It's no surprise that injuries are more likely to happen during games than in training. But a 2013 review published in Sports Medicine took a closer look at this pattern in youth soccer. The study found that injuries tend to occur more frequently during matches—particularly among older players or those with a history of injury—and are often linked to rapid growth, poor neuromuscular control, and overtraining (Faude et al., 2013).

You might think of strength training as something reserved for building muscle or power, but its value goes deeper. A 2022 review in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living found that regular strength training significantly reduces the risk of overuse injuries in youth athletes (Post et al., 2022). Another study highlighted how tailored, full-body strength programs can help correct imbalances that often lead to chronic injury (Faigenbaum et al., 2016).

Training hard without resting properly increases your risk of injury. Elite circus performers, whose physical demands often mirror those of elite athletes, were studied in a 2023 paper that revealed an important insight: when performers took two consecutive days off every 4–6 weeks, their injury rates dropped noticeably (Stier et al., 2023).

We know food is fuel—but it's also medicine. Nutritional strategies like increasing protein, creatine, vitamin D, and omega-3 intake have been shown to enhance recovery, especially in high-impact sports like wrestling, MMA, and endurance running. One 2016 study emphasized how these nutrients support immune health, reduce inflammation, and help repair soft tissue (Strock et al., 2016).

Gone are the days of toe touches before a workout. New research suggests that small-sided games (SSGs)—short bursts of gameplay or drills that mimic actual sport movement—are more effective at improving sprinting, jumping, and agility than traditional warm-ups. A 2023 study on youth soccer players found measurable performance improvements using this method (Koklu et al., 2023).