The Killer Dynamic Warm Up in 5 Simple Steps
Confused about getting your dynamic warm up right? It’s the first thing I do with every youth team, no matter the sport, is make sure they perform a complete dynamic warm up before every practice and every game. A regular dynamic warm up, done with dedication and proper form, has been shown to reduce the chance […]
Pre-season Tournaments Beat Kids Up: Rest Days Allow them to Return to Full Strength
Are your players full of energy and enthusiasm at the beginning of practice? Or, are they pooped from school starting or the tournament weekend they just toughed it through? We all like those high energy days because we know that’s when we can really challenge them toward peak performance, but we are leery of pushing past […]
Morgan Brian Passed the Concussion Tests, Should She Have Been Allowed to Return?
I know this is not going to make me popular, but … not every collision spells concussion. The collision between midfielder Morgan Brian and Germany’s Alexandra Popp has the concussion lines a-buzzin’. Taylor Twellman’s tweeting and Briana Scurry’s Facebooking. From my living room, it looked rough. Brian, is face down in the turf, and Popp […]
ACL Risk Assessment: 5 Simple Tests Every Parent and Coach Can Do
Do you want to know if you kid is at risk for an ACL tear? You don’t need a special assessment program or highly trained health professionals to run an assessment. You can evaluate your own kids to decide whether there is cause for concern. Here are five tests every coach and every parent can and […]
Survival Training for the Winter Ice Breaker Tournament
We’ve nearly survived the snow and ice, now how about the Icebreaker? The tournament, I mean. Can you believe spring soccer is just around the bend? This year the weather has prevented most teams from doing a lot of preseason preparation. What will this mean when the team takes the field in March? Is there […]
Weak core muscles increase risk of ACLs and Concussions: Let’s Get Injury Prevention Right
“Arrive early for warm ups!” says every Coach ever. The smart coach uses that time well to get the kids moving. We used to just show up to play. Now, we know that warm up is essential our players’, performance and protection from injury. Today’s youth coaches are dutifully standing by and watching their players […]
Videos for the Fit2Finish Book
Here are the video links for my new book Fit2Finish: Keeping Your Soccer Players in the Game. Find your age group. Find your fun. Try it out. All the Fit2Finish games are fueled by the science of healthy sports but designed to blend performance into your practice. (Just don’t tell them it’s good for them!) […]
Are Youth Soccer Coaches Smarter than Little League Coaches?
Throwing too many pitches is injuring our little leaguers. The scary thing is, coaches know this and are still putting young players at risk. A group from Case Western Reserve reports, While 100% (of coaches) were aware of the need to limit the number of pitches thrown by young pitchers to prevent overuse injuries, only […]
What Does an ACL Really Cost?
What does an Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) tear really cost? Young athletes don’t have a clue. I’ll never forget sitting with Katherine and her dad as we looked at the video of her performance in the screening exercises. I cautioned Katherine about the ACL injury risk in athletic girls whose knees tended to fold inwards […]
Beating ACL Injuries: Three Steps Every Coach Can Take
ACL tear. Out for the season. Words no one ever wants to hear. But we keep hearing them. In soccer, football, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse and even in ultimate frisbee! If you know these kids personally, this becomes a personal issue. The ACL tear disrupts the whole family, and repair deals pain and anguish for everyone. […]