The Biology of Soccer

The basis of soccer is to be able to have the complete body function in order to be successful. In this assessment, one could deduct that the legs do most of the work, but there are several other muscles and tissues that affect the overall fitness of the body. We can start with the legs: the muscles in the bulk of the leg contain quadriceps, hamstrings, hip adductors and hip abductors, the below-the-knee tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius and soleus (calves). But what is important that couples with these muscles are the fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers. Most humans have “evolved” to contain more slow-twitch fibers which would give us the ability to run for longer, not faster. Which is the reason why soccer players are usually averaging around 5’ 10” tall and weighing about 175-180lbs. This genetic morph of muscle fibers and muscle supports the activity needed to perform a ninety minute soccer match. These muscles are also considered to be at the peak of the physical performance, allowing the Athlete to kick the ball with amazing power – rivaling the amount of force units similar to the units needed in order to break a human femur (the strongest bone in the body). Meaning: with every goal kick, corner kick, and shot on goal there is the possibility of bones breaking. Here

Photo Credit: Ned Dishman from Getty Images Here

Next, we shall move to the cardiovascular portion of the body. With the constant back and forth movement of the game, there is a necessity to be able to withstand several minutes of constant sprinting (or mid pace running). During a game, the average player will run about seven miles. So the amount of oxygen being pumped throughout the body to the various muscles would be around the VO2 max of 58 ml/kg/min. The use of oxygen efficiency is to prevent the lactate accumulation in the blood. So the higher your VO2, the less lactate accumulation in the blood prevent immediate muscle soreness and delayed onset muscle soreness. Not only does higher oxygen efficiency help major muscles, but it gives larger credit to the abilities of the blood itself. Meaning the red blood cells can carry more oxygen than normal. Allowing the athlete to have a lower resting heart rate and a greater chance of faster fatigue recovery. Here

Another main component of every sport is the core. In soccer, an effective core allows one to have better endurance by stabilizing the spine and strengthening the back – making for a more efficient use of the rest of the muscles that are activated. It gives strength and power to fuel explosive movements such as fighting for a ball or taking a competitive first step against a defender. It also creates coordination for the body – makes both the top half of the body work with the movements of the lower half so you can correctly direct the ball in any direction. Finally, it helps in preventing injuries. The core incorporates (or wraps) the psoas muscle, which would aid in message exchange of the spine to the brain. For tutorial videos

 

Next, we will move on to the arms. Although use of them is prohibited by any field player, the goalie and any player taking a throw in will have full function of their arms. In using them, the arms also incorporate the use of the latissimus dorsi (lats), where they contract allowing the arms the ability to pivot, gain tension, and release it with the flex of the triceps thus sending the ball overhead and into play. The same is true for goalies when either saving the ball or throwing out to a teammate. The lats contract and the triceps extend allowing for better accuracy, this can be improved with practice and better hand-eye coordination.

Finally, the last couple of “muscles” used when playing soccer are the neck and the brain (skull too). On average, there is 5 headers per person, per game - so about 110 balls will be headed in the course of a ninety minute match. But, there are several mechanics involved with this, giving the athlete the ability to direct the ball in the correction desired. We use a wide variety of about 68 muscles in total to cause the movement to propel a soccer ball, the major muscles of the head and neck would include the sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, splenius, scapula, and the posterior cervical muscles. They contract from the front of the neck (sternocleidomastoid) to the back (trapezius).Here

photo credit: Henry Vandyke Carter His wiki page