touch football

Question
in football what are the physical requirements for a successful footballer? i mean by things like do you have to have speed do you have to be flexible and so on.

Answer
Hi Kathleen,

The physical requirements are that you are fit enough to enjoy the game and not get injured.

I play touch on Sundays during the summer and on the same field / team the fitness ranges from very very high (read: recent American Eagle) to hands-on-knees, gasping for air, feeling a little dizzy (read: me).

As for speed that is always nice to have, a fast player is useful but sometimes more value comes from game knowledge. Knowing how to  support a player with the ball, which angle to run onto the ball the ability to put a team mate "into space", like an assist in basket ball.

Being in the right place at the right time is big with touch, with a good team speed can be made up for with cunning and tactics.

Like any active sport: soccer, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, baseball etc you just need to be able to play well without getting hurt. That often means knowing when to push yourself and knowing when to take a rest.

If you have never played a team field sport before just warm into it and do not feel you have to keep up with the others. Your main goal in the beguinning is to learn the game. Once you learn the game you start to ramp up the pace more.

Warm up well and slowly and stay hydrated.