Introduction
Soccer
Soccer soccer is the most popular sport in the world, enjoying a fan following of billions of people. Initially, although alternative versions of soccer existed, the current soccer form and style can be traced to England in the mid-nineteenth century (Squires, 2018). Before the British origin, folk soccer was played by people in towns and villages using local rules and customs that were minimal and informal. In elementary schools in the United States of America, each school played soccer with its own rules, with some allowing limited ball handling (Patrick, 2021). Hence, playing soccer with random college mates became increasingly difficult when the students joined college or university after elementary school.
In 1843, the University of Cambridge attempted to codify and standardize soccer rules, which its graduates spread for use in soccer clubs (Squires, 2018). In a game, players often try to maneuver the ball towards an opponent’s goal, with goals determining the match winner (Magistro et al., 2022). The flexibility of the game in terms of the playground has made it popular for kids who idolize famous soccer personalities such as Messi, Ronaldo, Pele, and Ronaldinho as they enjoy the sport in school playgrounds, beaches, parks, gymnasiums, streets, and official footballing fields (Patrick, 2021).
Yoga
On the other hand, yoga is one of the most popular exercises practiced by people of all ages. It refers to a group of mental, spiritual, and physical disciplines and practices routinely performed by people of all ages (Richter, 2016). The first yoga practices were mentioned in Rigveda, a Hindu text, as a number of the Upanishads (Bjonnes, 2018). In ancient India, yoga was beneficial in calming, yoking, controlling, or stilling the mind. Yoga styles include plank, poses, warrior I, high lunges, and downward dog (Donahoe-Fillmore & Grant, 2019). The styles are flexible as they can be carried out almost anywhere, both outdoors and indoors, provided one is equipped with a mat and a small space. One person can do the exercises, or many people may gather and practice yoga as a group (Richter, 2016). Yoga benefits kids and has shown benefits in resistance training, strength, and balance or flexibility in multiple settings such as school.
Bench Press
The bench press is an exercise that involves lying on a bench facing up and lifting weights up and down using the upper arms to press the upper parts of the body, especially the triceps, chest, and shoulders. The bench press workout is said to have been invented by George Hackenschmid in 1898 (Weis, 2021). In a quest to enhance his upper body strength by lying down and raising weights using his hands, he invented the floor press. Later, people added a bench and performed the same exercise, transforming its name from floor to bench press (Weis, 2021). Its styles include spoto, Swiss bar, dumbbell, floor, close grip, and tempo bench press. The exercise works the upper part of the body, that is, the chest, triceps, and shoulders, for enhanced muscle mass and strength (Wong et al., 2013). The exercise is among the best in increasing body strength and building muscle, making it one of the most critical exercises in most workouts. In children, care is taken to reduce the risk of injury caused by heavy exercise equipment such as dumbbells (Weis, 2021). Hence, their weights must be lighter to help them learn how muscles move without straining them.
Background
Soccer
Soccer is a game for all ages and genders, with many participating as professional or active players, spectators, or fanatics. Such is true as significant football clubs and teams have millions of followers on social media and attract large crowds when major soccer sports events are held daily (Patrick, 2021). Although not formally established among children, soccer is one of the most popular sports and exercises among kids, especially boys. They play the game almost everywhere in school, at home, or in the streets, using informal rules that suit their style of play (Falces-Prieto et al., 2021). Most of them mimic or admire football icons such as Messi and Ronaldo and often wear their jerseys while playing soccer.
Resistance, weight, or strength training involves using resistance to muscular contraction to build skeletal muscle size and strength and improve anaerobic endurance. Soccer consists of running in all directions and kicking the ball while dribbling or passing to another player on the same team (Squires, 2018). Such is essential for cardiovascular training. Hence, the exercise may be poor for resistance training since it does not involve any form of weight lifting (Falces-Prieto et al., 2021). On the other hand, balance and stability training refers to exercising to strengthen the legs and core muscles and keep them upright. Balance and stability are key in soccer but are not achieved during the game through other exercises such as yoga (Patrick, 2021). Hence, playing the game among children does not enhance their balance and stability.
Yoga
Nowadays, yoga has entered the American mainstream and is mostly part of training for various groups of people, such as employees in organizations, patients in hospitals, and kids in schools. Various organizations and institutions in America are encouraging people to practice yoga for its health and spiritual benefits (Donahoe-Fillmore & Grant, 2019). Its flexibility makes it a sport that can be played anywhere and only needs a mat and exercise costumes.
