Forward Lunge Glute/Hamstring Stretch (the single best soccer stretch)

This stretch is designed to warm up and stretch the hips and hamstrings. It requires a certain amount of balance to execute correctly:



1. Lunge forward deeply and place the hand opposite the forward leg on the ground.











2. Push the elbow on the side of the forward leg as close to the ground as possible next to the inside of the foot. (Make sure you keep the foot of the forward leg flat on the ground!) You should feel this part of the stretch in the hip and glute of the forward leg.






3. Place both hands on the ground on either side of the front foot, rock back onto the heel of the front foot and onto the toe of the back leg and straighten the front leg as much as possible. You should feel this phase of the stretch intensely in the hamstring of the front leg. To further deepen the stretch of the hamstring, repeat the rocking motion back onto the heel, bending and straightening the forward leg two or three times.




4. Finally, rock forward onto the leg and stand up. Lunge forward onto the other leg and repeat steps 1 to 3 on the opposite side. Perform 8 to 10 reps of this stretch at a time.