To reduce the risk of muscle strains in soccer training, use a consistent warm-up of at least 10 minutes, include progressive hamstring strengthening, and build running and cutting demands gradually. These steps can lower risk, but no warm-up or exercise can prevent every injury. The guidance and studies below concern soccer (association football), not American football.
Which strains are common in soccer?
Hamstring, quadriceps, and calf strains are common soccer muscle injuries. Sudden reaching and rapid changes in speed are examples of situations associated with strains. Prevention therefore needs both preparation for football movements and progressive conditioning—not just a few stretches before practice.
How should players warm up before training?
The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) recommends a thorough warm-up lasting at least 10 minutes. Its soccer guidance, reviewed in September 2025, says to include movement and stretching. A practical sequence is to move from general activity to controlled dynamic movements, then football-specific work at gradually increasing speed.
- Start with easy movement. Jog for several minutes to raise activity gradually.
- Add controlled dynamic movements. Use movements such as walking lunges, hip swings, trunk rotations, and arm circles, keeping them controlled rather than forcing range.
- Address mobility and stretching. AOSSM advises stretching large muscle groups and stiff areas for 30–60 seconds. Stretching is one component of its warm-up guidance; the cited evidence does not establish that any single stretch prevents strains.
- Progress into football actions. Begin with short, easy passes, then increase pass distance and speed. Add cutting and changes of direction progressively, building toward game speed rather than starting with all-out efforts.
Repeating a structured warm-up helps make preparation part of training rather than an occasional add-on. FIFA 11+ is a complete neuromuscular warm-up program with evidence for reducing overall soccer injuries. The Sports Medicine – Open umbrella review (2020) reported 30–47% lower overall injury rates in studies of 11+, and 39–44% lower lower-limb injury rates. It also reported lower overuse and knee injury rates, but those categories are not equivalent to muscle strains. A separate systematic review in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation (2017) reported 30% lower overall injury risk. These are study-level results across differing populations and implementations, not a guaranteed benefit for an individual player or a strain-specific percentage.
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How can players strengthen hamstrings?
Progressive eccentric hamstring strengthening is a focused option, particularly for hamstring injury prevention. The Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) is one commonly studied approach: a player kneels while a partner anchors the ankles, then slowly leans forward, resisting the descent with the hamstrings for as long as possible before catching themselves with their hands. Return to the start under control, using assistance as needed.
Begin with a manageable amount and increase the challenge gradually, ideally with a coach or qualified health professional guiding technique and progression. The exercise can create substantial effort; do not add it abruptly on top of a heavy training week. An ankle-anchor strap or Nordic curl bench is optional—the cited evidence does not establish that dedicated equipment is necessary or superior to a partner anchoring the ankles.
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The Sports Medicine – Open umbrella review (2020) reported that hamstring injury risk may be reduced by up to 51% when NHE is implemented in isolation. “Up to” matters: this is an aggregate review estimate, not a personal prediction, and it applies to hamstring injuries rather than calf or quadriceps strains. It should not be compared directly with FIFA 11+ percentages, which describe broader injury outcomes rather than a head-to-head test of the two approaches.
How should training load and previous injury affect preparation?
Increase the demands of running, sprinting, and cutting progressively instead of making abrupt jumps in intensity. AOSSM’s 2026 hamstring review describes prevention approaches in professional clubs that combine structured warm-ups, load management, and progressive loading. It does not establish a universal workload formula or threshold that every player should follow.
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Players with a previous hamstring strain should tell their coach and medical staff, and agree on a careful progression back to full training. AOSSM’s 2026 review identifies prior hamstring injury as the most important predictor of recurrence and summarizes cited studies estimating recurrence risk at two to six times that of an athlete without such a history. That range reflects prior studies and their populations; it is not an individualized forecast.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When should a player stop training and seek care?
Prevention advice is not a treatment plan for an active injury. Stop or modify activity and seek appropriate assessment if pain or loss of function develops. AOSSM lists pain during activity, aching at rest, stiffness, swelling, discoloration, reduced motion, favoring the sore area, and reduced strength or speed as symptoms to watch for. Persistent symptoms warrant follow-up with a sports medicine professional. Return to sport should wait until a health professional clears the player; for a strain, AOSSM describes a guided progression that includes strength, endurance, and flexibility work.
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Sources and scope
- AOSSM, Soccer Injury Prevention (reviewed September 2025): warm-up sequence, symptoms, and care and return-to-sport guidance.
- AOSSM, Hamstring Strains in Soccer (2026): eccentric strengthening, prior injury, and prevention approaches.
- Sports Medicine – Open umbrella review (2020): FIFA 11+ and Nordic hamstring exercise findings.
- BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation systematic review (2017): overall injury findings for soccer injury-prevention programs.
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