Soccer coaching tips for injury management
Young football players carrying long-term injuries can be a serious problem. If the players are not rested, the injury can become worse.
I know this from experience. My own son played a whole season with a heel injury and, because it got no rest, he spent the following summer in pain. It was a ‘nothing injury’, or so it seemed at the time.
Injuries need sufficient rest
You will find your players are so keen to play, they will not tell you they are carrying injuries, or if the doctor has told them to rest for a couple of weeks. They will not want to miss matches during the season, especially if you are on a winning run.
Heel injuries are quite common and I now know that a lot of them, my son’s included, are a result of the high backs on soccer boots. These rub the back of the heel causing pain. The cure is to make two cuts into the back of the heel of the boot to make it less rigid.
It’s a great tip that someone gave me, and it has worked for both of my sons, and a lot of the players in my team who have suffered from heel problems.
You have to be careful when parents and children cover up injuries. They may not want to miss the all important match, but they cannot play if they have been told to rest.
It’s hard for you as their football coach if you do not know the extent of the injury and have to rely on parents. On one occasion, one of my best attackers had hurt his ankle - playing rugby - and couldn’t play in a key game. He had been told to rest by the doctor.
In the first game we played without him, we were drawing 2-2. His dad came over and asked me if I wanted to put his son on. “He’ll be all right,” he said. The player himself was begging to be let on.
However, I had to say no, despite their protests that we would lose without him. His well-being came above winning.
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