Hip Mobility for Soccer: Why It Matters for Performance and Injury Prevention

Why Hip Mobility Is Important for Soccer Players

Soccer is one of the sports that requires a high physical capacity and relies on the major performance qualities of speed, agility, strength, power, and endurance. It utilizes all three planes of movement regularly from a forward/backwards direction (sagittal plane), sideways direction (frontal plane), and rotational direction (transverse plane).  An essential physical quality to complete repetitive movements in all three planes is having adequate hip mobility. 

The hip joint is where the thigh bone (femur) meets the pelvis and is designed to allow for movements in all planes. Having adequate hip mobility is important as the hips are used in every movement on the field, and inadequate mobility can result in increased strain to adjacent structures and soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments). 

Over time, this increased strain can contribute to pain and injuries. Common sites that can develop pain with inadequate hip mobility as a factor are the low back, regions of the pelvis like the pubic symphysis, the knees, and surrounding soft tissues such as the groin muscles, abdominal muscles, hip flexors, hamstrings, and quadriceps muscles.

Understanding Hip Anatomy and Movement Patterns in Soccer

As was briefly touched on, the hip joint is where the thigh meets the pelvis and is a ball and socket joint. This means that it allows for movement in every plane, however, due to bony anatomy, some movements are able to achieve greater ranges than others.

Hip Movements That Influence Soccer Performance

The movements of the hip are labeled as hip internal rotation (thigh spins inwards), external rotation (thigh spins outwards), flexion (thigh moves forwards), extension (thigh moves backwards), abduction (thigh moves sideways away from the midline of the body), and adduction (thigh moves sideways closer to the midline of the body). 

Common Soccer Skills That Require Hip Mobility

However, we never really move in just one plane at a time, so some combined movements have their own name. The term FABER stands for the hip moving into flexion, abduction, and external rotation (technically it moves into extension as well). This is also called a Bent Knee Fall Out to additionally describe the position. 

This FABER position, or Bent Knee Fall Out, is a common combined movement that soccer players utilize whenever they pass a ball with the inside of their foot.  A shot involves hip extension and slight external rotation on the wind-up, and hip flexion, adduction, and some internal rotation on the follow through (depending on the angle of the shot). 

The rapid change of directions to defend a rondo, for example, especially focus on abduction and internal/external rotational movements to twist and turn during the actions. Those all describe movements of the thigh bone (femur) relative to the pelvis, but there are also movements the pelvis can go through relative to the femur.  I won’t get into those movements, but it just goes to show how much of our sporting movements occur in this region of the hips.

Normal Hip Mobility Ranges for Soccer Athletes

The normal range of motion at the hip is different for each direction. 

Standard Hip Range of Motion Values

It is commonly taught that someone should actively have 110-120 degrees of hip flexion, 10-15 degrees of hip extension, 30-40 degrees of hip internal rotation, 40-60 degrees of hip external rotation, 30-50 degrees of hip abduction, and 30 degrees of hip adduction.¹  Passive range of motion values, meaning when the person’s body part is relaxed and moved for them, also fall within these ranges. 

Hip Mobility Adaptations in Soccer Players

For someone who has played a specific sport for most of their life, their range of motion may differ due to how their body has adapted to the unique demands of sports over time. For example, typically, soccer players have more external rotation on their dominant passing/shooting leg because they are constantly rotating their hip out to pass with the inside of their foot. By gaining more external rotation, the body typically responds by losing some internal rotation mobility on that side. 

Figure 1: A) External rotation. B) Internal rotation. C) Bent knee fall out – measure distance from the ground to the side of the knee at the head of the fibula with a soft tape measure.

