Preventing ACL Injuries

LUYAA Soccer is dedicated to the safety and well being of its’ players. With this in mind we are requiring all Girls teams U-12, U-14, and up to utilize the PEP (Prevent injury, Enhance Performance) Program, developed by Santa Monica Orthopedic and Sports Injury Group, in California. This program is optional for Girls U-10 teams.

Studies have shown that a female soccer player's risk of sustaining an ACL injury is two to eight times greater than her male counterpart. Subsequent studies have shown that adding neuromuscular and proprioceptive exercises to the training regimen can reduce the number of ACL injuries by two to four fold.

The PEP (Prevent injury, Enhance Performance) Program is a highly specific 15-minute training session that replaces the traditional warm-up. It was developed by a team of physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers and coaches, and has funding support from the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles (AAF). The program's main focus is educating players on strategies to avoid injury and includes specific exercises targeting problems as identified in previous research studies.

The goals of the program are to:

1) Avoid vulnerable positions
2) Increase flexibility
3) Increase strength
4) Include plyometric exercises into the training program
5) Increase proprioception though agilities

Most program exercises and drills are already part of a team's standard training. However, it will require attention to detail on the part of players, coaches and trainers. Optimally the program should be performed at least 2-3 times per week during the season.

There is a web site link to the program that provides videos on all the exercises and printer friendly examples for your use. The URL is http://www.aclprevent.com/

If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact Paul Riley at luyaasoccercoachtraining@adelphia.net