Soccer is very much a traditional game and this is reflected in, until recently, a stubbornness to hold onto “old school” training methods.  It is only recently that the top clubs in the world have acknowledged training as a science. And why wouldn’t they, given their big money investment in their players.  

Prehabilitation means that by carefully assessing a “healthy” players movement patterns, understanding the inherent risks of soccer, and even taking into consideration the specific position of a player, we may be able to predict potential injuries.  Muscle imbalances, poor coordination and reactivity are just some of the possible areas to address in the prevention of injury.  These considerations are then incorporated into an individualized training program for the athlete, which if done properly, will accomplish the interrelated goals of injury prevention and improved performance. The end result should be the player’s ability to attain greater training and competitive loads with decreased effort and less stress and strain on the body.  Although this is an exciting and developing field,  we obviously have a long way to go before making rehabilitation a thing of the past.