It has been almost a year since chaos broke out around the world. As everything shut down and everyone was instructed to remain inside their homes for months, the world was finally beginning to return to normalcy. However, it was only a matter of time until an increase of Covid-19 cases made its return. The sweet taste of a little bit of freedom is slowly being retracted as more and more restrictions are put back into place. As we enjoy the return of professional sports, especially football, we are headed into a direction of losing our weekly entertainment. Except this time we will be better prepared.
Here are a five tips on how to survive quarantine as a footballer … again.
5 Things Footballers Need To Survive Quarantine (Again)
1. Now that this may be our second go-around of having to remain indoors, many of you have already built your own home gym or training space in your house. Whether you are juggling a ball in your bedroom or laying out cones in your garage, you have managed to stay on top of your game while being trapped inside. Keep your drive of wanting to play and hopefully that little taste of freedom has given you something to work for even more than before.
2. After spending months inside you may have splurged with your unemployment money and purchased a new pair of cleats. Don’t let quarantine stop you from breaking in those new cleats. Wear them around your house, in your backyard or even wear them to sleep. Remember: Look good, feel good, play good!
3. As coaches and trainers have had to adjust to the quarantine lifestyle, get your training plan sooner rather than later. Having a schedule already planned out will help you remain on top of your game and know what to focus on each day. Whether it is fitness or ball work, make a plan and create a training schedule for when the time comes. Even though you can’t train with your team, it is important to train individually to prevent injury and remain in shape for when the world opens up again.
4. At this point you may have already binged your favorite football movies and shows, but here are a few more suggestions in case you haven’t seen them yet. Here are some of my favorite movies: Goal: The Dream Begins, Goal II: Living the Dream, Gracie, She’s the Man, Pele and Kicking and Screaming. Now some binge-worthy shows: Club de Cuervos, Sunderland ’Til I Die, This is Football, Six Dreams and 21 Thunder. Enjoy!
5. Do whatever it takes to keep your head in the game. Wear your favorite gear around the house, have a ball at your feet all the time, watch YouTube videos of your favorite players or even hop on Zoom and train with some of your teammates since this is pretty much the new norm anyways. As much as it may suck to not be able to train with your team, remember you have gotten through this before and you will be back on the pitch in no time!
