Play style and injuries

[Opai2012]

Hi. My 11yo plays club PreNL. He’s a skinny kid but plays very physically. He’s had a couple injuries already. He loves the game but I’m concerned his play still will result in eventual serious injury.

Any thoughts on how to improve/correct this? Thanks an advance.

[Guest]

Get bigger

My D was always lean and played above her weight. Only solution was to improve strength

[Guest]

More precisely, do some complementary weight training and other exercises to more evenly develop all the core and lower body muscles, not just those most used in soccer.

And do some upper body just for general development.

[Guest]

More precisely, do some complementary weight training and other exercises to more evenly develop all the core and lower body muscles, not just those most used in soccer.

And do some upper body just for general development.

Change the style of play. If he’s inviting challenges with close control and by using skill, time to ditch it to preserve his ankles…etc. Do that stuff in practices. Work on releasing the ball early (one or two touch) until he’s filled out. Better solution than being out of action half the year.

[Guest]

An 11 year old is too young for weight training, but in a couple of years should definitely do that. At that age serious physical injuries are rare and more than likely the real issue is with yourself as a parent watching a sport that is more physical than you originally thought. If your kid is going into 50/50 balls hard and fearless and picking up the bruises that come with that style of play, encourage him. I am not advocating he be a goon, but players who confidently step into tackles and challenges who also possess strong technical ability are typically the players influencing the game the most.

[Guest]

I was going to suggest learning to give it back. Players tend to lay off when they start getting whacked themselves. But posters on here freaked out recently with a similar suggestion

[Guest]

An 11 year old is too young for weight training, but in a couple of years should definitely do that.

Entirely wrong. They can do strength training as soon as they start playing sports. Obviously we're not talking about deadlifting twice their own weight.
https://www.google.com/search?client...eight+training

Many clubs have winter training program that uses exercises and weights.

[Guest]

Entirely wrong. They can do strength training as soon as they start playing sports. Obviously we're not talking about deadlifting twice their own weight.
https://www.google.com/search?client...eight+training

Many clubs have winter training program that uses exercises and weights.

Good gawd I hope you're not a pediatrician. And just because clubs do it doesn't mean it's a good idea.

[Guest]

Is he playing a ton of games or on 2 teams? He's getting to that age where overuse injuries can come into play. Don't just throw him into a gym. Have him evaluated by a qualified trainer who works with young athletes. They can help him in all kinds of areas, not just mass (eg agility) as well as strengthening problem areas. The game will only get more and more physical. You can't help him grow faster but can help him learn good techniques

[Guest]

Good gawd I hope you're not a pediatrician. And just because clubs do it doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Not the OP but they are referring to tone not necessarily bulk. Pediatrician absolutely OK’s that

[Guest]

Good gawd I hope you're not a pediatrician. And just because clubs do it doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Strength and conditioning is super important for injury prevention. The problem is, most parents of young kids think that means heavy weights and old school “lifting”. Trainers that know what they are doing with middle school aged kids are working on joint stability, making sure that kids are balanced in terms of strength (in soccer players, mismatch of quad vs hamstring strength is a huge problem).

My kid is an older ECNL player and strength and conditioning has been part of her routine since she was in 7th grade. Did she get stronger? Absolutely. But the priority was injury prevention—getting faster and stronger was an added benefit. The reality is that kids, especially those playing at a high level at the high school ages, are playing too much soccer and repeating the same movement patterns over and over. A good trainer can work on balancing out those movements. It’s critical that parents find a trainer that knows what they are doing, though.

[Guest]

Good gawd I hope you're not a pediatrician. And just because clubs do it doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Strength training can be done as early as 8, if you have the proper guidance for form. Strength training is the best thing your child can do to protect themselves from injury.

[Guest]

Yes do training.
Yes get a trainer who can show them proper techniques.
Definitely don't throw them into an unsupervised school workout room.

[Opai2012]

Thanks guys. Sounds like some focused conditioning is in order and probably encouraging a few more calories. That all makes sense and I appreciate the help.

[Guest]

Might want to consider switching to a team that focuses on posession. These type of teams connect passes vs engage in direct 1on1s.