Yoga for American Football Players

Yoga for American Football Players – Football is a sport that involves a lot of running, body movements, and physical workouts. Similarly, continuous physical effort and action are required throughout the gameplay, which entails the stretching of muscles and constant motion of body parts. This yoga poses for footballers are meant to keep them at the best of their physical and mental capabilities.

Today, yoga has been spreading into people’s minds, and its benefits are being studied and acknowledged in different parts of the world. People are recognizing Yoga as a tool to enhance their way of living, through betterment in physical and mental health, and practicing it widely in different fields. It has also been popular in the field of sports as a way to elevate body functions.

In this article, Football Terms will show you the top 10 yoga poses for footballers!

Yoga for American Football Players

The best American Football team needs the strongest players. To be the best player, you have to practice and do exercise everything to keep good health. There are certain yoga asanas (poses) that will help football players maintain fitness, calmness, and endurance. Here are some of the best yoga poses for football players.

1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

One of the most common injuries that many athletes face is a hamstring injury. And a stiff hamstring is a common problem for almost any person. Downward facing dog pose loosens the hamstrings and gives them much-needed relaxation as a tight hamstring often leads to injury.

This poses affects the whole body, especially on calves and hamstrings along with wrists, shoulders, and hamstrings. In this process, spines are stretched and legs and arms are strengthened. This pose also helps to maintain calmness of mind and energy and relieves fatigue and stress.

2. Beer Bhadrasana (Warrior Pose)

The quadriceps are one of the most important muscles for football players to generate those power shots. The warrior pose strengthens the quadriceps along with the arms and maintains body balance.

This pose energizes the body with strength, flexibility, and balance. It strengthens the arms and legs and stretches the calves, thighs, ankles, chest, and the muscles of the back. It improves circulation and helps relieve backache and pains and helps develop balance, coordination, and resistance, and improves breathing capacity.

3. Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose)

The third pose of Yoga for American Football Players is the Equestrian Pose asana. This pose increases the strength of your calves, thighs, and groins. This asana is one of the best yoga poses for football players as it stretches and strengthens of all the body parts essential for a footballer. Such as the high, hamstrings, hips, groin, forearms, quadriceps, back, neck, and chest. It is a yoga pose that everyone should do daily.

Ashwa Sanchalanasana is a low lunge posture with the chest lifted while the palms remain grounded on either side of the front foot. It is also beneficial in correcting the problems related to the back and providing strength to the forelimbs.

4. Badhakonasana (Butterfly Pose)

Footballers heavily rely on the groin and hip area for running as well as kicking the ball. Thus, it is very important for them to maintain fitness and keep good care of these body parts.

Butterfly pose stretches the inner thighs and knees and improves the flexibility in the groins and hip region. When practiced as an exercise for cooling down, after the training or the game is over, it helps to alleviate fatigue and the sense of tiredness.

Instructions and Benefits

5. Dandasana (Stick Pose)

Dandasana is similar to Ardha Pincha Mayurasana (Dolphin pose) which is also popular by the name ‘Plank’. It is an essential yoga pose for football players as it will not just build strength but also boost endurance. This yoga pose looks very simple but to be done properly, one needs to have a proper commitment, zeal, and determination to triumph in this posture.

Anyone practicing this posture daily for 2-3 minutes will develop not just core strength but also their willpower and mental strength. The stick Pose pose strengthens the abs, quadriceps, forearms, chests, biceps, and back. It also stretches the shoulders, and chest and facilitates a good posture.

6. Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana (One-Legged Pigeon Pose)

The lower part of a footballer’s body is usually stiff. Practicing ‘Eka Pada Kapotasana’ stretches the entire lower part of the body, stimulates the abdominal organs, and helps relieve the body of Sciatica. Also, it helps open up the hips and adds more flexibility to the hip region. It is also known to relieve the body of stress and anxiety.

This asana involves the stretching of legs and lengthening of hip flexors along with hip muscles and helps to open the hip joint. It prevents lower back pain, knee pain, and stiffness in the hamstring. It also helps to relieve the stress, tension, and negativity from one’s mind.

7. Bhujangasana (Cobra-Serpent Pose)

Having a strong back and arms is necessary not just for athletes but also for any individual. Bhujangasana stretches and contracts our upper and lower back bones and builds strength in our arms. Additionally, it also gives a vital stretch to our neck muscles, abs, and digestive system.

This asana is an effective pose of the backbend facing upwards. It helps reduce tightness in the upper body and stiffness in the lower back, stretching the spine and belly. It reduces back and neck pain and also prevents potential injury in the tight hip flexors. It also helps to control stress, fatigue, and anxiety and maintain a calm mind.

8. Upavista Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend)

Upavista Konasana stretches the adductor groin, hamstrings, thigh, and hips while also strengthening your spine. Probably the best pose for adductor muscles and groins, each of which is a vital part for any footballer or athlete.

The ‘Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend’ pose also strengthens the spine and legs and creates space in the groin and inside the legs. It also helps in stretching the back region and arms and enhancing core strength. It supports the body in the proper flow of blood and to acquire a relaxed mind.

9. Hasta Padasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Hastapadasana is one of the most common poses not just in yoga but in any fitness regime. This is an essential yoga pose for footballers as it stretches the muscles and can be performed as a warm-up exercise before heavy workouts. Secondly, it revitalizes the nervous system and promotes proper blood circulation. The Abdominal organs are toned and the spine, legs, and thighs become flexible after performing this yoga.

This Standing Forward Bend is recommended for almost anyone. Hastapadasana also cures stomach ailments and helps reduce fat around the belly and so it is recommended for people who are overweight, have issues like constipation, diarrhea, acidity, gastric, or women who face problems during their menstrual.

10. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose)

Living up to its complex name, even performing this pose could be a bit tricky for beginners. However, this pose is so relaxing that you will never want to quit this pose from your daily routine, once you learn how to do it.

Ardha Matsyendrasana is one of the best yoga poses for spinal twists. Not just footballers but almost everyone suffers from upper and lower back pain once in a while. This is just the perfect medicine for that problem. This pose stimulates the liver and kidneys, stretches our back, arms, shoulders, hips, and neck, energizes the spine, stimulates the digestive fire in the belly, and relieves menstrual discomfort, fatigue, sciatica, and backache.

Moreover, the traditional texts say that Ardha Matsyendrasana increases appetite, destroys most deadly diseases, and awakens kundalini.

In Conclusion – Yoga for American Football Players

Regular practice of yoga can make an individual a better athlete and a better sportsman, by enhancing the flexibility of the body, improving the breathing and lung capacity and functioning, increasing stamina, and maintaining the core strength and balance in the body. Yoga also helps the players to maintain focus during and after the game.

Due to continuous runs, sprints, and movements, hamstrings, muscles, and tissue around the hips and the back, become tight which creates risks of strains and injuries. Practicing Yoga-Asanas (Postures) on a daily basis will help in the loosening of the tightened muscles and tissues, lessening the potential risks of injuries and aches. These postures will influence the body, help build stamina and release stress, and build flexibility and focus in a player.