Heidt, R. S., Sweeterman, L. M., Carlonas, R. L., Traub, J. A., & Tekulve, F. X. (2000). Avoidance of soccer injuries with preseason conditioning. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 28, 659-662.

A preseason-conditioning program was evaluated for its influence on the occurrence and severity of soccer injuries. Female high school soccer players (N = 300; 14-18 yr) were monitored over 12 months. Randomly selected individuals (N = 42) participated in a seven-week training program before the start of the season. The type, mechanism, severity, and when an injury occurred, the number of games and practices missed, and the type of shoes worn were recorded.

All injuries occurred in the legs. The trained group experienced a significantly lower incidence of injury than the untrained group.

Implication. Preseason conditioning appears to reduce the likelihood of injuries in high school female soccer players.

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