A lot of kids came through the office to get “tuned up” for summer activities. Typically we’re dealing with a number of nagging overuse injuries, and one extremely common type is pain in the front of the knee. Pain in adolescent athletes is often called “growing pain” but there are specific age ranges and sports […]
Youth Soccer Insider
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
No parents on the sidelines: Both wonderful and sad
Years ago, I helped coach a team of young teens and a girl asked us to switch her from right wing to left wing to keep her farther from her screaming dad. Shortly before the pandemic hit, I reffed a game during which a 10-year-old boy emphatically protested an inconsequential call in midfield with the […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Ref's View: How many games are too many?
Soccer Americans might find it ironic that I am writing about how many games are too many although I have officiated thousands of games. Yet a reason for my longevity is I’m very much more tortoise than hare and accepted assignments where I could thrive rather than simply survive. I am now 58 years old […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Return to play after COVID-19 infection is high but requires careful medical consultation
Since early in the pandemic, COVID-19 has been associated with heart problems, including reduced ability to pump blood and abnormal heart rhythms. But it’s been an open question whether these problems are caused by the virus infecting the heart, or an inflammatory response to viral infection elsewhere in the body. Such details have implications for […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Refs need to explain some decisions
Hopefully, the person at the field who knows and understands the rules best is the referee. Many youth soccer games have a couple of coaches on the bench with each team and 30-50 spectators on the other side of the field. The spectators are generally relatives of the players––parents, grandparents and siblings. Of what could […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Ref's View: Leniency on 'holding' can create out-of-control games
Of the direct-kick fouls in soccer, arguably the easiest one to call is holding, or to quote directly from the rules, “holds an opponent.” Contrast this with handling the ball, which takes up not just three words but over 300 words in the rulebook. Holding is the foul where the continuation principle can be applied, […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
The misplaced faith in repetition training and the benefits of interleaving
The following is an excerpt from John O’Sullivan‘s latest book, “Every Moment Matters: How the World’s Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams.” ————– There is a lot of bad advice given to both athletes and coaches when it comes to learning, but perhaps the worst is “repetition, repetition, repetition.” Peter Brown (Make It […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
The Ride Home is Not a Teachable Moment
This article, an excerpt from John O’Sullivan‘s book Changing the Game, first appeared in the Soccer America in 2013 and quickly become among the Youth Soccer Insider‘s most popular and well-received articles. As we’re hoping we’ll soon return to post-pandemic American youth soccer routines, we thought it an opportune time to republish O’Sullivan’s much-hailed advice. […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
A simple training technique with many benefits: running backward
There’s a little bit of science supporting the benefits of backward running, also known as retro running or reverse running. Not a ton of science but just enough for me to recommend that you give this some consideration in your training, regardless of sport. You’d use backward running occasionally to change up your typical training […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Is cold therapy for you? Assessing the risks and benefits of different types of cryotherapy
There’s been quite a bit of interest in cryotherapy (various forms of using cold temperatures for recovery and health benefits), and in this article I’ll briefly describe the types of cryotherapy available. We’ll also touch on an interesting emerging concept: is applying ice immediately after an injury really the best thing to do for healing and […]