You have heard countless times that you must have a warm-up routine before playing. While this makes sense as it prevents injuries, among many other benefits, it's not enough.

To stay at the top of your game, you need to give your body a chance to truly wind down after you have pushed it to its limits.

This calls for you to have a post-game recovery routine that will prevent injuries and help your body get stronger, improve endurance, grow muscles, and even improve your overall game skills and techniques.

What is the best way to recover after a soccer game? Here are 7 ingenious ways to go about it:

Even if you have been running around, the worst thing you can do is stop moving once the game ends and sit. You might be exhausted, and all you need to do is take a break and rest, but not so fast.

If you have been playing soccer long enough, you must have woken up one day after a game stiff and sore. You don't even feel like going to the pitch or doing anything.

Jogging after a game will lessen the chances of this happening and even prevent it from occurring.

Once the referee has blown the final whistle, don't be like the other players that rush to the changing rooms. Hit the field and run around at least once.

No, you don't have to take a full antelope-like sprint—after all, you are tired.

At the same time, you shouldn't take a casual trot as your body won't get much from it.

Take a simple jog and move at a reasonable pace. When done right, jogging significantly reduces muscle fatigue so that you won't be sore the following day.

Stretching and even using a foam roller after a game is highly effective at relieving muscle tension, especially if you were feeling some tension building up during the game.

Not sure where to begin? If you are like other players, you have sore hips and hamstrings. To relieve the tension, gently roll with little pressure on the backs of your legs and the sides of your hips.

A little goes a long way when it comes to stretching and rolling — you don't need hours of rolling. You need just a few minutes, and all the tension will be gone in all the trouble areas, and you won't have any soreness the following day.

What happens when you bang your head on the wall or door? You place an ice pack on the bump to reduce inflammation and minimize pain.

Taking an ice bath works on the same principle.

Different professionals have different opinions on how long you should take an ice bath, but there is a consensus that you should stay in an ice bath between 10-14 minutes at 54F-57F degrees.

If this is the first time you are doing it, you might find it challenging to stay in the ice bath, but you should know that the first few minutes are often the hardest. After that, it gets easy, and in no time, you will find relief from the sore and stiff areas of your body.

An ice bath is highly effective, but it's not for everyone. If you don't want to sit in an ice bath due to the cold temperatures, you don’t have enough ice, or any other reason, consider  .

This is basically alternating between immersing yourself in cold water and warm water. This therapy has been proven to have excellent restorative properties as it helps the body slough away metabolic waste through the lymphatic system. And it’s not as cold as an ice bath!

You should eat healthy and fresh food that will help you replenish your energy. For the best outcome, eat a protein-rich, mineral-rich meal. You can also take a recovery drink from a reputable brand such as Tailwind.

Be ultra-cautious as you buy the recovery drinks, as plenty of them in the market can cause more harm than good. For example, some drinks might have too much sugar, making you cloggy and fatigued instead of fresh and active.

Take healthy carbs to help rebuild the damaged muscles and ensure your body has the fuel it needs.

As a rule of thumb, stay away from processed foods and remember that it doesn't hurt to take fruits and vegetables.

As much as you need to eat healthy foods, you also need to drink plenty of water. When you play, you sweat, which means that you lose water and minerals from your body.

To avoid fatigue, replace these minerals by taking water.

Rehydrating also helps your body easily recover from injuries, repair the damaged muscles and maintain a steady body temperature.

It's common for soccer players to have difficulty unwinding after an intensive soccer match, but you should always strive to have a good night's sleep.

As you sleep, the body repairs the muscles and releases growth hormones that come in handy during muscle recovery.

For ideal results, give yourself at least 8 hours of quality sleep. To have an easy time sleeping, stay away from alcohol and caffeine.

You also should stay away from blue light at least an hour before you go to bed.

This calls for you to avoid staring at a TV, tablet, or phone screen as you are about to hit the sack. It would be better if you could leave these gadgets outside your room, so you aren't tempted to use them.

The above recovery techniques are highly effective but won't work if you are seriously hurt. As you play, it's always wise to protect yourself, so you don't get out of the field hurt and have to be out of the game for a couple of weeks or even months.

Besides playing by the soccer rules, protect yourself by wearing a mouth guard, shock-absorbent shin guards, correct footwear, and even preventative ankle taping or bracing.

Send your news stories to [email protected] and via WhatsApp on +233 546310076.