Yoga guide
Football's injuries cluster in the hamstrings, the groin, the knees and the ankles, and the programmes that prevent them are already known: FIFA's 11+ warm-up cut injuries by 39% across 4 trials, and Nordic hamstring and adductor exercises add to it. Stretching on its own hasn't been shown to prevent injuries, and no study has counted injuries after yoga in footballers or soccer players. So yoga doesn't replace any of that.
What yoga can add, on a recovery day or after training, is hip and groin range you control, hamstring holds that make the muscle work, single-leg balance and side planks (both part of the 11+), and a calmer wind-down. This guide covers what the evidence shows, when to do yoga so it doesn't cost you speed, how to work around a hamstring or groin strain, the poses for footballers, a 25-minute class, and the warning signs, including concussion.
About 8 injuries per 1,000 hours of football, far more in matches than training. Muscle injuries are about a third, led by the hamstrings (37%) and the inner thigh (23%), and hamstring injuries doubled as a share of all injuries over 21 seasons.
The FIFA 11+ warm-up cut injuries by 39% across 4 trials. Programmes with the Nordic hamstring exercise had about half as many hamstring injuries across 15 studies, though when only the randomised trials are pooled the effect is uncertain. An adductor programme cut groin problems by 41%. Yoga goes alongside these, never instead.
Across 25 trials, stretching programmes made no difference to sports injuries, while strength training cut them to under a third. FIFA leaves static stretching out of the 11+ warm-up.
The evidence is a college soccer team that gained flexibility and balance over 10 weeks (not randomised), a study with no comparison group, and a survey.
Holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle just before explosive work cut performance by about 4.6%. Keep yoga before training short and moving, and save longer holds for after training or recovery days.
Source 14
No sport for at least 24 hours, a check within 24 hours, a staged return and no competition before day 21. No head-down poses until you're cleared.
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In elite European men, 8.0 injuries per 1,000 hours (27.5 in matches, 4.1 in training), about 2 per player each season; 12% were re-injuries. Across 44 studies of professional men, 8.1 per 1,000 hours.
Muscle injuries were 31% of all injuries, and 92% of them hit four groups: hamstrings 37%, adductors (inner thigh) 23%, quadriceps 19% and calves 13%. Hamstring injuries rose from 12% to 24% of all injuries between 2001 and 2022.
Per match or session, women tear an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) about 2.2 times as often as men. In women's football overall, ankle injuries are the most common.
Across 4 cluster trials, the 11+ cut injuries by 39%; FIFA's earlier warm-up, the 11, made no difference. In 1,892 girls aged 13 to 17, overall, overuse and severe injuries fell. FIFA's manual: before every training session, at least twice a week, about 20 minutes, for players from about 14.
Across 15 studies (8,459 athletes), programmes that included the Nordic had about half as many hamstring injuries (risk ratio 0.49). In 942 Danish men, acute hamstring injuries fell from 13.1 to 3.8 per 100 player seasons, and in 579 male amateurs from 0.8 to 0.25 per 1,000 hours. But only 5 of those 15 studies randomised players to the Nordic, and pooling those with one newer randomised trial gave a risk ratio of 0.59 (95% confidence interval 0.27 to 1.29): the effect is uncertain.
In 652 semi-professional men, an adductor strengthening programme lowered the share of players with groin problems from 21.3% to 13.5%. Programmes with balance training cut ankle injuries in football by about 36%, and balance training cut ankle sprains in athletes by about 38%.
Across 25 trials (26,610 people), stretching programmes didn't reduce sports injuries, while strength training cut them to under a third. In a 2025 expert consensus, stretching improves range of movement but doesn't "serve as an all-encompassing injury prevention strategy".
No study has counted injuries after yoga in footballers. A college soccer team doing two hour-long classes a week for 10 weeks gained about 4.6 cm on the sit-and-reach test and 4 seconds of one-leg balance, while a baseball team didn't; the teams weren't randomised, and the baseball players started with better balance. In 31 college footballers with no comparison group, self-rated injury risk and tiredness scores fell. In 468 adolescent footballers, doing yoga before training went with less sport anxiety, in a survey at one point in time.
Rugby players who did yoga twice a week in season kept their hamstring flexibility (down 1.2% against 14.8%), but didn't sprint faster.
