Think beyond the field

Games & matches are great but sport offers much more than x’s & o’s, wins & trophies. What can we do that goes beyond the field? Pool party’s, pizza party’s, sleepovers, theme days & games!

Memories to last a lifetime

Sleep Like A Champ

Benefits of Great Sleep

• Improved attention span

• Ability to learn more

• Increase in positive behavior

• Improved memory

• Better overall mental & physical health

Poor Sleeping Patterns Can Lead To…

• Higher blood pressure 

• Mental health problems 

• Obesity

How much sleep do kids need?

• 3-5 years old:

  • 10-13 hours

• 6-12 years old:

  • 9-12 hours

• 13-18 years old:

  • 8-10 hours

Struggling With Sleep?

• Read a book in bed

• No use of electronics 1 hour before bed

• Limited caffeine and sugar before bed

5 Tips To Fuel Your Child For Success

Eat & Drink Your Way to Great games and practices!

When To Eat Before

• Try timing meals 2-3 hours before a practice or a game.

• If kick off is early try a light snack 1 hour before

What To Eat Before

• Carbs: Grains, oats, Quinoa, Bananas

• Proteins: poultry, Yoghurts & Peanut Butter

• Low in fat: Baked Potato, Salad, Egg Whites

When To Eat After?

• Try to eat within the first 30 minutes to 2 hours of finishing practicing

What To Eat After?

• When refueling after a game is protein, carbohydrates & tons of water. Wraps, Sandwiches, bagels are great for this

Hydrating

For most kids, drinking water before, during, and after playing sports will keep them hydrated.

Skip the energy drinks!

Many of the ingredients haven’t been studied in children and could be harmful

Amy W. Anzilotti, MD

Being Soccer Fit

What is soccer fit?

“Fitness in soccer is two things: playing with a higher tempo, which means more actions per minute; and playing for longer, which means maintaining the tempo for beyond game minutes.”

Raymond Verheijen – Ex-Barcelona, Chelsea & Manchester City

MYTH #1 – RUNNING LAPS

Running laps will not support your childs endurance for soccer

Whilst the idea of being able to run for a long time is understandable, with the nature of soccer needing rapid, intense & varied heart rate responses, running laps will do little to support this

IF NOT LAPS, WHAT?

“Youth soccer players need to develop their physical performance (maximal aerobic capacity & ability to repeated sprints), technical, & tactical abilities. Therefore, the use of 2 vs. 2 and 3 vs. 3 SSG seems to represent an ideal alternative to optimize simultaneously these components in youth soccer players.”

Small Sided Games – Valter Di Salvo – Ex- Real Madrid & Manchester United Fitness coach – Study of SSG vs LSG (Large Sided Games)

MYTH #2 – FITNESS WITHOUT A SOCCER BALL

“Fitness is not something you need to play football, it is something you develop by playing football.”

Raymond Verheijen (again) – Ex-Barcelona, Chelsea & Manchester City

Developing Soccer Fitness

“Compared to match-play, total distance covered per minute of play, high-intensity running activities (sprinting and high-intensity runs), total numbers of duels and lost ball possessions were significantly greater within SSGs (than Larger Sided Games) for all playing positions.”

Alexandre Dellal – Ex-Olympique Lyon & OGC Nice Fitness Coach

MYTH #3 – Agility & ladders

“Agility may be defined as the ability to change direction in response to a sport-specific stimulus, incorporating physical, technical, perceptual and decision-making skills. Unless the athlete responds to a sport-specific stimulus”

Turner, A (2011) Defining, Developing & Measuring Agility

Side step agility practices

We are limited for time when we practice, minimal hours to make an impact. That impact should be focused on the ball, the individual players and decisions making.

When taught correctly and encouraged constantly, players in 1v1s will change direction and show “Agility” constantly whilst getting much needed time on and around the ball.