Change of Pace in Winter Conditioning
by Jennifer Schwartz, Alexandria Soccer Injury Prevention & Fitness Being in the best physical condition to play should be a top priority for competitive soccer players. This means training hard in team sessions, working on fitness outside of the team, an intentional effort to encourage the muscles to recover, sleeping adequately, and putting thought into […]
Research Findings: Stress Fractures and Nutrition are Indicators for a Season Ending Injury
by Jennifer Schwartz, Alexandria Soccer Injury Prevention & Fitness A longitudinal study identified High School girls soccer as the sport with the second highest rate of knee injury behind football (Sports Med 2014). Of 186,000 soccer injuries reported in 2006, 80% were under the age of 24 and 44% of those were in kids younger […]
A Good Soccer Diet Starts with Optimal Carbs
by Jennifer Schwartz, Alexandria Soccer Injury Prevention & Fitness Healthy ASA Academy Soccer players are smart and vigilant about their nutritional intake. They will learn that the hours spent at training can be optimized by adapting to a healthy soccer diet. Carbohydrates are a key macro-nutrient for the growing soccer player. Most of us have […]
Lessons Learned — Advice from a first time volunteer soccer coach
Our Recreational Soccer League is made possible by our volunteer coaches. Every season parents step up to coach and co-coach their kid’s teams. We often answer questions from apprehensive parents who are unsure whether they are qualified or have the time to coach a team. We thought it would be helpful to hear from someone […]
After School Soccer League — Pilot Program
In partnership with Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) we’re piloting a new after school soccer league this Fall at Title I elementary schools Cora Kelly and William Ramsay. By hosting the program immediately after school, at no additional cost, the introductory league experience is structured to eliminate all barriers to participation. Players at Cora Kelly […]
Day 1—We arrived! (Aug. 12)
Check out daily diaries for the entire trip: Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9. Our ASA players gathered at the airport — ready to fly! ASA has arrived! After a full day of travel, direct to Barcelona and connecting to Milan, we arrived in Turin, Italy around […]
Day 2—Turin, Italy (Aug. 13)
C’era Una Volta (once upon a time)… a group of 60 ASA players, coaches and chaperones were able to tour the world renowned Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy. But first, training! We departed for BRS Grugliasco’s training facility after a solid nights rest. The facility, a true “soccer school” (Scuola Calcio), was impressive. The players […]
Day 3—Alexandria Meets Alessandria! (Aug. 14)
The day began with an early wake up call for a bus ride to the city of Asti! Team ASA had a chance to meet with city’s newly elected Minister of Sport, Mario Bovino and local historian, Giuseppe to learn more about the city, which was founded in the 1st century as part of the […]
Day 4—Lifting the Cup! (Aug. 15)
Our day started at the amazing indoor Futsal facility, home of Orange Futsal and the Italian National Futsal team. Orange Futsal hosted a clinic specifically for our players. The session was fast paced and full of learning opportunities. The facility was equally as impressive, a full size Futsal court, built in bleachers high above the […]
Day 5—Travel Day! (Aug. 16)
We headed to Milan from Alessandria to tour downtown before catching our flight to Barcelona. Milan was beautiful! We visited the Castello, a fort built in the 15th century, then headed into the main square where Duomo di Milano outshines everything else. Alexandria players in front of the Duomo di Milano. Duomo di Milano is the […]