Back in school, we watched football players who had mastery over their feet and could dribble the ball with both legs, control it, flip it, kick it, and trap it beneath their feet. Then stop it by moving it out from under the opponent's feet and carefully moving from one side to the other, beating the people attempting to stop it, causing them to stumble and fall. Goalkeepers have also been seen flying in the air to stop the ball.

Football is a physically demanding sport that requires extreme fitness, resilience, toughness, and tenacity.

And players need extensive training, particularly in strength, stamina, agility, and endurance.

However, we can be more competitive and treat it as a game.

As a result, many playgrounds, rooftop terraces, and indoor football stadiums outfitted with nets and floodlights have recently promoted weekend football. So football is gaining traction in the evenings, after work, on Saturday and Sunday mornings or evenings.

Overall health advantages

Football is an impact sport that, if played frequently, can amount to hours of exercise, compared to swimming or cycling. To be good at football, one must put in a lot of practice time. If you are experiencing any pain or injury while playing football, seek medical attention.

• It is a 90-minute exercise that helps improve cardiovascular fitness.

• It improves endurance, agility, focus, coordination, concentration, and, most importantly, reflexes, responses, and mental presence.

• Running, walking, sprinting, and kicking together can increase stamina, reduce body fat, improve muscle strength, and increase bone strength and tone.

• It improves neuromuscular coordination.

• It reduces stress.

• It also improves one's eyesight.

• It contributes to your recommended aerobic activity and benefits people with heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

• In addition, football teaches you to stay calm under pressure and focus in chaotic situations.

• It can restore the spirit and add cheer to a sportsman's life.

How it promotes mental health

By overcoming emotional and psychological stress, football takes you from the low to the high.

According to yoga, one's character and personality are supported by four pillars: Food, Recreation, Behaviour, and Thoughts.

Sporting in any form is a great way to develop one's personality. But setbacks are unavoidable, whether it's a blunder on the field or having to recover from a major upset. And to progress, players must learn to persevere.

Your alertness levels rise when you kick the ball while looking down at it, dribbling it, or looking up at the sky. Your focus is above, below, and side to side.

Moving your focus makes you faster.

Aiming and shooting make you goal-oriented, and defending the goalpost makes you tenacious.

How it helps you socialize better

Because football is a team sport, you are constantly meeting people, and if you are an introvert, joining a player group will assist you in opening up. Furthermore, team sports are always about camaraderie, cohesiveness, and being open to others' strengths and weaknesses to fill in the gaps and become a pillar yourself. That will make you a team player in all aspects of your life.

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