The importance of efficient movement

Have you ever thought about the way you move? Not on the dance floor: on the football pitch.

It’s something the average amateur footballer lets nature take care of: Trot on the pitch, run after the ball, take the odd swing at it, come off and dissect another stinker.

Sure, you might have laughable technique, life-limiting fitness and the tactical nous of Avram Grant, but these shortcomings could be corrected by a few tweaks to the way you hop, skip and jump.

Upgrading your movement can reduce your risk of injury and boost performance. Key football actions – accelerating, decelerating, changing direction, leaping for headers, striking the ball – all improve with finely-tuned mechanics.

But how do you know if you’re moving badly? You need to evaluate yourself. How do you do that? Watch this video and let Nike Academy manager Jon Goodman explain.

For more football tips see:
Build a pitch-ready body
Raise your game: Arrowhead agility drill
Raise your game: The 20-metre sprint

Jon Goodman was speaking at the Science + Football Conference. This year's conference is on Sunday, April 12 at St George's Park. For more information visit www.scienceandfootball.com