This is a great video.  I hope you find this both informative and entertaining.

It’s that time of year again-homework, car pools and, of course, sports. If your family is like mine, you’re probably headed back to the field to cheer on your kid’s games and practices. As a mom of three active girls, I’ve seen how great organized sports can be, helping kids learn cooperation, discipline and respect while also encouraging lifelong exercise habits. But I’ve also seen how even the most well-meaning parents can undermine the many benefits that sports have to offer.

Soccer players are continuously looking for ways to improve his or her performance, increasing the body’s maximum potential and forcing it to achieve championship form.  Training leading up to a tournament is done with hard work and commitment on a daily basis.  With the amount of effort and time spent in training comes and equally high energy consumption and that is where nutrition (fuel) will come in.

• All players will be instructed by their coaches and athletic trainers concerning the importance of nutrition before each tournament.
• Players will be required to attend all scheduled meals.
• Teams will be responsible for following and supervising the nutritional guidelines of the club.
• Parents/players are responsible for the availability of food/fluids for each team.
• All teams are required to have sufficient Gatorade, water, ice, and snacks in each of the player’s rooms during the tournament.
• All teams are required to provide sufficient Gatorade, water, ice, and snacks at each game for pre-game, in- game, and post- game nourishment.
• Managers will be responsible for the designation of access to the aforementioned at games.
• No sodas or carbonated drinks are allowed prior to and during the tournament.  Water will be served at all meals.
• Breakfast should be eaten daily.  If your game is early a light breakfast should be consumed with plenty of fluids
• Pre-game meals should be planned 3-4 hours prior to the beginning of each game.  If not possible, nutritious snacks and plenty of fluid should be provided.
• Post-games snacks should be available to each player at the conclusion of each game on the field or in the vans returning from the game.  Post- game nutrition should include the immediate snack/Gatorade (within one hour of the game) followed by a larger meal later after the return to the hotel.
• Players should hydrate at all times during the tournament.  Urine color should appear clear (not dark yellow) upon waking in the morning, before the game, and before going to bed.  This is a simple way of acknowledging proper hydration.

Here are few thoughts that our Directors of Coaching would like the parents of Hammer to think about. They spent jotting down their collective thoughts on what makes for a nurturing, player developing soccer parent.

As a Responsible Sports Parents it is important for you to be able to communicate positively with your child's coach. Working together will ensure a better sports experience for all parties. Here are 6 tools to help you communicate with your child's coach.

"Mom and Dad, I don’t want to play anymore!"

If you’re like most of us, you were taught the importance of warm-up exercises back in grade school, and you’ve likely continued with pretty much the same routine ever since. Science, however, has moved on. Researchers now believe that some of the more entrenched elements of many athletes’ warm-up regimens are not only a waste of time but actually bad for you.

As coaches and trainers we will perform anything from plyometrics to sprinting to reduce injury and increase performance.  The real question is whether the type of stretching we chose to perform before activity will have an affect on the performance and injury levels of our athletes. 

For many soccer coaches, both veterans and novices, coaching a futsal tournament is a new concept. Although the sport shares the same DNA as soccer, coaches should be aware of the unique benefits that the sport provides and the unique approach to coaching it allows.

 What makes the epidemic of sideline shouting particularly egregious is that the instructions are usually misguided. 

What better venue for an endless array of amusement and bemusement than the youth soccer field? Much is predictable, like the adult sideline behavior, but the unexpected never ceases.

Hammer FC supports the full implementation of small-sided games through U12. As an organization, we endeavor to develop the best soccer players in Cincinnati to their utmost potential.