Texans' J.J. Watt trades one football for the other

J.J. Watt has mastered American football, but how would he do if he tried to play the world's football?

The Texans star gave it a shot recently when he joined local soccer club Albion Hurricanes FC for a practice.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year traded swim moves, bull rushes and tackling drills for 6-v-1 games, off-the-ball runs and goalkeeping duty.

Though he had not participated in a soccer practice since third grade, he hustled through the drills and scrimmages with a positive attitude.

"I'm sure these girls are going to be a lot better than me, but I am going to trash talk my way through the whole thing," Watt said in a video posted by Gatorade. The video can be seen at the top of this page.

Watt participated in the practice as part of Gatorade's annual heat safety campaign.

"Through the Beat the Heat program and with the help of our partners, we are able to educate athletes, parents and coaches about the importance of proper hydration and what safety measures to consider while active in the heat," said Jeff Kearney, senior director of Global Sports Marketing. "As a sports culture so focused on statistics, often times we forget how much of an impact hydration has on our performance and therefore those results."

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) celebrates a defensive stop against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle ) less Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) celebrates a defensive stop against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at Reliant Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, in Houston. ( ... more Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Image 1 of / 44 Caption Close Texans' J.J. Watt trades one football for the other 1 / 44 Back to Gallery

Watt seemed to leave with more respect for soccer, noting at one point that if he runs too much in one football play he has not done his job. He said the biggest challenge was the constant running and lack of breaks.

"It's hard. It's impressive," Watt said. "The girls are impressive."