When determining what kind of warmup is best for the youth soccer teams you coach, take a cue from recent research. Children who participated in coach-led neuromuscular training (NMT) warmups had fewer acute noncontact lower-extremity injuries when compared with those who performed standard warmups, as described in Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine (2021; doi:10.1177/23259671211005769).
A NMT warmup improves the brain and body’s ability to react and communicate. Exercises include running and coordination drills such as carioca, hip muscle activation, core, balance, and speed and deceleration moves. Study authors suggest that youth soccer coaches and healthcare professionals support NMT warmup methods.
To see the warmup exercises used in the study, visit bit.ly/3hazxOa.
See also: Functional Training for Youth
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