I'll be honest: the female athletes who I've worked with over the past 8+ years, who have gone on to play at a high level (ECNL, Division 1 and abroad), are the ones who started with me during pre-adolescence. They were munchkins. They were awkward. They were not...
More skills trainers. More camps. More training sessions. More ball work. More camps. More. More. More. It seems as if everyone is over-training, yet under-preparing. Here's what I mean: instead of focusing on the entirety of the human, young female athletes are focusing on the specialized work, namely,...
Everyone wants that one piece of advice to prevent ACL injuries. Everyone wants that one knee exercise. Everyone wants that one strength routine that will ensure they stay resilient. So what is it? Be relentlessly consistent with strengthening your entire body. You see, ACL injury reduction must be approached holistically....
Building the total young athlete involves several things: - Attacking all muscle groups in the gym - Working on explosiveness and building power (moving weights fast) - Doing power movements purposefully and correctly The Dumbbell Push Press is one of my favorite total body power movements that works on...
Full disclosure: I just finished a two hour podcast interview with my friend Dr. Tommy John. And we didn't talk about training. Not youth strength and conditioning. Not speed development. Not conditioning. Not motor skill learning. Not a peep about youth training. 'But what did you talk about for TWO HOURS?!' you...
Thump. Thud. Thump. Repeat x 1000 reps. 'Why do I keep hearing that sound?' I thought. 'And why is it so darn loud?' I was walking through the park, taking what I thought would be a tranquil stroll on a Saturday morning. As I continued wandering, I noticed a pre-adolescent girls'...
If you are a coach to female athletes, you need to be walking the walk right now. No one cares how many wins you have, state cup championship trophies you've stacked, Twitter followers you've acquired, D1 players you sent to college, national coaching licenses you've gotten,...
Peruse any Instagram fitness influencer's account and you'll see a bevy of posts like this: - "Lose 10 pounds with this cleanse!" - "Melt body fat with this pyramid scheme supplement!" - "Tone up for the summer!" - "Lose your mid thighs in less than two weeks!" Ahhhhhh. It's always the...
This much I know: youth soccer players train and play more than professionals. The year-round schedule is packed with practices, technical training sessions, free play nights, games and tournaments. And sometimes, players play two to three games a week with an itty bitty 24-hour recovery window. Excuse me,...
If your players aren't in-season strength training, I question if the longevity of their careers is important to you. And if you're a coach who says, "well, weights will make them sore for my practices and the games!" My answer: the two-to-three game a week template and...