Winter sports

If your house is anything like ours, you’ll know exactly what this time of year feels like. The evenings get darker, the air gets colder, and suddenly every bag by the door contains shin pads, muddy boots, and a half‑eaten cereal bar. Winter sports season is officially here. As a mum to two footballers and a coach I seem to have become the resident injury support person. I do have some non-negotiables for them to help keep them safe, strong and pain-free.

Why training can be tough

Sprinting, pivoting, sudden changes of direction, and tackling are all great for building healthy, strong bodies. But at the same time, we need to be aware of:

Muscle imbalances, for example, always shooting with the right foot, always pushing off with the left foot

Post-training stiffness. Is it a one-off, or is it the same pain week in, week out? Typically this is calf pain, hip pain or glute pain.

None of these are serious in themselves, but can lead to bigger problems down the line.

How to help your young sports person

Warm up and cool down.

Coaches are brilliant at the warm-ups before training or a match, but the cool-down tends to be running back to the car in the rain. Some gentle stretching, some easy breathwork and a walk maybe benefical. Our youtube channel has a great warm-down.

Warm bath

A warm bath with arnica or epsom salts. Relaxes the muscles, soothes the legs, and warms you up.

Strength training

I'm not suggesting weights at the gym, but some gentle body weight strength training can help ensure that all the muscles that are needed are firing, and helps to address any imbalances in the body.

Use both sides of the body

Not on match day, but during training use both sides of the body to help address any imbalances, and it improves skill level.