Dr. Steve Grosserode and Dr. Jared Vagy were collegiate athletes and soccer players. Both suffered injuries that affected their ability to play and led to the pain of lifelong injury. Determined to figure out why injuries happen and how to prevent them lead both to pursue our Doctorates in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California, the #1 ranked program in the country. It was at USC that they began to understand how to prevent injury. After nine years of study, the singular reason for continued injury became clear; misaligned movement.



Through many years of research and practice, they consolidated there plan into a three step process. The three step system popularized and they began teaching seminars internationally to soccer coaches on how to prevent injury. They soon realized that we needed to spread the word to as many players, coaches and parents as possible. They knew that if they could stop injuries from occurring, they would be able to change the course of a player’s career and life. They now have written ebooks and have an online academy to share what they have learned, much of which we will discuss in this episode.
Website: yourmovementsolutions.com
Link to the ebook from website and a link to the paperback version on Amazon available after Sept 1st:

Prevent Soccer Injuries eBook
Prevent Soccer Injuries Paperback Amazon
 






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Quote
'If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space.'
Injury Prevention Discussion

How do ACL injuries and other non-contact injuries happen and who is most at risk?
How has sports injury prevention changed over the years? What does the current research show?
Why do these injuries continue to occur in youth sports?
What are the best methods to prevent injuries in youth sports?
How do you make an injury prevention program specific for each individual player?
What can parents and players do to stop injuries?
How can coaches help prevent these injuries?

Lessons learned on these topics

Learn what to watch for in athletes - A knee diving in, body leaning off to one side
A large majority of non-contact injuries can be avoided - it's by identifying high-risk athletes - there are 5 specific movements that put athletes at the highest-risk
Early sports specialization is a big cause of dramatic increase in ACL injuries
Videotaping athletes on the field and then analyzing their movements is a really effective method
3 Step process for coaches

1 - Analyze movement
2 - Provide exercises for homework to change movement
3 - Coaches give cues to athletes when they see


Static stretching - Don't do it before practice/game. 10 minutes of Dynamic stretching before the practice/game is good, then static stretching can be done after the practice/game - or even better is to do static stretching throughout the day. Muscle-Activation exercises with bands before you do the dynamic warm-up is the latest and best method - see more at yourmovementsolutions.com
Parents - Add an exercise to your kid's bedtime or morning routines to strengthen their muscles

Favorite coaching book/quote

Quote: 'It's not ease, but effort; it's not facility, but difficulty, that makes oneself. There is perhaps nothing in life in which difficulties have not been encountered and overcome before any decided measure of success can be achieved.'
Quote: 'If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space.'

Best borrowed/stolen idea

Dr. Chris Powers taught how showing is much more effective than telling - so videotaping an athlete when you see a knee diving in, then showing them how it looks when they do it right, is very effective
Dr. Clare Frank - shared 'the body takes the path of least resistance,' so make sure you are providing them the right way to do things,