Soccer Apps Now Available on iTunes!

Posted on February 21, 2013 by jlesea

Recently our Soccer Skills and Soccer Conditioning Apps featuring Marcelo Balboa were approved by Apple, Inc.* and are now available for download from the iTunes* app store. These apps are only $2.99 each and have multiple instructional videos ranging from passing to chest trapping (Skills) and agility to speed training (Conditioning). Compared to our Android apps, our apps have the following additional features:

1. Checklist with written tips

2. Video can be watched split-screen with checklist or full screen

3. GPS feature to find a soccer field or park to play soccer near you

4. Favorites feature so that you can select your favorite videos

5. Random feature to where you can “shake” your device and it will randomize the order of the videos (and hence, the workout)

These soccer apps are perfect for youth soccer players ages 6-16. WE welcome your feedback on tour soccer apps and look forward to bring you expanded content in the future!

Your in Health,

Jen Lesea-Ames, M.S., CSCS

CEO, Fitwise Training

DBA Youth Soccer Training

Over-training: Signs and Treatment

Posted on August 2, 2012 by jlesea

Over-training: a term loosely defined and is subject to much debate. While there are general signs of over-training, not all symptoms occur in all people and an individual’s tolerance to intense physical training can vary greatly from person to person. Typically, over training can occur when training volume and/or training intensity is high for prolonged period of time. It is important to pay attention to training volume and intensity for youth athletes, in order to help avoid injury and to stay healthy. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (the governing body of sports and exercise science research) Current Comment on Over-training, the signs of are as follows:

“Performance:

Decreased performance (strength, power, muscle endurance, cardiovascular endurance)
Decreased training tolerance and increased recovery requirements
Decreased motor coordination
Increased technical faults

Physiology:

Altered resting heart rate (HR), blood pressure and respiration patterns
Decreased body fat and post-exercise body weight
Increased VO2, VE , and HR during submaximal work
Decreased lactate response
Increased basal metabolic rate
Chronic fatigue
Sleep and eating disorders
Menstrual disruptions
Headaches, gastrointestinal distress
Muscle soreness and damage
Joint aches and pains

Physiological:

Depression and apathy
Decreased self-esteem
Decreased ability to concentrate
Decreased self-efficacy
Sensitive to stress

Immunological:

Increased occurrence of illness
Decreased rate of healing
Impaired immune function (neutrophils, lymphocytes, mitogen responses, eosinophils)

Biochemical:

Hypothalamic dysfunction
Increased serum cortisol and SHBG
Decreased serum total and free testosterone, testosterone/cortisol ratio
Decreased muscle glycogen
Decreased serum hemoglobin, iron, and ferritin
Negative N2 balance”

The only treatment for over-training is to decrease exercise volume and intensity. In my experience as a former triathlete, coach and certified personal trainer, the best treatment is rest with very little exercise until the symptoms subside. I’d like to emphasize that one’s tolerance to physical training is highly individual, and it is important to monitor one’s health and daily habits (i.e. sleep patterns) in order to recognize any signs of over-training so that rest can occur before injury.

Yours in health,

Jen Lesea-Ames, M.S., CSCS

What Youth Soccer Can Teach Us About Community

Posted on June 28, 2012 by jlesea

Instead of posting a picture of the Colorado fires, I chose to post a picture of what we need: rain

Saturday soccer games…though I am not a soccer mom (it would be tricky to teach my cat how to play soccer, ha ha), I drive by soccer fields in Boulder on a Saturday morning, seeing dozens of kids playing and having fun, parents talking to other parents, coaches working hard to organize games and other logistics, parents volunteering to bring food for snacks and post-game treats, and many smiles. It all entails hard work, but the reward of community involvement shine in involvement of youth sports, soccer notwithstanding.

I live outside of Boulder, Colorado and our wildfire crisis has consumed much of my attention. I worry about my family in Colorado Springs, who evacuated Tuesday and are unsure if their house is still standing. The images of the flames, smoke, desperate faces on TV, as well as smelling smoke in the air as I go for my daily run or bike ride is heartbreaking. Coloradans spend time now thinking RAIN and how we can help those directly affected by the fires.

There is a connection here: learning a sense of community. In both youth sports and emergencies, I am reminded of the kindness of the members of our community. People reaching out to help, to share food, to help organize logistics, of those who work so hard to make things happen. By writing this I hope that you will hold in your heart and mind the importance of community, be it in youth sports or daily life.

Yours in health,

Jen Lesea-Ames

CEO/Founder Fitwise Training, Inc.

DBA Youth Soccer Training

NOTE: If you want to help those affected by the Colorado Wildfires, please consider making a financial donation to the American Red Cross Colorado Chapter, Disaster Relief Fund

Concussions and Youth Soccer: Ways to Identify

Posted on May 14, 2012 by jlesea

Recent news stories have emerged about the increasing incidence of concussions in youth sports, and that management of concussions may be different between girls and boys, as well as age. For example, recent research by Covassin, et. al, from Michigan State University has shown that girls symptoms and recovery may be more severe than boys, and can possibly be due to estrogen levels in girls and higher levels of blood flow to the brain. With an estimated 1.6 million Americans experiencing a sports-related concussion every year, it is critical to be educated on the symptoms of a concussion and proper treatment:

According to the Center of Disease Control, some concussion symptoms are as follows:

Headache
Blurry vision
Difficulty concentrating
Nausea
Dizziness
Fatigue
Difficulty remembering

For a full list of symptoms, please click here.

