It doesn’t matter if it’s Soccer, Football or Futbol. This game brings people together.⚽️👍🏼💯
– Alex Morgan
All my life, soccer has been a constant. Moving from Guatemala to the US at the age of 8, was my first experience to see how soccer has the power to break through cultural walls. Every Sunday, my dad would take us to the local park and we would play with people from all over the world. People from literally every continent on this planet! And guess what? We became friends through our love of the game. I learned about their culture, heard them speak their native languages, and bonded through playing the beautiful game. We would work together to do our best to win. I had to communicate, I had to listen, I had to have empathy and understanding for someone very different from myself. That all really shaped the way that I see myself, see others and see life. Something so simple, made a great impact on me.
Now as a parent and coach, it is part of the reason I am so passionate about soccer. I know it goes way beyond a game. I have the privilege to see my children experiencing the same beautiful reality of a sport that has no separation and no borders.
Other fun things this week:
- New Boots for Father’s Day – My kiddos know me well. I went and picked out my new cleats at Soccer Corner. It’s amazing how far design has come in style and fit. I had so much fun picking out the right boots for me. The color was a little out of my comfort zone but Charlie pushed me to go for it. What do you think?
- Hydration – Summer is here and the heat is not holding back. Water consumption is always important, but especially when training in extreme temperatures. Drinking water throughout the entire day, not just at the peak of activity level is a great way to prevent dehydration.
- Games Reopening – In a lot of areas, leagues have started re-opening and players are needing to be back in playtime shape and condition. When developing a training plan, consider progressive overload. This means gradual increase of stress placed upon the body during exercise training. This helps prevent injury and gives the body necessary recovery time in needs. It can be tempting to go full force after being quarantined but progressive overload is better for the athlete in the long term. If you are a soccer player, here’s an example of a progressive overload training plan.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and happy father’s day to all the dads! I’m going to go break in my new cleats! 😉