Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.


The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination.

Check Stretching: Focus on Flexibility to learn of the benefits of including regular stretching in your exercise program to help your overall fitness.

Read the New York Times article on why female soccer players are more at risk for ACL injuries at Female soccer players & ACL injuries.

The following exercises are from the September 2008 Natural Health issue.

The Pendulum:
A. Come onto your hands and knees on a yoga mat or pad, with hands directly under shoulders (fingers pointing forward) and knees directly under hips. Keep arms straight and move hands forward 3-5 inches. Curl toes under. Inhale and lift knees off the mat. Lift tailbone toward the ceiling and straighten legs as much as possible without locking knees. Note: The goal is to make your body form an inverted V. Press heels toward the floor. Keep neck in line with back and head in between upper arms.

B. Exhale,contract glutes, rise onto balls of feet, and lower hips toward the mat while shifting weight to hands, keeping arms straight. Slide head forward and up, open chest, and gaze up slightly. Press shoulders back; body should be parallel to, but not touching floor/mat.

C. Return to starting position, A. For beginners, aim for 3 repetitions; more advanced, contract abdominals throughout the entire move to further strengthen core. After completing repetitions, take 3 deep, cleansing breaths.

Tabletop:
A. Sit on a yoga mat or pad with legs about hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, feet flat on the floor about 2 feet out. Place hands behind , near hips, palms flat on mat and fingers pointing toward toes. Contract abdominals, Pull them toward spine.

B. Inhale, pressing down through hands and feet and lifting hips off the floor until they're at the same height as knees. Slide knees forward until aligned over ankles. Bring head back slightly and gaze toward ceiling, keeping neck long. NOTE: Posture should look like a flat tabletop with torso parallel to floor, arms straight, wrists aligned with shoulders and knees aligned with ankles.

C. Exhale and lower to the starting position, A. For beginners, aim for 3 repetitions; more advanced, begin in a seated position with legs extended rather than bent. After completing repetitions, take 3 deep, cleansing breaths.


What Can Be Done to Prevent Injury? by Amber Chenoweth, DPT, from Therapeutic Outlook Fall 2008 article

Much can be learned about preventing injury by looking at anatomy. A majority of knee problems can be prevented with proper training. Injury prevention is a three-pronged approached: Stretching, Strengthening and Motor Control Training. A description of exercises will follow the summary. The key to any stretching and strengthing program is consistency. The following exercises will not prevent all knee injuries but are a good start to avoiding knee pain.

1. The following stretches will help to maintain proper muscle length on both sides of the leg: Hip Flexor Stretch, Quadriceps Stretch; Hamstring Stretch and Calf Stretch. These stretches are basic but should be done on a consistent basis performing them daily for two 30-60 second holds for each leg.

2. Strengthening to prevent knee injuries focuses on the hip and trunk. In order to produce controlled movements, you must have a strong base for the leg. Regarding the hip, the focus is on 2 areas-the hip adbuctors (outside of the hip)and the hip external rotators (deep in the buttocks). When performing these exercises, the movement should occur at the hip joint, not in the low back. In order to prevent back movement, gently pull your belly button toward your spine, engaging the abdominal muscles, without holding your breath.

3. Standing in front of a full-length mirror while doing the following motor control exercises will help to maintain proper knee alignment/movement. To begin motor control training start with the 3-way Toe Touch. After this activity has become easy, further challenge yourself do the Balance Reach exercise.

Exercise description:
Quadriceps Stretch
Stand on one leg (hold onto something if needed for balance).
Bend your knee and bring your heel toward your buttock.
Reach for your ankle with your hand.
Stand up straight and feel a slight pull along the front of your thigh and hip.
Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds, release and repeat on the other leg.
Be careful not to strain your knee - the goal is not to touch your heel to the buttock, but rather to stretch the thigh.

Calf Stretch
While standing, place your left foot near the wall.
Bend forearms and rest them against the wall.
Keeping the right foot flat on the floor, move right leg back until you feel the stretch in the calf muscle. Hold an easy stretch for 10-30 seconds. Do not bounce. Repeat on the other leg.

Hip Flexor Stretch
Place one knee on a (stationary) chair.
Slowly move your pelvis forward. Take care not to rotate your hips as you start to stretch.
Tuck pelvis and lean torso slightly backwards to accentuate the stretch.
Repeat with other leg.

Hamstring Stretch
Lying on the floor in a doorway raise one leg up and place along wall.
Other leg actively rests on the floor-striving to straighten knee.
Repeat with other leg.

Hip Abduction
Lay on your side, with the bottom knee bent and the top knee straight.
Keep your abdominals engaged and lift the top leg toward the ceiling without allowing your pelvis to roll back.
Repeat 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.

Hip External Rotation
Lay on your side, with both knees bent to 90 degrees and legs stacked on each other.
Roll your pelvis forward slightly, angling your belly butoon toward the floor.
Keeping your pelvis in that position and your feet together, lift up the top knee as if your legs were a clamshell.
Repeat 5 sets of 10 reps on each side.

3-Way Toe Touch
Stand on one leg, keeping your hips level.
Reach forward with the foot and tap the toe on the ground while slightly bending the other knee.
Watch the knee alignment of the leg you're standing on to make sure the knee does not collapse in.
Come back to the starting position.
Repeat the movement, tapping the toe to the side and back.
Perform 3 sets of 10 taps on each leg.