Yoga has been used among kids in American schools to enhance their resistance or strength training. Yoga poses such as plank, cobra, boat, warrior II, half moon, tree, awkward chair, four-limbed staff, and handstand poses for various muscles such as core, upper arms, thighs, legs, back, abdominal, lower limbs, and shoulders (Donahoe-Fillmore & Grant, 2019). Some of the poses involve the recruitment of many muscles and the exercise of many organs at the same time. For balance and flexibility, yoga has many exercises or poses, such as the boat, warrior II, half moon, tree, and awkward chair poses that train balancing of both upper and lower limbs in kids (Richter, 2016). Hence, depending on exercise requirements, kids may use yoga for resistance and balance training. It is much safer as it does not involve heavy weight lifting and exercise in dangerous environments.
Bench Presses
Bench presses are currently included in almost every workout plan for various groups of individuals, such as students, kids, and employees. The bench press exercise is performed using dumbbells and is considered perfect for building upper-body muscle strength. It is an effective exercise for building shoulder, arm, and chest muscles, and the grip can be changed depending on the desired results. For instance, a narrower grip trains forearms and triceps more than other muscle groups. Bench presses help stabilize and enhance the body’s flexibility, which is vital for stability. However, the exercise does not involve the lower parts of the body and may not be suitable for enhancing adequate and full-body stability and strength.
Program Comparison
Strength or Resistance Training
Strength or resistance training exercises involve bodybuilding, powerlifting, fringe, gymnastics, kettlebell, functional fitness, and weight lifting. Among soccer, yoga, and bench press, bench press is best suited to enhancing strength or resistance in kids since it involves weight lifting during presses. Yoga may follow closely behind as it helps exercise almost all body muscles, resulting in optimum fitness and physical activity (Donahoe-Fillmore & Grant, 2019). Soccer only involves running, which is good for cardiovascular training. However, strength and resistance training requires weightlifting to facilitate endurance, achieved with bench presses.
Balance and Flexibility Training
Optimum balance can be achieved by exercises that train leg and core muscles such as the glutes, quadriceps, adductors, calf, and hamstring. Yoga is the best for training these groups of muscles using poses such as a boat, warrior II, half moon, tree, and awkward chair poses (Donahoe-Fillmore & Grant, 2019). The poses and styles are combined to ensure the completeness of the whole process. Bench presses majorly train the upper body parts, such as the chest, arms, and shoulders, and hardly involve lower muscles. On the other hand, soccer involves running that favors the muscles of the lower limbs more. However, balance and flexibility cannot be sufficiently achieved in soccer exercises as in yoga.
Conclusion
In conclusion, yoga is best for balance and flexibility, while bench presses are suitable for resistance training. Yoga trains many groups of body muscles, including muscles of the lower body parts, while bench presses involve weightlifting that builds muscles and enhances their strength and resistance. Soccer involves running and controlling the ball and is better for cardiovascular training than balance and resistance training. There is a need for stakeholders such as parents, teachers, and caregivers to combine the exercise programs for enhanced strength and balance training. Yoga is the best overall for balance and strength training.
References
Bjonnes, R. (2018). A brief history of yoga: From its tantric roots to the modern yoga studio. Inner World Publications.
Donahoe-Fillmore, B., & Grant, E. (2019). The effects of yoga practice on balance, strength, coordination and flexibility in healthy children aged 10-12 years. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 23(4), 708–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.02.007
Falces-Prieto, M., Sáez de Villarreal-Sáez, E., Raya-González, J., González-Fernández, F.T., Clemente, F.M., …, & Murawska-Ciałowicz, E. (2021). The differentiate effects of resistance training with or without external load on young soccer players’ performance and body composition. Frontiers in physiology, 12, 771684. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.771684
Magistro, D., Cooper, S. B., Boat, R., Carlevaro, F., Magno, F., Castagno, C., Simon, M., & Musella, G. (2022). An After-School Football Session Transiently Improves Cognitive Function in Children. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(1), 164. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010164
Patrick, R. (2021, May 26). A statistical history of pro soccer: Players, teams and concepts. McFarland Incorporated Publishers.
Squires, D. (2018, Jan. 30). The illustrated history of soccer: Hall of fame. Random House UK Publishers.
Richter, S., Tietjens, M., Ziereis, S., Querfurth, S., & Jansen, P. (2016). Yoga training in junior primary school-aged children has an impact on physical self-perceptions and problem-related behavior. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 203. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00203
Weis, D.B. (2021, Dec. 27). The boss of the bench press: The first man to officially bench press 700+ pounds. Critical Bench.
Wong, P., Ngo, K. L., Tse, M. A., & Smith, A. W. (2013). Using bench press load to predict upper body exercise loads in physically active individuals. Journal of sports science & medicine, 12(1), 38–43.
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