States are increasingly passing regulations for safety of youth soccer players. For example, in the State of Colorado, if a youth athlete has an injury and a concussion is suspected, it is state law the player must be taken out of the game and not return to play. The best advice I can give is that if it is suspected that a youth player may have suffered a concussion is to seek professional medical attention immediately. Immediate medical attention will help with the diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. In my next post, I will review the debate on heading and proper technique of heading. Here is to safe playing!

By: Jen Lesea-Ames

CEO, Fitwise Training, Inc.

To Snack or Not to Snack During Half-time at Youth Soccer Games?

Posted on May 3, 2012 by jlesea

In response to a recent article I read, “Why I hate Half-time Snacks at Kids’ Soccer Games” I decided to write in more detail (vs. a 140 character Tweet) why I couldn’t disagree more. I understand that his tone is a bit sarcastic and at times, he is attempting to incorporate a bit of humor, but I am not laughing. Since the 1970′s when he claims that kids played sports without snacks and that everyone is skinny, there has been the birth of exercise and nutrition science, and studies in the past 40+ years have shown the importance of refueling during extended periods of physical exertion; regardless of age. My reasons for disagreeing with the author are based on science, not of observational fluff that “back then, we ran for hours and were all skinny.” The obesity epidemic in this country is complex, and no one has found the solution. Eating a healthy snack such as oranges or veggies with peanut butter is not going to make our kids fat, especially if they have been exercising at a high intensity. What can make our kids fat is highly-processed foods and allowing them to sit for hours in front of a TV or computer.

The reasons for a healthy snack (operative word: healthy) are as follows:

- A snack replaces energy stores: mainly glycogen stores, which are stored within the muscle and liver. It is recommended that one starts to refuel within 30 minutes of extended physical activity (30+ minutes)

- A snack (including water and/or sports drinks with electrolytes) can aid in injury prevention. A balance between a healthy glucose blood level, calcium, sodium and potassium can aid in prevention of light-headedness and muscle cramping which could lead to more serious injuries on the field.

- A snack can lead to improved performance. Have you ever tried to drive a car with an empty tank of gas, as its chugging, fighting to move the next 5-10 feet? Exactly. Our bodies cannot perform at its optimal level on a “low or empty tank of gas.” It is important we refuel before we hit go to empty.

I understand the obligation of snacks can be at times, a pain. So keep it simple: examples of healthy snacks are: oranges, apples, pre-cut veggies with a jar of peanut butter, and trail mix with dried fruit and nuts.

Lastly, we should be proud that youth soccer is the fastest going youth sport in our country. As parents, you have the responsibility to teach your kids healthy habits, and there is no better way than youth sports!

Happy playing!

By: Jen Lesea-Ames

Jen is the owner of Fitwise Training, Inc. DBA Youth Soccer Training. She has a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Colorado-Boulder and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She has over 16 years of experience training and coaching people of all ages and abilities.

Youth Soccer Pre-Season Conditioning

Posted on February 21, 2012 by jlesea

As we get closer to March, youth soccer preseason closely approaches. Preseason is usually only 2-4 weeks. This is not much time to get tactically and technically ready and most importantly in the right physical condition to play. I will be covering the youth soccer conditioning in this post. There are a few key things to remember when it comes to youth soccer preseason training. First, try to practice in a certain order. This way you always have a routine, and repetition is a great way to train athletes . To get the most out of each youth soccer practice and properly prepare for games, I suggest this routine outline:

Soccer Dynamic warm-up: Do 5-15 minutes of movement that is similar to movements they will be doing in practice and on the field. Jogging, backward jogging, jumping, cutting, and twisting are some examples of good warm-up movements. Start slow and gradually progress to game speeds.

Soccer Dynamic stretching: Do 5 minutes of dynamic stretching. Static stretching (holding stretches for long periods of time) is not good to do before workouts; this should be saved for afterwards. Dynamic stretches are stretches that are similar to the movements they will be doing during their workout. Leg swings, arm circles, side bends, and trunk rotations are some examples of dynamic stretching. Here is a video with some examples of dynamic stretching perfect for youth soccer players:

Youth Soccer Dynamic Stretching with Marcelo Balboa

Soccer Agility Drills: 5-15 minutes of agility drills to help get the central nervous system started working. Agility ladders are a great way to work on agility. You can also use mini hurdles and cones to work on agility. Here is an example of youth soccer drills to do on an agility ladder:

Youth Soccer Agility Drills with Marcelo Balboa

Work on soccer speed and sprinting drills as much as possible: You can incorporate speed and sprinting in drills or by doing races and relays. Try to work on speed with and without the ball. Speed work should be done in 10-30 yard distances. Example of speed work w/ the ball: Youth soccer players work in pairs. To make the drill competitive, match fast players with fast players and slower with slower players. Two players stand in line. The server kicks the ball towards the goals (10-30 yards away). The two players will then sprint at 100% max speed to reach the ball. Whoever reaches the ball first is on offense and needs to make a direct run towards the goal to score. The other player tries to stop the attacker

Cool Down: Youth soccer players should do a light jog and some light skipping, eventually slowing down to a walking pace. Try to slowly bring heart rate down to a resting rate. One can also do some light dynamic stretching (talked about above). Once the heart rate is slowed down, players should perform static stretches. Players should static stretch all major muscles groups for a 20-30 seconds.

There are other topics to cover during preseason:

Make sure to talk about proper hydration and nutrition, so youth soccer players can give their best during practices and games.
In soccer practice, try to stay away from slow jogging, or jogging at one pace for long periods of time as this does not translate to the demands of the sport.
While making the soccer preseason productive, its important to include some fun and team bonding. This helps start the season out on a good note.

By: Jenny Jurkowski, Certified Personal Trainer, Division 1 soccer player (1998-2002) and a certified soccer coach (U.S. Soccer Federation National C Coaching License)