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In 146 Belgian professionals, players who later strained a hamstring or quadriceps had been a little tighter. But in 438 players in Qatar's top league, the difference was 1.8 degrees, with little value for predicting injury, and across 78 studies, older age and a previous hamstring injury were the strongest risk factors.
In 20 athletes, 15 minutes of yoga after interval training slowed breathing and raised heart rate variability more than static stretching over the next 15 minutes. A 2025 review of 41 recovery studies in football found no yoga studies; cold-water immersion had the most consistent effects. Stretching doesn't speed recovery.
Holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle just before testing cut performance by about 4.6%, against about 1.1% for shorter holds, and moving again afterwards cancelled most of the effect. The extra range usually lasted under 30 minutes.
Source 14
The 11+ manual: stretching exercises "are not recommended as part of a warm-up programme, but can be performed at the end of the training session".
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The 11+ before every training session; strength work twice a week in pre-season and once in season; yoga once or twice a week on recovery days or after training, as our Pilates for footballers guide suggests for Pilates. Before training, a few minutes of moving yoga inside your warm-up, with holds under 30 seconds, is fine (our yoga for athletes guide).
Across trials, eccentric training (lowering under load, as in the Nordic) cut hamstring injuries by 57% to 70%; static stretching gave the biggest range gains, but they didn't last. Yoga holds that make the hamstrings work, such as warrior III and single-leg bridges, fit better than deep folds (our reading).
The adductor programme that cut groin problems used one exercise with three levels; our Pilates for footballers guide describes it building from side-lying hip adduction to the Copenhagen. Yoga's shallow goddess pose works the inner thigh; deep wide-legged stretches don't strengthen it.
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With a hamstring or groin strain, follow our hamstring strain or groin strain guide rather than a yoga class, and leave out deep stretches of that muscle until your rehab allows.
Low lunge: 45 seconds each side (our yoga for runners class). Lizard: 30 to 60 seconds each side, 2 rounds, coming out if the front of the hip pinches (the move's page). 90/90 lift-off: 3 holds of 5 to 8 seconds each way, each side (the move's page). Goddess pose: 3 holds of 3 breaths, kept shallow with groin pain (our yoga for dancers class). Bound angle: 60 seconds, without pushing your knees down (our yoga for hips class).
Warrior III, hands on a chair: 3 breaths each side, twice (our yoga for dancers class), left alone while a hamstring injury settles. Single-leg glute bridge: 8 to 10 each side (our strength yoga workout). Strap hamstring stretch: 45 seconds each side at a mild pull, about 3 out of 10 (our yoga for runners class).
Single-leg stand: 2 sets of 30 seconds on each leg; side plank on your forearm with the lower knee bent, then straight: 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds each side; forearm plank: 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds (the FIFA 11+, level 1). Tree pose: 3 to 5 breaths each side, twice (our yoga for dancers class). Chair pose: 3 holds of 30 to 45 seconds (our strength yoga workout).
Sun salutation: 2 to 5 minutes inside your warm-up, with holds under 30 seconds (our yoga for athletes guide). World's greatest stretch: 4 slow reps each side, 1 or 2 rounds (the move's page).
Slow breathing: 2 minutes, or at least 5 on its own (the move's page). Reclined figure four: 45 seconds each side; legs up the wall: 2 minutes (our yoga for runners class). Lying twist: 45 seconds each side (our strength yoga workout). Corpse pose: at least 5 minutes, up to 10 (the move's page).
3D demoSlow breathing (6 breaths a minute)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoReclined figure four (eye of the needle, Sucirandhrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSupine spinal twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoLegs up the wall (Viparita Karani)Beginner · A wall
3D demoCorpse pose (Savasana)Beginner · No equipmentThese aren't yoga. Nordic curl: 1 set of 3 to 5 at level 1, 7 to 10 at level 2 and 12 to 15 at level 3 (the FIFA 11+). Copenhagen plank: as in our hamstring and groin programme, not while the groin is acutely painful (the move's page). Adductor ball squeeze: 5 to 10 holds of 5 to 10 seconds (our groin strain guide).
These follow the stretching evidence, our athletes, hamstrings and hip openers guides and the move pages' cautions.
Keep holds under about 30 seconds before playing, then move. Long holds belong after training or on recovery days.
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Don't push into the sitting bone or the groin in standing splits, deep forward folds or wide-legged folds. The wide-angle fold's move page: "Groin strains happen when people force the legs wider than they are ready for."
