Cool down and recover

What it trains

A 10-minute routine for the end of every session and match: ease down with an easy jog and a walk, stretch gently, drink water, eat carbohydrate and protein soon after, and sleep 8-10 hours. A habit for looking after your body, not extra training.

Set up

• A water bottle
• A snack for after

How it works

1. Straight after training or a match, before you leave the pitch: jog easily, slow enough to talk, then walk. About 5 minutes in all.
2. Gentle stretches for about 5 minutes (the NHS after-exercise routine): calf, front of thigh, back of thigh and buttocks. Hold each about 15-20 seconds, both sides: a mild pull, never pain.
3. Drink water straight away and keep drinking through the evening. The NHS says 6-8 glasses of fluid a day, and more when you have been sweating.
4. Eat a snack with carbohydrate and protein soon after: FIFA's nutrition consensus says start in the first hour. Then a proper meal within about 2 hours (our target). Ideas from FIFA's guide: cereal with milk, yoghurt and fruit, a cheese, egg or chicken sandwich, rice or pasta with meat or fish.
5. Sleep 8-10 hours that night (the NHS range for 13-18 year olds). Screens away before bed, and no caffeine drinks in the afternoon or evening.

Coaching points

1. Easy enough to talk. Jog slowly enough to chat, then walk: about 5 minutes in all. The NHS describes a cool-down as light activity you can talk through, so your heart rate and breathing settle gradually. On its own it does little for next-day soreness or injury (Van Hooren & Peake 2018 review): it starts the routine, the water, food and sleep finish it.
2. Back leg straight, heel down. The NHS calf stretch: step one foot forward with the knee bent and lean forward slightly, keep the back leg straight and lower the back heel to the ground. Hold about 15-20 seconds, then swap legs. Lean on a wall if you need to.

Not this

Letting the back heel lift and the back knee bend: the calf is no longer stretched. Keep the back leg straight and the heel down, and ease off if it pinches or hurts.

Dose

• Our target: 10 minutes
• After training and matches

Our target: About 10 minutes after every session and match (5 easing down, 5 stretching) and a meal within 2 hours: our target, not an FA rule.

Harder / Easier

Safety

• Cool down on the pitch or flat grass before you leave, never on a road or in a car park.
• Stretches should feel like a gentle pull, never pain. If anything hurts, stop and tell your coach or a parent. With an injury or a medical condition, ask a physio which stretches suit you (NHS). Under 16, knee and heel pain is common while you are growing, and a GP or physio can help.
• Real food and water are enough: FIFA's guide says young players eating a wide range of foods should not need supplements. Growing players need plenty of food, so never skip the recovery meal to change your weight.
• If you often feel tired or low, or cannot sleep, talk to a parent, a coach or someone you trust.

Sources

• NHS - How to stretch after exercising (gentle stretches, the calf stretch, 15-20 s holds) (opens in a new tab)
• Newcastle Hospitals NHS FT - Exercise and your health (a 5-10 minute cool-down you can talk through) (opens in a new tab)
• NHS - Water, drinks and your health (6-8 glasses a day, more when active) (opens in a new tab)
• Newcastle Hospitals NHS FT - Sleep, older children (13-18 years: 8-10 hours) (opens in a new tab)
• England Football Learning - How to help young people sleep well (opens in a new tab)
• England Football Learning - How to help young people eat well (opens in a new tab)
• FIFA / F-MARC - Nutrition for Football (2010 booklet: consensus statement, the young player) (opens in a new tab)
• Sports Med - Van Hooren & Peake 2018, do we need a cool-down after exercise? (opens in a new tab)