Futsal Pre-Season Injury Prevention: Protocol for the First Weeks
A practical injury-prevention protocol for the first weeks of futsal pre-season, when muscle injury risk is at its highest.
Written by
João Araújo
Physical Education Teacher (FADEUP – University of Porto) · Futsal Coach – Level II · UEFA B License · Master’s in Physical Education
15 years teaching Physical Education in schools, 20 years coaching futsal at youth development level and 5 years coaching football. Federated and amateur football and futsal player.
A squad needs a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks of structured preventive work before returning to real match intensity; it’s precisely in these first weeks that most muscle injuries recorded during futsal pre-season occur. Adductors, hamstrings and calves are the areas most affected, exactly because futsal demands explosive stops and changes of direction that the body, after the off-season, still isn’t prepared for.
The pattern is always similar: a player shows up to the first session in worse physical shape than at the end of the previous season, the manager wants to “make up for lost time” and ramps up exercises too fast, and by the second or third week the first muscle complaints appear. often in players who seemed to be “in good shape”.
Why Futsal Pre-Season Is a Different Challenge for Prevention
Futsal combines, in a small space, high-speed actions with constant stops and changes of direction. far more than other team sports with more room to decelerate gradually. That means the muscles involved in sharp braking (hamstrings, adductors) need specific eccentric strengthening work before being exposed to those movements at real match speed.
The Plan: Prevention Protocol for the First 3 Weeks
| Week | Protocol Focus | Key Exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Activation and joint mobility | Glute activation, hip mobility, single-leg balance proprioception |
| Week 2 | Eccentric strengthening | Nordic hamstring curl, single-leg hip thrust, side planks |
| Week 3 | Transfer to sport-specific movements | Controlled braking, progressive changes of direction, controlled-landing jumps |
Step 1: Activation and Mobility
Before any intensity work, every session in the first two weeks should include 10-15 minutes of activation: hip and ankle mobility, glute medius activation, and single-leg balance proprioception exercises (essential for futsal’s braking movements).
Step 2: Eccentric Strengthening
Eccentric work is what most reduces hamstring injury risk. The Nordic hamstring curl, done twice a week, is the exercise with the strongest evidence in this area. Add adductor work (hip thrust with a ball squeezed between the knees, side plank with abduction) to cover the other high-risk area in futsal.
Step 3: Transfer to Match Play
Only after 2 weeks of base work should braking and changes of direction be introduced at real match speed. Progression: first at a controlled pace (70% of max speed), then at competitive intensity, always supervising the quality of landing and braking technique.
The Most Common Pre-Season Injury Prevention Mistakes
- Skipping the activation and mobility phase to “save ball time”. it’s precisely this phase that reduces risk in the following weeks.
- Not individualising the progression. players coming back from injury or a long period of inactivity need more weeks of base work than the rest.
- Introducing high-speed changes of direction too early. before the muscles are ready, this is the movement most associated with adductor injury.
- Ignoring signs of accumulated fatigue. persistent muscle soreness that doesn’t fade between sessions is a warning sign, not “normal pre-season stuff”.
🔧 Useful Tool
Applying an individualised prevention protocol requires tracking symptoms and fatigue signs per player throughout the first weeks. The SportsLabTools Athlete Journal lets you monitor muscle complaints and perceived fatigue levels, flagging at-risk players early.
Adjusting for the Group: Players at Different Fitness Levels
Not every player arrives at the first session at the same level. Those coming from a longer period of inactivity (injury last season, no off-season training) should follow a slower progression within the same protocol. more time in Step 1 and 2, later entry into Step 3.
See also: Futsal Injury Prevention: Proprioception and Strengthening Exercises. to go deeper on the specific exercises used throughout the season.
Checklist: Futsal Pre-Season Injury Prevention
- Activation and mobility included in every session of the first 2 weeks
- Nordic hamstring curl introduced twice a week from Week 2
- Specific adductor work included in the protocol
- High-speed changes of direction only introduced in Week 3
- Individualised progression for players returning from injury
- Muscle fatigue signs recorded session by session
- Protocol communicated and explained to the squad
Conclusion
It’s not luck. it’s a deliberate technical decision. The most common muscle injuries in futsal pre-season follow a predictable pattern, and a structured 3-week protocol drastically cuts the risk of losing players right at the start of the season.
Track fatigue signs and muscle complaints for every player from day one. Use the SportsLabTools Athlete Journal to catch injury risk before it happens.