Hip Mobility Measurements in Male Soccer Players

In healthy professional soccer males as young as 18 years old, below are the common range of motion values that are seen at the hip.²

• Internal Rotation (at 90deg hip flexion): Dominant 31.7 +/- 7.9 degrees; Non-dominant 32.6 +/- 8.1 degrees
• External Rotation (at 90deg hip flexion): Dominant 38.4 +/- 8.4 degrees; Non-dominant 37.9 +/- 8.5 degrees
• Bent Knee Fall Out: Dominant 13.1 +/- 4.5 centimeters; Non-dominant 13 +/- 4.3cm
• Abduction: Dominant 49.7 +/- 7.5 degrees; Non-dominant 49.8 +/- 7.2 degrees

Hip Mobility Measurements in Female Soccer Players

Healthy elite female soccer players between 18 and 20 years old have the following ranges of motion listed below as an average for both hips.³  As can be seen, the numbers are often slightly higher, which goes to show the differences that can occur between genders.

• Internal Rotation (at 90deg hip flexion): 34-36 +/- 8-9 degrees
• External Rotation (at 90deg hip flexion): 44-46 +/- 5-7degrees
• Bent Knee Fall Out: 14-15 +/- 4 centimeters

Can Limited Hip Mobility Increase Injury Risk?

While range of motion values that are abnormal don’t seem to be able to predict risk of injury², they can certainly be a factor contributing to increased strain in the various regions previously mentioned.

How to Assess Your Hip Mobility for Soccer

Professional Hip Mobility Assessment

The best way to assess your hip mobility to see if certain movements need to be improved is to get measured by a licensed physical therapist or athletic trainer. They will be able to detect when the hip joint is truly at its end range, and the point at which the body starts cheating to fool you into thinking you have more range of movement than your hip joint possesses. 

Self-Testing Hip Mobility at Home

Quick self-checks of certain movements can be achieved by actively trying to move yourself through the ranges and then comparing side to side (Figure 1). You or a friend/family member can use an angle meter app on your phone to measure by placing the phone along the side of the shin during the internal/external rotation positions.

Best Hip Mobility Exercises for Soccer Players

If decreased ranges are measured, mobility exercises can then be incorporated to address the deficit to work on improving your range of motion in that specific direction. Below are some common hip mobility exercises to address various planes of movement (Figure 2). 

Figure 2: A) Elevated pigeon stretch with trunk rotation – improves flexion, external rotation, and internal rotation. B) Seated hip wipers – improve internal rotation of the knee, rotating in. C) Airplane stretch – improves internal rotation of the stance leg. D) Frog rock back stretch – improves hip abduction and external rotation. E) Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch with trunk lean and rotation – improves hip extension and external rotation.

How to Perform Hip Mobility Exercises Correctly

You can begin by completing 2-3 rounds of 30-second holds, or perform repetitions of the movement during a 30-second period. If you do repetitions of the movements, I typically recommend holding the stretch for 2-3 seconds before backing off and then repeating the movement. Every couple of repetitions, you want to see if you can go slightly further into the stretch.

Common Mistakes During Hip Mobility Training

A key point for each movement is to notice how the model in the pictures tries to keep a flat/straight back for all of them. Keeping your back, especially your lower back, straight will help to improve the intensity of the stretch by stabilizing your pelvis in place. 

When to Stop and Consult a Physical Therapist

For all mobility exercises, you should never feel any pain or pinching sensation in your hips during the movements.  If you do feel pain or pinching, consult a physical therapist to see what variations can be made to avoid that sensation.

Building Hip Mobility Into Your Soccer Training Routine

Remember, mobility work is one piece of the puzzle that fits with strength and conditioning work and your on-field loading, but it is an often-neglected piece that usually starts to be addressed when someone is in pain or injured. Get assessed to see what’s best for your body, or incorporate some of these mobility drills to contribute to your health and ability to stay on the field.

References:

1. Magee DJ. Orthopedic Physical Assessment. 5^th edition. Saunders Elsevier; 2008.
2. Mosler AB. Intrinsic risk factors for hip and groin pain in professional male football players. Doctoral Dissertation, La Trobe University. 2017.
3. Heijboer, W M P, Thijs, K M, Weir, A, Serner, A, Tol, J L, Goedhart, E A & Groot, F P 2024, ‘Normal hip strength and range of motion values in youth and adult female national football teams : Data from 504 assessments’, Physical Therapy in Sport, vol. 69, pp. 51-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.06.005