Injuries affect the entire soccer organization and create a vicious soccer cycle. Not only can injuries hurt player’s performance and development, they often lead to long-term health consequences. Teams with multiple players out due to injury may not have as many wins.
Injuries also decrease the efficiency and effectiveness of coaches and their support staff. These factors, in turn, could damage the organization’s image, decrease player enrollment, and negatively affect player development. This leads to fewer profits for the organization and fewer funds to spend on injury prevention. Thus, the vicious soccer cycle continues.
Prevent Soccer Injuries: The On-Field Manual for Coaches, Parents, Players & Clubs to Maximize Player Development & Performance is designed to help break this cycle.
We interviewed many of the top collegiate soccer coaches and here’s their incites on injury prevention:
“The thing I realized very clearly is that I’m a much better coach when I have all of my players available to me than when I have them sitting on the sideline injured.”
Mark Krikorian
Florida State University Women’s Soccer Head Coach
“The biggest factor that has helped in preventing injuries is more education. I think we’re fortunate that we took a look at ourselves and said, all right we’ve probably got to educate ourselves a little bit more on why we’re getting these injuries and try to adjust.”
Jared Embick
University of Akron Men’s Head Soccer Coach
“Our sport is tough because you have the biggest field, the most players and the least amount of equipment and you are moving and cutting at maximum speed. You have to be careful of injuries and there’s a lot of factors involved. You have to try to learn from experts and having a culture that values education and injury prevention is really important.”
Steve Swanson
University of Virginia Women’s Soccer Head Coach
U-23 Women’s National Team Head Coach
“We had a number of ACL tears five or six years ago. We then focused on running, jumping and one-leg landing mechanics and incorporated this into the warm-up. We also did a lot of specific strengthening exercises. So a combination of what we do on the field and strengthening in the weight room. It seemed to have made an improvement in preventing injury.”
Bobby Clark
Notre Dame Men’s Soccer Head Coach