Balance Reach
Stand on left leg, keeping your hips level.
Bending at waist, reach forward with right hand while right leg raises behind.
Touch right hand on floor in front of left foot.
Repeat on right leg.
Perform 3 sets of 10 reaches on each leg.


Injury Prevention: Stabilizing & Strengthening Knees by Dr. John O'Kane of UW, from Seattle Times September 23, 2007 article
1. Single leg squat and reach Keep the pelvis level and the left knee in line with the hip and foot. Reach with the right foot in forward, back and diagonal directions while maintaining balance and alignment with the left (weight-bearing) leg. Repeat on other side. Do two sets of 15 on each leg.

2. Jump squats Start in a good squat position, with hips and knees in line, ankles directly below knees. Use a mirror to monitor your form. Jump straight up and land softly with knees and hips bent, trunk upright and knees in line with hips and feet. Do between 15-30 repetitions.

3. Single-leg squat Balance on one foot, keeping pelvis level and knee in line with hip and foot. Bend at knee and hops, keeping trunk upight and leg in good alignment. Do two sets of 15 repetitions on each leg.

Click Cross Training to learn of the benefits of cross-training.
For an informative article on tips in achieving your athletic objectives click Setting Goals

How to Prevent Blisters As an athlete you'll face this problem at some point. Learn what to do at Prevent Blisters

Caution: Soccer Ahead lists the areas of concern for players in staying injury-free.

When injuries happen... HEAT or Ice from the June 2009 issue of Play On!
When to apply ice to an injury and when to apply heat is confusing for some people. Since the application of heat in the early stages of injury can actually cause more swelling it is important to know the appropriate time o use heat and ice to help recover.

Ice

1. Causes blood vessels to constrict, reducing swelling in an acute injury thus decreasing pain and speeding up the healing process.
2. Reduces the sensation of pain.
3. Reduces muscle spasm.
4. Application of ice directly to the skin can be uncomfortable at first.
5. After about 7 min. the area becomes numb and pain is reduced.
6. Apply directly to the skin or over a wet towel if too cold.
7. Elevate the injured body part above the heart.
8. Leave in place for 20 minutes.
9. Repeat application of ice every 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the first couple days following an injury.
10. Do not use ice for people with sensitive skin or those with known skin allergies.
11. When using frozen gel packs, place over a wet elastic wrap or wet towel. Never apply directly to the skin.

HEAT
1. Can be used on chronic injuries when there is no swelling present.
2. May aid healing process in chronic injuries by increasing the amount of blood to the area.
3. Causes blood vessels to enlarge, increasing swelling in an acute injury thus increasing pain & lengthening the healing process.
4. Best treatment for injuries without swelling or acute pain.
5. This could be as long as a few days to several weeks after injury.
6. Reduces muscle spasm.
7. Heat should be left in place for only 15-20 minutes.
8. Apply injured area with a heating pad, including cover.

Young athletes must be conscientious in providing their bodies with the proper fuel to not only perform well in their sport but also for their bodies to continue to grow and develop. See Sports Nutrition for dietary suggestions.

TOURNAMENT SEASON Nutrition: It's important to resist the urge of fast-food convenience while travelling to and participating in tournaments. In fact, ingesting high-fat and high-sugar foods on competition days can reduce your body's ability to perform and impact your game. Maintaining healthy eating habits on the road just takes a little preparation and forethought. At the end of this discussion will be a list of snacks to have on hand.

Fluids and carbohydrate-rich foods are key items for pre-game meals. Maintaining a hydration level that will allow you to fully compete is critical; at a minimum, being dehydrated can fatigue a player quickly. Serious health consequences can result from dehydration. Players need to consume high-carbs before competition to have maximum energy stores to draw from as carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy to facilitate exercise. Low-fat, lean proteins, as opposed to high-protein foods which require several hours to digest, are also useful on game day.

Game day eating requires a balance between ingesting the needed calories/energy for optimal performance and allowing enough time for digestion to occur eliminating any stomach upset before the match.
As a general guideline:
1. 3 or more hours before warmup, eat a mini-meal consisting of carbs, low-fat protein foods and liquids.
2. Between 1-2 hours before warmup, confine your eating to carbs such as fresh fruit and/or whole grain breads/bagels and fluids.
3. 1 hour before warmup limit consumption to fluids only. Examples: water, sports drinks or juice (at this point diluted with water to half-strength).

Snack Suggestions:
Bagels, pretzels, graham crackers, fresh/dried fruit, carrots, low-fat granola bars, sandwiches with lean protein such as turkey or peanut butter (use whole-grain bread), low/nonfat milk, low-fat string cheese, and sports drinks.

Click Camps and Clinics for a listing of training opportunities. Private training options can be found by clicking Private Training.

Kicks Against Breast Cancer Initiative raises money to find a cure for breast cancer and to help women living with cancer survive and thrive. Pins ordered can be sold as a team fundraiser-helping your team while fighting breast cancer. For information and to order visit Kicks Against Breast Cancer

The book,Come, Walk, raises money for various organizations fighting breast cancer and supporting those battling breast cancer. For informaiton and to order visit Come,Walk

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