From: "Hadley Winthrop" <hadley.winthrop@atlanticsoccerfactory.com>
Date: May 13, 2010 8:45:59 AM EDT
To: "'Scott, Jamie'" <jamie.scott@atlanticsoccerfactory.com>
Cc: "'Audrey Verso'" <cyclones@designingimages.com>
Subject: RE: What are some good warm up exercises for good knee health?

Good morning Jamie,

That is a very good question, and the simple answer is that there is no simple answer.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is on the outside of the knee and it connects bone to bone (thigh to shin – Femur to Fibia)... It is therefore not affected by normal stretches.

The ACL can be damaged through 3 things:

1. Direct Trauma (a severe tackle in soccer)
2. Over use
3. Incorrect movement

Over use we can fix by limiting our games.

Incorrect movement we can fix by hiring Hadley ;). The way a player turns and accelerates depicts the stress load on their knees and other joints! There are ways to limit this damage by learning the proper technique of how to move!

Just like an elastic band, however, it can be “warmed up” to reduce stiffness, which can lead to overuse problems. Any gradual exercise would do the trick.

A warm up should always start off with skipping as it is the best way and lightest way to start movement, followed by a jog. The rest of the warm up is really down to the coaches preference. I like to do:

Skip half the field, jog half the field.
Stretch up as high as you can (15s)
Stretch Down and touch the ground (15s)
Jog half the field
Jog half the field
Stretch the quadriceps (15s each)
Jog half the field
Jog half the field
Stretch Hamstrings (15s each)
Jog half the field
Jog half the field
Stretch Calfs (15s each)
High Kness (18y x 2)
Heel Kicks (18y x 2)
Side step (18y then swap legs x 2)
Open and close the gate (18y x 2)

If I see any of you on Sunday then perhaps I will go over a couple of exercises you should think about to improve knee performance and ACL reliability.

I hope this helps.

If you have anymore questions then please do not hesitate to email again.

Regards,

Hadley Winthrop | XCELERATE
Director of SAQ / Strength and Conditioning
Atlantic Soccer Factory
Cell: 609-334-5249 Office: 609-272-9232
www.atlanticsoccerfactory.com