requirement of motor units in a subsequent all out activity.
5. Increase blood flow through active tissue as the local vascular bed deletes with higher levels of metabolism and muscle temperature.
6. Improve neuro-muscular co-ordination

Psychological consideration:
Warming-up also helps to prepare mentally for a particular task effectively and also helps to accustom with the surrounding. In warming-up the psychological preparedness may be observed by Attentiveness, concentration and distribution.
Warming-up helps wither to discharge or increase the aggressive. Most common to an athlete is Anxiety before competition. Best way to discharge anxiety is physical activity.
1. A subject's arousal is known to influence performance.
2. Higher level of arousal impairs the performance like Skill, technique, co-ordination, complex exercises, and concentration.
3. Modern level of arousal is advantageous for all sports, including Soccer.
So, for proper warming-up Psychological aspects should also be inserted in between the Physiological aspects and it may be as follows:

Loosing up => attentiveness => Bending & Stretching => Concentration => Strengthening => Distribution.
In the course of general warming-up we should prepare group i.e. we need not consider individual difference. The goalkeeper together with the field players, for example, can perform this part. But in specific warming-up, we must differentiate, for example, the Goalkeeper should work Separately. It is even advantageous to vary the exercises and intensity of specific warming-up among the rest of the players.

Advantage of warming-up:
1. Warming-up that raises the muscles and body temperature can improve the range of movement of joints and avoid injuries.
2. A decrease in the viscosity of the muscles. There is a liquid in the muscles called sarcoplasm. It becomes thin and the action become faster i.e. the concentration and relaxation occurs at a faster pace.
3. Occurrence of second wind i.e. cardio respiratory and ventilatory adjustment.
4. Metabolism process increases.
5. Muscle co-ordinate each other, they work in a correct & synchronized way.
6. Activities of antagonistic muscles co-ordinate better.
In experiment carried out so far on the effectiveness of warming-up. If appears that allowance should be made for physiological and Psychological factors which all are related to performance.