Tag Archives: soccer injury

concussion, soccer

Update: Soccer Leaders Institute Concussion Rule

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A player is injured in a Seattle Sounders match. Photo by Noelle Noble. Some rights reserved.
A player is injured in a Seattle Sounders match. Photo by Noelle Noble. Some rights reserved.

UPDATE: Referees may stop soccer matches for up to three minutes while the team doctor decides if a player can stay in the game in European competitions, wire services are reported on Thursday.

Gianni Infantino, the secretary general of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), said the policy was approved by the organization’s executive committee and will take effect immediately, according to Reuters.

My Original Story

Should referees stop a soccer game if a player gets hit hard in the head? Should team doctors should overrule coaches in deciding if a player stays in the game?

The answers to both questions seem obvious, but they are only now trickling into the minds of soccer’s governing body.

Leaders of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) last week put the notions forward, but Continue reading Update: Soccer Leaders Institute Concussion Rule →

ankles, basketball, soccer, volleyball

Balance Training Reduces Ankle Injury

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Knee injuries may grab the headlines more than any other type of athletic injury, perhaps because they can end an athlete’s career. But ankles get hurt more often, and these injuries can be pretty devastating, too.

Many of the same exercises that we’ve discussed for knee injury prevention can help protect ankles as well.

But you can do some other things to save your ankles. Continue reading Balance Training Reduces Ankle Injury →

concussion, soccer

Does Soccer Heading Cause Brain Damage?

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As a soccer coach, I’ve often yelled at my players to head the ball before it reaches the ground.

And anyone who has watched the World Cup this year knows what a beautiful role heading plays in the game, with Robin van Persie’s goal in the Netherlands vs. Spain game a prime example.

But given the latest medical reports, I’m beginning to wonder how much I should push my team of 16-year-olds to hit the ball with their heads. Today, former U.S. women’s team star Brandi Chastain joined a couple of nonprofit advocacy groups in calling on new rules to restrict the use of heading among young players.

“I believe that the benefits of developing heading skills as children are not worth the thousands of additional concussions that youth soccer players will suffer,” said Chastain in a press release.
Continue reading Does Soccer Heading Cause Brain Damage? →

basketball, soccer, volleyball

Increasing Power and Speed for Soccer Players

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If you’ve been watching the World Cup, you may have noticed that the best soccer players often go airborne. That’s been true for a number of years, as you can see in this video of the top World Cup headers.

But what goes up must come down, and how you land can determine how long you can continue playing. Too often soccer players hit the ground in a stiff, awkward position that damages their knees and other body parts.

You can prevent that with jumping exercises . Not only that, but these exercises can improve your Continue reading Increasing Power and Speed for Soccer Players →

soccer

How Soccer Players Should Build Muscles

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A soccer injury. Photo by Jon Seidman. Some rights reserved.
A soccer injury. Photo by Jon Seidman. Some rights reserved.

“Can’t I get in shape for soccer just by playing more soccer?” my son asked me recently. It’s a natural assumption. After all, your body does adapt to whatever activity you do.

But the answer is “no.”

Think about it. Professionals — the people who play soccer the most — still get hurt doing it. And these injuries can happen when you are several feet from anyone else. Continue reading How Soccer Players Should Build Muscles →

knees, soccer

How to Prevent Knee Injuries in Soccer

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How to prevent knee injuries
Photo by Jan-Joost Verhoef. Some rights reserved.

It almost seems if you play soccer long enough, you will hurt a knee.

A lot of players will be missing from the World Cup this year for that reason: Colombia’s star striker Radamel Facao, midfielder Kevin Strootman of the Netherlands, Ecuador’s Segundo Castillo, Germany’s Holger Badstuber and England’sTheo Walcott,  to name a few. Continue reading How to Prevent Knee Injuries in Soccer →