Sleep is essential to a child's health and development. According to the National Sleep Foundation, children between of 5 and 12 years of age require 10-11 hours of sleep per night. Young athletes need even more. It is important to maintain good sleep habits, which can be achieved through sticking to a bedtime routine.
The best way to develop and maintain healthy sleep patterns in young soccer players is by establishing a nightly bedtime routine.
- Shut off all screens (TV, phones, iPads, etc...) 2 hours before bedtime
- Take a bath - (Epsom salt baths are excellent for alleviating soreness and restoring blood levels of magnesium)
- Brush teeth
- Read a story
- Ensure room is dark and at a cool temperature
- Say goodnight and go to sleep!
- Make bedtime the same time every night
- Discourage nighttime awakenings
- Encourage afternoon naps between 1/2 hour and an hour
Source: SleepForKids.org
Playing is another vital piece in the development of children and is essential to their cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being. Play is extremely important to healthy brain development, as well as contributing to the improvement of creative, leadership, and group skills.
Furthermore, playing outdoors proves beneficial in many other ways:
It turns out that dirt is extremely beneficial in the health of our little ones. Studies are finding that gardeners statistically live longer than any other profession, and that children who grow up on farms or with a dog have less allergies. Further investigation of why this is the case has revealed that exposing children to the microorganisms found in nature builds a much healthier immune system. The benefits of playing in dirt go on and on, ranging from replenishing iron stores to improving mood and sleep.
Everyone seems to be worried about the sun's UV rays and skin cancer from too much sun exposure. However, children need to be exposed to the sun for many reasons. Around 90% of the body's Vitamin D is produced when the skin is exposed to the sun. Aside from being crucial to any human, Vitamin D is especially important for young athletes, since it helps the body to absorb calcium and other minerals that make the bones strong. In elite athletes, Vitamin D deficiency is linked to a grossly increased risk of injury.
It is important to let your children play in the rain and water. Kids are naturally attracted to puddles, streams, and beaches. Letting your kids play in the rain and water promotes the other benefits of playing outside, and has been shown to boost immune health and emotional well-being.
Playing a wide variety of sports at an early age is the foundation of the Long Term Athletic Development Model (LTAD). This is something that we take very seriously here at the Union by exposing all of our players, from the First Team all the way down to the Union Futures, to all sorts of games with different rules, balls, colors, and obstacles.
The Philadelphia Union has identified four pillars of Athletic Development, and here we will talk about how these pillars can be applied at the pre-academy level.
Gymnastics can be learned and even excelled at from a very young age. Learning to tumble, roll, climb, and land is a crucial aspect of developing elite athleticism. Although it may warrant a separate category some day, martial arts may be included in this section. Especially at a young age, activities like wrestling, jiu-jitsu, karate, and many others teach kids not only how to move and control their bodies in space, but provides invaluable character lessons of courtasy, focus, self-control, confidence, self-defense, and self-esteem.
At the pre-academy age, developing strength is important. Bodyweight control is learned and developed through natural play. Kids squat, hang, push, pull, and carry when they play outside. They love to help adults with chores where they can help you carry the groceries in, or pick up boxes. As they grow older, they are able to pay more attention to technique and form, and are able to reap the benefits of the skills they learn on the playground or around the house.
Much of MDSA is learned and applied through sports like soccer, basketball, and football. Other recess games like tag variations promote these skills as well. Much like strength training, MDSA work starts to focus more on technique and form as the kids get older.
This category emphasizes games with varying rules, objects, balls, and obstacles. Any game can qualify as CCG, from ultimate frisbee, four-square, badminton, or spikeball. The idea is to expose the kids to varying physical and visual stimuli, but above all have fun!.
- Encourage your kids to play outside, and try to accomodate access to a playground
- Replace antibacterial soap with regular soap
- Antibacterial soap kills good bacteria and is no more effective than regular soap according to the CDC
- Encourage frequent handwashing and bathing habits
- Ensure your kids have adequate sun protection. Hats and clothes are preferable to sunblock, which can be used if needed
- Be careful about how you talk about the weather (e.g. instead of saying "what a miserable rainy day!", say "what a beautiful rainy day!". This does wonders for your kids' attitudes toward the weather)
- Have different balls and objects available
- Enroll in a reputable jiu-jitsu or martial arts class or camp
- Play with your kids!
Nutrition in performance and recovery is a hot topic in soccer right now. It is best to try to stick to the basics rather than get caught up in fads and trends. Unfortunately, Federal Dietary Recommendations fall short in some ways and are not all based on solid science. Common sense and a food-first approach should be used.
It is essential for young athletes to stay hydrated. Water is the best source for rehydrating. However, it is also crucial to replenish electrolytes. That being said, sports drinks are marketed as the best method of replenishing fluids and electrolytes, but should only be consumed during training and games. These drinks are very high in sugar, which can replenish muscle glycogen (stored sugar) stores during training, but are not meant for drinking outside of training. The best way of ensuring that electrolytes are replaced with water intake is to include salt, preferably natural colored salt (not table), in the post-match meal.
Carbohydrates are important in the developing athlete's life, but it is important to eat the right ones. Carbohydrates should be obtained through natural sources like vegetables, starchy tubers (potatoes), whole fruits, legumes, nuts & seeds, and some whole grains (whole oats, quinoa, and brown rice). It is important to avoid processed carbohydrates like refined grains (like white flour), sugar, candy, cookies, pastries, cakes, high fructose corn syrup, and processed cereals.
Protein, like carbohydrates, is important in the recovery process for all athletes. High quality, natural protein helps to rebuild muscles and soft tissue that is broken down during training and competition. It is also key in metabolic functions of the body. Whole, natural protein sources include fish, eggs, beef, poultry, pork, venison, etc... Processed sources of protein should be avoided. These include mainly soy-based protein and processed meats.
Fat also plays a important role in the nutrition of a young, developing athlete. Don't get too caught up in the debate of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat - just stick to what is natural and make sure to incorporate whole, natural sources of fat in each meal. Whole, natural sources of fat include: eggs, full-fat dairy (if tolerated), full-fat cheese, avocodos, olives and olive oils, fish and fish oils, european-style butter, coconut oil, etc... Heavily processed industrial sources of fat should be avoided: vegetable shortening (crisco), vegetable oils, soybean oils, and any hydrogenated oil.
The science is not completely clear as to how much multivitamins help, but we know they don't hurt. In any case, it is important to make sure you incorporate plenty of vegetables of all colors to ensure you are getting the micronutrients you need.
- Shop the perimeter of the store (avoid the packaged foods in the middle)
- Center each meal around a protein
- Have regular meals - having breakfast, lunch, and familty dinner at the same time each day promotes routine (see the sleep section)
- Don't eat conveniently (prepare your own meals, plan ahead and limit fast food)