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Soccer is a growing sport among the youth in our country today. Notably, more female athletes are choosing to play soccer. With this added participation, it is inevitable that more injuries will occur. Many of these injuries are linked to physical training and conditioning.

The most common injuries in soccer typically involve the ankle, knee and hip region. Such injuries include ankle sprains, knee ligament sprains, meniscus tears, and muscular strains (hip and groin). ACL injuries are now reaching epidemic proportions, especially in the female soccer athlete.

Research has indicated that proper training programs can and do reduce ACL injuries and will help prevent other sports related injuries. Much of the research has indicated that strengthening, jump landing technique and agility training affect the risk for this type of injury. The following list will outline how to effectively reduce common soccer injuries.

1.Perform a periodized year round strength training program with special emphasis on balancing the muscles of the leg and targeting the core muscles (low back, abdominals and hip).

2.Understand the energy systems utilized in soccer and train them according to performance demands. This involves the proper blend of training aerobic endurance and anaerobic power to ensure explosive performance over the entire course of a match. Fatigue late in the match can lead to injury.

3.Perform routine stretching to prevent muscular imbalance and tightness. This refers to static stretching that should be done after a suitable warm-up or at the end of practice.

4.Perform supervised, carefully planned plyometric (jump) training to teach proper landing form and develop power.

5.Incorporate dynamic balance training to teach body control and reduce ankle sprains and knee injuries.

6.Take planned periodic rests from practice and play to avoid overtraining.

7.Perform routine agility and quickness drills to improve footwork and cutting ability. Many ACL injuries occur with non-contact cutting movements and it is critical for athletes to cut on a bent knee and be able to control their momentum during change of direction.

8.Perform a dynamic warm-up prior to practice and games that effectively simulates sport specific movement. These activities will better prepare the body for the demands placed upon it during competition. This can be further broken down into general and specific functional warm-ups.

9.Perform yearly pre-season physical screening evaluations with an athletic trainer or physical therapist to assess any musculoskeletal areas of weakness.

10.Perform pre-season, in-season and post-season fitness testing to assess training methods, performance and conditioning. This protocol will allow the coaches to adjust training volume, intensity and modalities to ensure that their athletes are peaking at the right time and not training improperly.

All of these suggestions are important in developing complete athletes and preventing common injuries. They will not prevent all soccer injuries, however, they will greatly reduce the risk potential and enhance athletic performance. The ultimate key to injury prevention is understanding the sport of soccer and developing a program designed to address its demands on the body.

posted by booyamoplyfcu  # 11:21 PM 0 comments

In this article we're going to discuss child care and some tips on what to do when the summer comes and you need to get away from it all for a while.

Let's be honest, no matter how devoted you are as a parent and no matter how much you love you kid, eventually you reach a point, especially if you're a full time stay at home parent, where you need to get away for a while. And usually the best time to do this is in the summer when both parents might be off work.

This is actually quite common in families where one or both parents are school teachers and get the summers off. No sooner June 21 hits and they're off to somewhere. But what do you do when you want to get away and have a small child, or even not so small child, that needs to be taken care of?

Well, option number one is you take the kid with you. But that kind of defeats the purpose of going on your much needed vacation.

That more or less leaves you with option number two. Leave the child with someone. The $64,000 question is, who?

Well, you have a number of choices here. The best one is probably to leave the child with a family member, like your parents for one. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to awkward situations. Maybe your parents really weren't planning on taking care of your little brat for 2 months. Or maybe they had plans to go away themselves. Most likely brothers and sisters or distant relatives will politely tell you that they can't do it.

Your best bet is to simply go to a professional. If your child is old enough then you'll probably want to send the kid off to summer camp. This is always a favorite with parents. The problem is, you want to make sure this camp is going to be one you don't regret sending your kid too. After all, this is still your child.

So these are the things you should look out for before sending your kid off to whatever summer camp you choose.

1. Find out what the camp has to offer and if it is accredited. You don't want to send your kid somewhere where he'll be sitting around twiddling his thumbs all day in a place that has absolutely no accreditation. This will most likely turn out to be a disaster. Camps that have specific programs that will keep your child busy all day are your best bet.

2. Make sure though that there is a balance between active and quiet times in the schedule. If your kid is going non stop all day long by the time he gets home he is going to be bouncing off the walls and you'll never get him down.

3. Make sure you keep in constant contact with the camp and your child. This doesn't mean you have to call 3 times a day everyday but you should at least keep in touch to find out what's going on a couple of times a week.

By following these simple tips and having a little faith, you and your child can both have a very enjoyable summer.

posted by booyamoplyfcu  # 11:23 AM 0 comments