Leave out warrior III, pyramid, wide-legged folds and deep goddess pose until your rehab allows, and stop at once for a sudden sharp pain or pop.
Swap pigeon for reclined figure four with knee pain, and ease off a deep fold, lunge or twist that brings a sharp pinch deep in the groin (our hip openers guide).
No head-down poses or upside-down poses until you're cleared to return (our yoga for athletes guide).
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Not needed for football, and hand, shoulder and head stands are the practices most often linked with acute yoga injuries.
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Do our 25-minute class once or twice a week on a recovery day or after training, not in the hour before a match (our editorial starting point). Keep the 11+ before every training session, and the Nordic and Copenhagen exercises in the hamstring and groin programme.
Twenty-five minutes of yoga for footballers: hip and groin range you control, hamstring holds, single-leg balance and side planks, then gentle stretches and rest.
25 minBeginner17 movesA wallFIFA's 11+ injury prevention warm-up as its manual sets it out: running drills, strength, balance and jumping at three levels, then faster running.
20 minBeginner20 movesCardio machine, A wallThe Nordic hamstring and Copenhagen adduction programmes from the football trials: a 10-week build, three adductor levels, then once a week in season.
15 minIntermediate6 movesA wall, An anchor pointA 25-minute Pilates class for footballers: trunk control, the groin and outer hips, hamstrings with the hip extended, and balance, for recovery days.
25 minBeginner17 movesOther / check instructions, A wallA 20-minute yoga cool-down for runners: calves, hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes, one balance pose and a rest, after an easy run or on a rest day.
20 minBeginner11 movesA wallA hip-opening yoga sequence: low lunge, lizard, goddess, pigeon, bound angle and happy baby.
25 minBeginner10 movesA wallThirty minutes of standing yoga for balance: strong standing poses, one-leg poses at the wall, and side steps, backward steps, reaches and sit-to-stands.
30 minBeginner16 movesA wall, A bench or boxA 25-minute easy session for rest days and sore muscles: easy cardio, a gentle mobility flow, optional rolling for sore spots, and slow breathing to finish.
25 minBeginner11 movesCardio machine, A wallTwo strength sessions a week in pre-season and one in season, as our football guide suggests.
These follow our Pilates for footballers, football and ankle sprain guides word for word. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999.
Same day: a pop near the sitting bone, a large bruise high on the back of the thigh, or you cannot put weight on the leg. The tendon may have pulled away from the bone, which needs assessing before you start these exercises.
Get help from NHS 111 if you think you've injured your hamstring and it's very painful, or the pain is getting worse; there's a large amount of swelling or bruising, or the swelling or bruising is getting worse; it hurts to walk or stand using the injured leg; your leg feels very stiff or is difficult to move; it's not feeling any better after treating it yourself; or you have a very high temperature or you feel very hot, but also cold and shivery, which could be signs of an infection.
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A pop high on the inner thigh, then a large bruise, a dent or a gap you can feel, and weakness squeezing the legs together, can be a complete tear of the adductor longus tendon: get it checked within days, as our inner thigh pain guide says.
Go to A&E (accident and emergency) if you've injured your knee and it has changed shape, it becomes very swollen very quickly, you felt a pop or snap, you can see bone sticking out, or it's bleeding heavily. Don't drive yourself: ask someone to take you, or call 999 if the pain means you can't move your leg to get there.
Get advice from NHS 111 now: you cannot move the knee or put any weight on it, or it is very painful, badly swollen or has changed shape, or it locks, gives way or clicks painfully. A pop, quick swelling and a knee that gives way point to an ACL injury: our ACL injury guide says what to do.
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Call 999 or go to A&E: after an injury, you heard a crack, the foot or ankle has changed shape or points at an odd angle, a bone is sticking out, there is a bad cut over it, you're in severe pain, or the toes look blue or white, feel numb or are cold to touch. These can mean a broken bone. Don't drive yourself.
Same day (NHS 111 or an urgent treatment centre): after an injury, you can't put weight on it or walk more than a few steps, the pain is very bad or getting worse, there is a lot of swelling or bruising or it is getting worse, it feels very stiff, or it's not feeling any better after treating it yourself. Get the same help if you also have a very high temperature, or feel hot, cold or shivery: this could be an infection. If you think it's broken, don't treat it yourself.
