Forget Mike, I Wanna Be Like Raul!
I just can’t stop watching the replays of Raul Jimenez rescuing Mexico’s World Cup hopes with the game-winning goal in the 86th minute vs Panama on Oct. 11! Along with a couple million other folks, I was amazed, delighted and astounded. My friend Gerardo, who hails from Mexico, said he literally leaped off the couch in […]
Good Job, Good Effort — Really?
Rewind to June 2012: The Boston Celtics win Game 5 of the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat and go up 3-2 in the series. The ever-present TV cameras catch the mood of the losing team as they head into the locker room after the devastating loss before a home crowd. Listen to the kid […]
Ramping up for Pre-season Fitness: Chantilly Coaches Clinic
Hey Coaches, Great session last night, introducing warm ups and pre-season fitness ideas for your players. Special thanks to Mike Jorden’s U-16 Strikers team for being our demo’s and putting on a good show. Here’s a re-cap of the highlights from me and from Mike. (I am going from memory with Mike’s stuff.) First, ask […]
5 Things to Look for if You’re New on the Soccer Team
Just joined a new team or are considering one? How do you know whether it is a good fit? Here are 5 things to consider: other players, other parents, the coach, the team feel, your own kid. Other players … watch these at tryouts and practice: Does your kid fit in? Can she keep up with […]
The Key to Successful ACL Injury Prevention
Looking at the numbers of ACL tears and “revisions” – that’s a nice way to say re-tears – it is very clear this an injury we want to prevent. At all costs. The question is, can we? Sportsmetrics (Hewett in Ohio) and the PEP program (Santa Monica, CA) say YES. These groups have done solid […]
Prepare Their Ankles! Youth Soccer is More NASCAR, Less Drivers Ed
Getting over a sprained ankle? Got an ankle that always give you trouble? What do you do? Doctors are good for diagnoses. Surgeons are good for…surgery. Physical therapists are good for… therapy. All good. But you’re not done yet. To get back on the field again, you need to be performance-fit. Kids know performance. They […]
Washington Spirit Humbled in the Face of UVA Onslaught
It was a cold and windy night at the Maryland Sportsplex. The first night I could make it out for one of the DC Spirit’s pre-season games. Free tickets online. No excuse not to go, except for the drive and the family schedule. That landed me there on Saturday night, the last game before the […]
Just Don’t Get Hurt – How do you play that game?
When our daughter took the field with the high school soccer team, these words of advice were our best attempt at injury prevention. “Just don’t get hurt.” What a game plan, eh? How do you play the “just don’t get hurt” game? Here are some options: Take the field but don’t engage. Get out of their way […]
Two Sports in the Same Season: What Can We Do?
Two sports in the same season, it doesn’t end. We just switch which team gets dibs on our kids. Now that fall soccer is over we head into the winter season. The fall soccer players are taking on winter sports, but also playing indoor or futsal, or just plain training outside. Two sports in the […]
How Much Does a Soccer Scholarship Cost?
Easy come, easy go. It’s just money, right? Spent by the thousands per year on your middle school and high school aged soccer player for club fees, tournaments, travel, equipment, spirit-wear, food. And if they’re “good” enough, there’s the ODP State and Regional, perhaps National tournament travel and play. How much is enough to invest […]