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Is your body ready for this football season?? – kids edition

Published: 18 Apr 2022

Is your body ready for this football season?? – kids edition

Welcome back to Part 2 of ‘Is your body ready for this football season”?? – kids edition

I hope you enjoyed part 1 – if you haven’t had the chance to read, please click here to learn about an injury prevention program for people 14 years and above.

11+ INJURY STATISITICS

From Part 1 we have learnt that the injury rate for soccer injuries occurs at a rate of 20 injuries per 1000 hours play, primarily of the lower limbs. Most injuries occur during the initial or final 15 minutes of the match. It suggests that:

  1. An appropriate and effective warm-up is very important, and
  2. Fatigue can play a large role in injury occurrence

WHAT IS THE 11+ KIDS?

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) have not only developed an injury prevention program known as 11+, for football players 14 years and above, they have designed an 11+ Kids edition, for football players 14 years and younger. 

The benefit of integrating this program into training is that is a 15-20 MINUTE WARM THAT IS SIMPLE AND FREE! It does not require any equipment or a specialist to coach. It is designed to prevent and reduce the number and severity of football-related injuries. 

WHY PERFORM THE 11+ KIDS?

Younger football players are placed at a greater risk of direction, collision and fall injuries. However, research has shown that incorporating the kids programme into training and game day routines reduces the risk of all injuries by 48% and 74% of severe injuries. Therefore, it is imperative to focus and deliver these specific movements early in any long-term athlete development to enhance movement literacy in young athletes. 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

  • Increases spatial orientation, anticipation and attention
  • Dual tasking (avoiding unintended contact)
  • Body stability and movement coordination 
  • Learning appropriate falling technique

WHAT DOES IT CONSIST OF?

Poster of exercises for injury prevention for children

FIFA have developed a FIFA 11+ Kids edition, for football players 14 years and younger.

It consists of seven different exercises: three for dynamic stability of the lower limbs; three for whole body and trunk strength/stability; and one exercise on falling technique. Each exercise has 5x progressions with difficulty increasing with each level.  

  • Jog and look at the coach (To Stop)
  • Skating Hop
  • One Leg Stance
  • Push Up
  • One Leg Hops
  • Spiderman
  • Roll over

If you would like further information around injury prevention or have unfortunately sustained an injury feel free to get in contact with me or any of the team. As a football coach and physio, there is nothing I love more than chatting about football. 

Good luck in your season. 

Links to other articles

https://www.thehealthybodycompany.com.au/soccer-4-most-common-injuries/

https://www.thehealthybodycompany.com.au/soccer-injury-free/

https://www.thehealthybodycompany.com.au/ankle-bracing-or-taping-injury-prevention-101/

https://www.thehealthybodycompany.com.au/adductor-groin-injuries/

https://www.thehealthybodycompany.com.au/why-rest-isnt-always-best/

 

References

  • Owoeye, O., VanderWey, M., & Pike, I. (2020). Reducing injuries in soccer (Football): An umbrella review of best evidence across the epidemiological framework for prevention. Sports Medicine – Open6(1). doi: 10.1186/s40798-020-00274-7
  • Pomares-Noguera, C., Ayala, F., Robles-Palazón, F., Alomoto-Burneo, J., López-Valenciano, A., & Elvira, J. et al. (2018). Training effects of the FIFA 11+ kids on physical performance in youth football players: A randomized control trial. Frontiers In Pediatrics6. doi: 10.3389/fped.2018.00040
  • The FIFA 11+ for Kids! | Physio Fit Adelaide. (2022). Retrieved 6 April 2022, from https://physiofitadelaide.com.au/fifa-11-for-kids/
  • Thorborg, K., Krommes, K., Esteve, E., Clausen, M., Bartels, E., & Rathleff, M. (2017). Effect of specific exercise-based football injury prevention programmes on the overall injury rate in football: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the FIFA 11 and 11+ programmes. British Journal Of Sports Medicine51(7), 562-571. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097066