Abby Wambach’s Dangerous Play
Aw Abby! Abby Wambach won’t be with her team, the Washington Freedom, for their next game. She is serving a one-game suspension for a tackle she made on star opponent, Daniela, at the Freedom’s game Sunday night. As the result of Abby’s tackle, Daniela suffered knee ligament damage and a cracked tibia. Her season is […]
Nine Rules of Good Training
1. Knows that exercise is stress. An athlete must rest and recover to build. 2. Will increase intensity slowly (not > 10%/week). (Coaches often coach to the highest common denominator. This puts the lowest in fitness at risk.) 3. Will build a base of fitness: gradually building intensity, peaking in season. 4. Will alternate hard […]
Simples ways to beat soccer burn out
Coaches: Give players the resources to cope with the stress of the game: help them focus on the task and what they CAN control (their game, their aggressiveness, their attitude) and not what they CAN’T control (game outcome, play of the other team, environment ) Be aware of outside stressors of your players. Connect personally […]
What Causes Overtraining?
Overtraining injury may be the result of one or several of the following: Activities which require repetitive motion. Increasing intensity or duration of training too quickly. Lack of fitness, especially core strength. Failure to fully rehab after an injury, come back too soon, not allow enough rest for recovery. Poorly functioning equipment. Shoes are generally […]
If you do player development, you better know child development
When we watch our children learning to play sports, it can be difficult to remember that they are children. We sometimes expect more from them than their chronological age and physical and emotional maturity will allow. Here are some age group behavioral guidelines: Beginners* 6-8: easily distracted, egocentric, cluster, easily fatigued, love movement, need clear […]
Play it safe, but play
Spring is coming! Our kids are streaming back to the playing fields. No one is happier about this than I am. Youth sports have so much to offer our kids – physically, emotionally, socially – as long as they’re not side-lined by injury. Did you know?* Sports injuries to youth (0-14 years) in 1997 cost […]
The key to youth sports success: compete don’t compare
Dear Fellow Sports Parent, What do you want your child to get from playing sports? Why do you sign him up? Drive him around? Go to his games? Cheer him on? Why do we go to the trouble? Because we want to give him the things that sport has to offer: healthy exercise, skill/coordination, confidence, […]