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Call 999 if someone has hit their head and has been knocked out and hasn't woken up, can't stay awake or keep their eyes open, has a fit, has fallen from a height of more than 1 metre or 5 stairs, has problems with their vision or hearing, has clear fluid coming from their ears or nose, has new numbness or weakness, has problems with walking, balance, understanding, speaking or writing, hit their head at high speed, or their behaviour has changed. Get help from NHS 111 if they're being sick, feel dizzy or take medicine that thins the blood. If you're told to go to A&E (accident and emergency), don't drive yourself there if you have hit your head.
With a suspected concussion, if in doubt, sit them out. The UK's grassroots guidelines say no sport for at least 24 hours, get checked by a healthcare professional or NHS 111 within 24 hours, follow a staged return, and no competition before day 21; if symptoms last beyond 28 days, stay out of sport and see a doctor. Yoga waits too: gentle breathing fits the early, light-activity stages, and no head-down poses or inversions until you're cleared (our reading). Our concussion guide has the stages.
Call 999 if:
Stop a stretch at the first sharp pull high at the back of the thigh or in the groin, and "Ease off a deep fold, lunge or twist that brings a sharp pinch deep in the groin" (our hip openers guide).
No study has counted injuries after yoga in footballers. What prevents injuries is the 11+, the Nordic and adductor programmes and balance training; yoga can sit alongside them.
Across 25 trials stretching didn't prevent sports injuries, while strength training did. International stretching experts agree.
Tighter hamstrings were a weak risk factor with little value for predicting injury, and age and a previous injury matter most. One older study found slightly tighter muscles before injury, so flexibility isn't irrelevant, just a small part.
Player and club stories aren't studies. We found no trial that counted injuries after yoga in any sport (our yoga for athletes guide).
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No study has tested it. Of 41 recovery studies in football, none tested yoga, and stretching doesn't speed recovery.
Holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle take a little off your sprint and jump just afterwards. FIFA keeps static stretching for the end of training.
Rugby players who did yoga kept their hamstring flexibility but didn't sprint faster. No football study has measured speed after yoga.
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It can help with hip and groin range you control, balance, trunk strength and winding down, but no study has counted injuries after yoga in footballers. Use it alongside the FIFA 11+ and strength work, which have the injury evidence.
Not on any evidence yet. Stretching programmes don't prevent sports injuries, while strength, balance and multi-part programmes do, and the 11+ cut injuries by 39% across 4 trials.
It hasn't been shown to. The hamstring exercise with prevention trials is the Nordic, linked with about half as many hamstring injuries, though the strictest analysis finds the effect uncertain. Yoga holds that make the hamstrings work, such as warrior III and single-leg bridges, are a better yoga choice than deep folds.
Low lunge and lizard for the front of the hip, goddess pose and 90/90 lift-offs for hip control, warrior III and single-leg bridges for the hamstrings, single-leg stands and side planks from the 11+, then gentle hamstring and hip stretches. Our 25-minute class puts them in order.
A few minutes of moving yoga inside your warm-up is fine, with holds under 30 seconds. Holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle just before explosive work cost a little performance, so keep longer holds for after training or recovery days.
Possibly for winding down: 15 minutes of yoga after hard intervals slowed breathing faster than stretching in one small trial. No study has tested yoga for soreness or recovery in football, and stretching doesn't speed recovery.
With a groin strain, follow our groin strain guide: the programme that prevents groin problems strengthens the inner thigh, which cut them by 41%. Once you're pain-free, a shallow goddess pose and a gentle bound angle can be part of your routine; don't force wide-legged stretches.
Some players and clubs say so, but that's anecdote, not evidence that it prevents injuries. The professional evidence is for the 11+, Nordic and adductor programmes.
Probably: a college soccer team gained about 4.6 cm on the sit-and-reach test after 10 weeks of yoga. But more flexibility hasn't been shown to prevent injuries, so aim for range you can control rather than as much as possible.
Neither has been tested for injuries in footballers. Pilates suits trunk and hip control, and yoga suits mobility and winding down. Either fits on a recovery day, after the 11+ and strength work.
Once or twice a week, on recovery days or after training; the soccer study used two hour-long classes a week for 10 weeks. Keep it away from the hour before a match.
Stop at a pop at the back of the thigh or in the groin and get it checked. Go to A&E for a knee that pops and swells fast, and call 999 for a crack or a changed shape. After a head knock, if in doubt, sit them out, and call 999 for chest pain or fainting while exercising.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
