Football 101: A few more safety reminders

Lifelong football fan Alexander Sabadash's three favorite leagues are the English Premier League, the Russian Premier League, and the Spanish La Liga. When he isn't watching games, he plays football and teaches youngsters how to go about the beautiful game.

Alexander Sabadash has even started a blog about football. For today, he shares safety tips for young aspiring players everywhere.

Hydration

While this applies to just about anything in life, it's more important for those who play sports.

Football may be fun, but it's also incredibly demanding on the body. Whether playing during a sunny day, a cloudy afternoon, or even in the rain, football players expend a lot of energy and lose a lot of body water when they sweat a lot. Alexander Sabadash explains that some organs cease to function properly when the body loses a lot of water. This could be dangerous.

Proper gear

Soccer players wear football cleats for a good reason – safety. Football cleats dig in the ground well and provide players with a steady grip on an otherwise slippery pitch. Ordinary sneakers are a huge no-no as they can easily slip on the grass.

Alexander Sabadash also mentions the importance of wearing shin-guards to protect the shins from inadvertent impact and ankle braces to protect the ankle joints, which will be working double time.

The weather

Alexander Sabadash cautions players who continue to play even during extreme weather. While playing in the pouring rain is still okay, it might be time to call it a game when the winds howl. Extreme weather brings about lightning, and strong winds may throw in some debris, potentially dangerous.