In total, Agile Physical Therapy tested over 280 soccer players from both the boys and girls squads of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) soccer teams. We provided pre and re-testing, and myself, alongside three colleagues, provided twice-weekly trainings, designed to improve both speed and agility as well as decrease injury risk based on pre-testing results. As a collegiate soccer player myself, I was privileged to have coaches that valued strength training alongside technical skills from an early age. I had an absolute blast working with high school soccer players again, and was astonished by the far superior play compared to when I played against those teams. Unfortunately, alongside this improvement, there seems to be a parallel relationship with injury frequency. In one Fall season a patient of mine and 5 of her teammates had all either torn their meniscus and/ or ACL during play. The national adolescent injury stats are astounding, and I hope that we can find a way to lift athletes up without wearing down their bodies in the meantime. I am forever grateful for my coaches, teammates, and physical therapists who supported me as an athlete. I am passionate about giving my thanks by providing a high level of care for the athletes I get to work with in the clinic.
