We are a soccer family. Sometime in the last few years some sort of shift happened and I realized that I was driving a mini-van with a foldable chair and Tupperware dish of orange slices in the back. Suddenly I was SOCCER MOM. Didn’t really see it coming, although I have friends who will disagree with that statement. They apparently saw it coming years ago. Part of our soccer-mindedness comes from Coach Dad. Before we had our own kids my husband coached soccer, basketball and baseball (this was probably a clue to those friends of mine, now that I think about it). Anyway, it was only natural that he coached our daughter when she was old enough. Most of the time it works pretty well for our family.

Sometimes though I run into some trouble meshing Soccer Mom with Yoga Teacher. Soccer Mom tries to stay out of the team’s business, leaving the coaching to the coaches, but Yoga Teacher Me cringes each and every time I see a coach (Coach Dad included) fail to warm up their players before practices and games. It is so important for muscles, especially developing muscles to ease in. Warming up prevents injury, plain and simple. Warming up the muscles creates blood flow which prepares the muscles for the exercise to come. This works to prevent strain. Coach Dad can tell you that he recently learned this lesson the hard way. Warming up also cues the brain to get in the games. Our bodies build muscle memory fairly quickly. If we practice the same sort of warm up each time we prepare for aerobic activity we are cueing the brain as well as our bodies, of what’s coming. This is particularly helpful with kids. Kids thrive on ritual. It is really important for them to have a predictable series of events. Warm ups serve as a transition between on and off the field. Warm ups cue the brain that its time for sports now, creating a more focused athlete.

Most coaches in our area are not paid for their time. They do go through a basic training of sorts, but it simply can’t cover everything. The ones who do warm up their teams, may know why they are doing it but not always the best way to go about it (no offense to the fabulous coaches out there who know exactly what they are doing all of the time). Here is where the yoga comes in, I know you were waiting for it. Yoga can target the specific areas of the body that are most prone to injury or overuse on the field or court. Sports can create an imbalance by over-strengthening one area of the body. Yoga can help to equalize the unbalanced areas. Yoga builds flexibility giving the muscles a better range of motion which again, prevents strain on the body. Yoga is an opportunity for athletes to build muscle memory to complement their chosen sport, outside of the competition that comes with it. In addition, the meditative qualities of a regular yoga practice, along with breathing techniques can work to focus an athlete and lessen any pre-game jitters. Pro-athletes are adding yoga to their training because yoga enhances their game.

The fall athletic season is fast approaching. Most teams will start practices within a few short weeks. If your child is playing a sport this fall, talk with the coach about warming up at every practice and before every game. And then thank them for volunteering their time. If you, or your coaches, are looking for ideas on the best way to incorporate warming up(and cooling down) into the program give a shout out. We’d love to help. Yoga is for everyone, after all, athletes included. If you’d like you child to learn more about the right way to warm up for his or her sport consider registering for our Sports Stretch Clinic on August 6th.

If not, maybe I’ll see you on the soccer field this fall. I’ll be the lady in the yoga pants passing out oranges.