10 Great Benefits of Playing Soccer

10 Great Benefits of Playing Soccer

10 Great Benefits of Playing Soccer

Playing soccer is great fun. There is a reason it is known as the beautiful game. But playing soccer can also be really good for you. Learn more about 10 great benefits of playing soccer.

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As of 2016, around 3 million children participate in the U.S Youth Soccer leagues. This makes soccer is one of the most popular sports in the United States right now. MLS might even be more popular than MLB to today's youth.

This comes as no surprise, as there are many benefits of playing soccer that children can gain. All these benefits will spill into other areas of their life, helping them grow into a fine and capable adult.

Still uncertain if soccer is the right sport for your kids to get into? Let's delve into each of the 10 advantages of letting your kids play soccer.

1. Improves Overall Fitness

Soccer involves a lot of movements, which keeps the children active and helps them fulfill their exercise requirements. Being on the move constantly improves their cardiovascular health, which will help them grow up to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

A session involves walking, jogging, and sprinting. Plus, players often have to switch from one pace to the other in a split second. This improves the participants' agility and flexibility while also building their endurance to do it again and again.

2. Increases Muscle and Bone Strength

The mechanics of soccer require a lot of muscle strength in both the lower and upper extremities. The lower body strength dictates how fast a player can turn from walking to sprinting and how far they can kick a ball. Upper body strength is likewise crucial for shielding the ball and holding off opponents.

Playing soccer on a regular schedule helps children build the required strength, and the weight-bearing loads of a regular match help strengthen the skeletal frame.

3. Increases Coordination

Players always have to perform complex movements, such as dribbling the ball to shield it from enemies or going from a full sprint to a stop, which is why soccer eventually improves body coordination.

The kids also exercise their hand-eye and foot-eye coordination. They have to react accordingly to incoming opponents, whether by switching direction or passing the ball. The latter also requires coordination in that players have to spot where their teammates are and pass the ball to their location while they are both running.

4. Develops Cognitive Abilities

The movements above and others don't only require coordination but quick thinking as well. The fast-paced nature of soccer means players often only have a split second to make a decision and to calculate where the ball will end up should they kick it.

Before making that decision, they also have to read the environment with accuracy. Tracking the movement of a ball as it travels through the air requires a lot of practice, and in soccer, the trajectory is always different, giving kids a constant workout.

5. Increases Focus and Concentration

Sports require a lot of concentration in order for kids to be able to deal with the things above. They have to tune out the distractions to move and think effectively, like the cheering audience.

When they have the ball, they also have to focus on only the important things and tune out the rest. They only need to think about getting the goal while factoring in the movements of the opponent and their teammates. It's a common tactic for players in the field to try and distract the one handling the ball as well, so they must know to ignore such things.

6. Promotes Self-Discipline and Perseverance

Participating in sports itself is great to develop a child's discipline. According to a recent Canadian study, children who played sports do better at following instructions and focusing on the matters at hand. It's not surprising given that they have to follow the coach's instructions in order to win.

This also teaches valuable lessons about perseverance. It doesn't matter if they tire themselves at the middle of the game, they have to persevere and see through the match.

7. Teaches Lessons About Winning and Losing

Parents only want the best for their kids, but it's important that they know that the best thing for them is to know how to face losing early in their childhood. If they always keep winning, they'll have a harder time to deal with a loss when they face it the first time when they're older.

Losing teaches humility, and the values and knowledge that children learn during the competition is what's more important than either winning or losing. Tasting victory after a loss is sweeter because children will know how to work harder to get what they want.

8. Requires Working in a Team

Being able to work in a team is an important quality to have in the adult world, and there's no such thing as too young to learn this. Working with a team teaches responsibility as every move they make will affect the whole group.

Children will also learn that all people have strengths and weaknesses. If a person is bad at one thing, that doesn't mean that they're a useless part of the team. Your child will know how to work with different people, which is a valuable lesson that will spill into adulthood.

9. Increases Social Interaction

Playing with friends is always great, and when your children play with others with a common goal, the experience is even better. The camaraderie that people experience when being a part of a team is an experience like no other.

Soccer is a great way to meet new friends. Who knows, if your child gets into playing soccer into adulthood, he might retain some friends in his team who've made the same decision.

10. Increases Self-Esteem

Putting in hard work, winning, and knowing about their own capabilities build the confidence and self-image of kids at a young age. This will eventually know outside of the field. They'll do better in school, friendships, family life, and in their career as they grow older.

Children will feel more comfortable learning new things and being able to perform in front of a cheering crowd. Exercising also releases feel-good endorphins, easing the anxiety that they may have.

Make Sure Your Kids Get the Benefits of Playing Soccer

Soccer is now one of the most popular games in the world and you or your kids could start enjoying it too. It's easy to get into and the benefits listed above outweigh any downsides to playing sports together.

If you want your children to have the benefits of playing soccer we outlined above, contact us and have your kid join our club! There's no better time than now to enjoy soccer.